Baptists...?

Question

I am writing a paper on religion and I have a couple of questions for Baptists.

You believe in being 'saved' on earth, when you come to the realization that you're a sinner. Is there some ritual or something that goes with that? Am I 'saved' because I know I'm not perfect, or do I have to be Baptist?

Can you be 'un-saved'? If you get saved, then later on if you forget about God or whatever, are you not saved anymore?

Do you have communion? If so, what do you eat and drink, and does it represent flesh and blood?

Thanks for anyone that can answer these questions.

Answer 1

Suggest you review the following:

See the table of Christian denominational beliefs here:
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/denominations_beliefs.htm

Christian Practices:
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/denominations_practices.htm

Christian Statistics:
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/denominations_stats.htm

Christian Ethics and Social Issues:
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/denominations_ethics.htm

Christian Protestant and Catholicism Theologies:
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/catholic_protestant.htm

Answer 2

One becomes saved after hearing the word of God . Romans 10:17 . Your eyes are open spiritually after realizing that we are sinners , deserving eternal hell for or sins.Romans 6:23.Romans 10:9,10 Confessing your sins to (God only ) and ask him for his forgiveness and to save you from hell that he died on the cross for .. Romans 10:13 You have a brand new soul that tries to do the will of God but, we are still have a body that wants to sin .No, you do not have to be a Baptist , any one that is witnessed to by hearing the word of God can be saved ( it's a free gift ).Once you are truly saved you can never lose your salvation , you might back slide .Communion ( bread )represents his body that was broken for us , and we realize and thank him for what he did for us which he sacrificed for us and his blood (usually grape Juice) which he shed on the cross. Grape juice is recommended , former alcoholics might get hooked again. The fundamental Baptist take the bible as the truth and is their foundation in faith .Most are independent , they are usually fundamental staying the course in following the bible only . while other baptist churches vary in their ways and beliefs.

Answer 3

I was raised a Baptist. However, am no longer associated with them.

Here is what I remember. Romans 3:23 says all have sinned....Romans 10:9 says for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. So, if you confess your sins and believe in your heart that God has raised you from your sins...you will be saved. Of course John 3:16.

Baptists believe that once you are "truly" saved, you will always be saved.

Communion is grape juice and little communion wafers...taken once a quarter.

The Southern Baptists accept the publication the Baptist Faith and Message as a statement of their belief structure...basically...they differ from others because they believe in the priesthood of the believer...that anyone at any level can pray to God, and that God can speak to them regardless of one's spirituality, socio-economic status, anything...that God can speak to anyone through the reading of the word and not have to go through an intercessory, (priest).

While Baptists preach this priesthood of the believer, they do not adhere to it. If God speaks to you differently than the line the Baptists walk...they do not consider you a Baptist...and probably not a Christian.

Answer 4

I am Baptist.
I'm trying to understand your view of "Saved." For me, being saved is acceptance of Jesus as your Lord and savior. You are saved because you simply believe. There isn't a ritual to it. The only thing is when you accept Jesus, you are willing to change your life so that you are trying to be Christ-like.

You can't be "UN-saved". Once you accept salvation you can't lose it. If you "Forgot about God" (Don't understand that one) then you never accepted him. THis isn't like some soap opera where a man saves he loves this lady, but leaves her because he "fell out of love" with her. You either do or don't.

Yes, we have communion. Communion is a simple of our rememberance of what Jesus did for us. We don't worship Communion. It is a simple. Bread, that represents his flesh that was hung on the cross. Juice, which represents the blood he shed when dying for our sins.

Answer 5

Different types of baptists believe different things....but

You are saved because you are a sinner, and you are Baptisted. That is like washing away your old sins and showing the world that you have been saved.

If you have been truly saved, you cannot be unsaved. People who say they are Christians and then become murderers, etc were not really saved at all.

Communion is done with unleavened crackers and grape juice. Yes, it is supposed to represent the last supper, which was symbolic of the flesh and blood.

Answer 6

Baptists believe different things. Some believe that once you are saved, you are always saved, but others disagree.

All Baptist who have a communion-type ritual believe that it is only symbolic, NOT the actual body and blood of Christ as the Gospel of John says and the Catholic Church teaches.

God bless you.

Answer 7

Hi, I was raised a Baptist.

Being "saved" means more than realizing you'r a sinner. It means you accept the crucifixion of Jesus on your behalf as punishment, in your place, for all the bad things you have done and will do in this life. The "wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus" as the Bible says. So we trade spiritual death, eternal seperation from God (Hell), for eternal life with Jesus (Heaven).

There is no ritual that goes with it, however, it is customary for a person to pray, either out loud or silently in their mind, the "Sinner's Prayer" which goes something like this:

Dear God,
I confess that I am a sinner and am not perfect, please forgive my sins. I accept Jesus' death in my place and believe that he rose from the dead conquering sin and death so now I am free. Jesus, I give you control over my life and I want to live for you from now on. Please give me your Holy Spirit to be my helper as I do this. Amen.

If you pray this sincerely, and keep believing it, you cannot be "unsaved." However, many people pray this lightly, not understanding what they are doing, and just because they are afraid of Hell. They don't really trust Jesus with control of their life and they go back on their word. Their sincerity is in doubt and their salvation is in question.

All christians practice some form of baptism and communion. Baptism to Baptists means you choose to be publicly "dunked" under water, which symbolizes the death of your sinful self, and being reborn into a new life with Jesus. For many christians living in cultures hostile to Christianity, it represents a willingness to die for Jesus (which quite often occurs soon afterwards). It is a step which means you are very serious about your decision to live for Jesus.

Communion is also common to all Christians of all denominations since Jesus commanded us to do it. Most Baptists buy bread or crackers and break them up, handing them around. They fill little tiny cups with grape juice and serve them out so everyone gets one. The pastor prays a blessing, saying "Jesus said, this is my body broken for you. Eat in rememberance of me. " and we eat it together. Then, "This is my blood shed for you. Drink in rememberance of me." and we drink, all together. Everyone who believes in Jesus is allowed to participate, but because of the seriousness of the act, some Baptist churches only allow their own church members (who they know have accepted baptism) to participate.

Most mainline Charismatic and Evangelical churches also believe and follow the above.

Answer 8

I could answer these questions but it would seem that I was attacking a denomination. If you want to be indoctrinated a Baptist can help. I'll have no part of it.

Answer 9

The Baptist Faith and Message

I. The Scriptures
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

II. God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.


A. God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.

B. God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.

C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17.

III. Man
Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.

IV. Salvation ( being saved)
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.
B. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.
C. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.
D. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.

VII. Baptism and the Lord's Supper (communion)
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper.
The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.

VIII. The Lord's Day
The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10.

IX. The Kingdom
The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.

Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Matthew 3:2; 4:8-10,23; 12:25-28; 13:1-52; 25:31-46; 26:29; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:2; 12:31-32; 17:20-21; 23:42; John 3:3; 18:36; Acts 1:6-7; 17:22-31; Romans 5:17; 8:19; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 11:10,16; 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 4:13; Revelation 1:6,9; 5:10; 11:15; 21-22.

X. Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13.