Be Ready to Give an Answer: Why Baptist Distinctives Are Bible Distinctives

Continuing the midweek series on what Baptists believe, Pastor Chris Parker opened the Wednesday evening service with the reading of 1 Peter 3:15, urging the congregation to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.” Returning to the series’ anchor text in Acts 17:10-12, he reminded the church that the Bereans were called noble because they searched the Scriptures daily, and he challenged believers to know what they believe and why they believe it. From Colossians 4:6 he drew the difference between arguing and answering, calling for speech “always with grace, seasoned with salt.” Reading from Kevin Fogger, the pastor gave five reasons to be thankful for the Baptist name: a doctrine found throughout the New Testament, a rich heritage, doctrinal distinctives, a history apart from Protestantism, and the influence of Baptist forefathers on religious liberty in America. He then introduced the BAPTISTS acronym – Biblical authority, Autonomy of the local church, Priesthood of the believer, Two ordinances, Individual soul liberty, Saved baptized church membership, Two offices, and Separation of church and state – working through the first four points with texts including 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Colossians 1:18, 1 Peter 2:5-9, and Revelation 1:6. On believer’s baptism he pressed a searching question about scriptural authority: who has the authority to baptize, and should a church accept baptism from a church that teaches wrong doctrine? He recounted the martyrdom of Anabaptist Felix Manz in 1527 and read Spurgeon’s 1861 declaration that Baptists “did not commence our existence at the Reformation.” The message closed with an invitation to trust Christ as Savior and a challenge to be Berean Christians: study the Word, hide it in your heart, and give biblical answers – not opinions – to those who ask.