Baptists, I have a question?

Question

I grew up a Baptist. The main teachings that I remember from those days were "once saved always saved" and "no dancing" . Are those beliefs still basic for you all?

When I was a Baptist it was a basic teaching that we weren't supposed to dance. In fact most of the kids in my high school were Baptists so the school couldn't have Jr/Sr Prom because the preachers wouldn't let them. We could just have Jr/Sr banquet and then go to a movie. A friend of the family was a deacon and would complain a lot to us and others that he wished the church would allow dancing so kids would have something to do instead of going out parking.

I belonged to a Southern Baptist church in Oklahoma

From reading your posts it sounds like the S Baptists have changed their teachings on dancing.

Joshua, the no dancing rule was a command where I went to church. As I said earlier it was so much a part of the Baptist teachings that the public school I attended was not allowed, by the local preachers, to have any dances..not even a well chaparoned jr/sr prom.

Where is "once saved, always saved" taught in the Bible? thanks.

Answer 1

The Baptist (and Protestant) denominations that follow the doctrines of John Calvin believe in "Once saved always saved", or better called, Perseverance of the Saints (The inability to fall from Grace), include the Southern, Independent, Missionary, Primitive Baptists (and Presbyterians and many of the Reformed Churches). In addition to Perseverance of the Saints, they also teach Total Depravity (mankind is incapable of knowing that salvation is necessary), Unconditional Election (God has chosen who will/won't be saved), Limited Atonement (Christ only died for a limited amount of mankind - those that God had already elected), and Irresistible Grace (Those elected will be saved, whether they want it or not). It's called T.U.L.I.P.

Other Baptists, including the Free Will Baptist, General Baptist, and the Protestant denominations, such as Church of God (Anderson), Nazarenes, Pentecosts, Holiness, Free Methodists, and Assembly of God follow the teachings of the 1600's Dutch theologian Jacobus (James) Arminius (who also influenced John Wesley in the late 1700's). These denominations believe that a person has the free will to accept the call of Jesus to salvation, but can also choose to reject their salvation. The Bible is very clear that a person can indeed Fall From Grace:

Hebrews 6:4-6
4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

2 Peter 2:20-22
20For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

II Peter 3:17
17Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

Galatians 5:4
4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

I Cor. 10:12
12Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Revelation 3:15-16
15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Revelation 2:4
4Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Matthew 24:13
13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (NOTE: the Greek word for "end" is Teleos, which means "Physical death - the end of life" - a person must remain faithful and follow Christ until Death to enter heaven).

Jude 24
24Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy

Luke 8:13
13They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

Isaiah 1:28
28And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

Ezekiel 18:21-24, 26-28
26When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.


As to the dancing, many conservative churches were against it, due mostly to the sexual temptations it led to, but there is nothing specific about dancing/not dancing in the Bible. Few, if any churches, today have much to say about dancing.

Answer 2

Salvation is a gift from God, according to Ephesians 2:8-10. We can never fully understand the absolute grace that God has provided through His Son, Jesus Christ. So yes, once anybody truly accepts the gift of salvation, it's settled. That has been a core belief for as long as I can remember. Having said that, one has to remember that simply saying words or anything like that is no guarantee of anyone's salvation.

Dancing, though, is different, as you may be referring to different things. Slow dancing, i.e., a couple getting up close and personal, has been frowned on for a long time. I personally didn't care for it much, even in junior high and high school.

When I was a teacher, it was almost humorous watching some of the middle school dances! More often than not, there would be a handful of girls doing most of the dancing, while the boys would huddle and talk--and it wasn't about dancing, either, at least when I walked by! But when a sssllllloooowwww number was played, just about everybody would couple-up, dance, and then the boys would go back to the sidelines.

Answer 3

The core of Baptist theology has just recently come to notions of salvation. They have been hijacked by the evangelicals and the Pentecostals in the salvation debate.

The true seed of Baptist thought is independence of organization from above (in the elite strata) and a belief that one human is able to read and interpret for himself all that needs to be done to work out individual salvation. Mass salvation is a relic of the mass church. It is a product of convenience and certitude for pop-preachers.

Dancing is an extension of "frolic" that was frowned on by the folks that formulated things "Baptist". Baptist were historically free thinkers, dissenters and outcasts by choice. Baptists were found historically in the Americas on the frontiers. They were independent, self sustaining and given to following their own mind in terms of personal salvation. The real strength of real Baptists is that they are open to evolution and development of their own thought without resorting to things set in stone.

Baptist are getting a bad rep because they are leaving their teaching behind and going with the pop-crowd. All, that is, except for my friend Sam. He is a freethinking Baptist of the old school.

Answer 4

I would tweak it a little.

Once you are TRULY saved, you are always saved.

No dancing? What's that supposed to mean? Are you talking about a Footloose situation or something? If so, then no. Dancin' is alright unless you just can't. In that case, it shouldn't matter what you believe, you just shouldn't put yourself in that situation.

I just happen to go to a Baptist church. I am a youth leader there. However, I don't go there because I look for Baptist churches whenever I move. I just look for good solid teaching right out of the Bible and that is what I found here. There are always things that people will frown upon in all churches with no regard to whether or not, in and of itself, is a sin. There are plenty of things that we can do that aren't sins, in and of themselves. Yet, for some people, those very things CAN be a sin. Let's go ahead and look at dancing. Is dancing a sin? If you look at the Bible, which defines sin as a transgression of God's laws (10 commandments), then no. Dancing is technically not a sin. Now, let's say you're a single guy, or married for that matter, and you are dancing with friends. You see a hot chick over there and you start dancing with her inappropriately and start to desire her sexually. Jesus said that if you look at a woman, to lust after her, you've committed adultery in your heart. Bang! Adultery. Sin. I can dance with my wife. My youth can dance with other youth in an appropriate manner.

Answer 5

I am southern baptist. We do believe that once saved always saved. We believe that it is ok to dance. I use to go to independant Baptist church and they dont' believe in dancing. I never understood that. I don't know if they still believe that anymore or not.

Answer 6

We do believe in once saved, always saved. However, David danced down the streets of Jerusalem praising the Lord. Therefore, no dancing is a tradition not a command.

Answer 7

Now the "Once saved" thing I was raised to believe until I converted but I could have sworn that the "no dancing" was in my grandparents days as I took ballet, tap, and jazz for many years.
Pax et Bonum,
Debra

Answer 8

Yes the Baptists believe in "once saved always saved" .. The problem is you can't always tell the professors from the possessors.

Answer 9

I'm Baptist and believe Once saved, always saved. I believe you can backslide too. Jesus said he was the good shepherd. If you truly except Christ, he is going to keep you his!

The dancing thing can vary from congregation to congregation. I personally believe that we should live modestly and not draw attention to ourselves. We are in this world, not of it.

Answer 10

I agree with some. Let me restate things more clearly. First, KING DAVID danced NAKED before the lord. enough said. if anyone tries to say its wrong they are legalistic. next, once saved always saved is very vague.

Its true salvation is a gift from God thorugh Jesus. its true the word says no man can pluck us from Gods hand. Its true God doesnt take back his gifts. So one cn say once truly saved that we stay that way. BUT.......

Thats all true in a perfect world. the truth is WE throw gods gift away sometimes. We fall out of fellowship and stay that way until our usefullness is gone. We were created to Glorify God. If we wont live for him, whats our purpose?

Maybe once saved always saved is true. Maybe its an EXCUSE for people who want to live in sin.

Why risk it? Live each day as a Holy example for Christ. not PERFECT. Holy.