From where we come...

In Sunday School today we began a series about Baptist freedoms, or foundations. Walter Shurden lays out four freedoms that are pivotal to understanding what Baptists are all about. Today we explored what Bible Freedom means for us and what it meant for the first Baptists.

Originally, what we know as Baptists, were not interested in beginning a whole new denomination. They simply wanted to be free to be "faithful and obedient to Christ." So, they decided that people should be free to read and study the Bible under the authority of the Lordship of Christ. They said He was the ultimate authority and that the Bible had to be interpreted using Him as the norm. Everything in Scripture points to Jesus Christ, the Old and New Testaments.

In addition, the Bible is the final written authority for Baptists. This does not mean creeds and other statements of faith cannot exist or have no value. It simply means they are not greater than or equal to the Bible. No confession can adequately express all that person believes. It can show the main, core elements of faith, but not the whole. And so, the Bible stands far above them as authoritative.

Baptists have been known for many years as "people of the Book." This refers mostly to the idea that Baptists read and study and formulate ideas about faith and doctrine for themselves without a higher "office" dictating or suggesting interpretations and doctrine. While there are some groups today in some strands of Baptist life who seemingly would like to do just that, Baptists hold that the individuals are free to explore and express their faith themselves.

Of course, this begs the question about heretical doctrine and teaching related to personal interpretation of Scripture. Well, it must be remembered that Baptists hold to the idea of personal study under the Lordship of Christ, which means Christ and the Spirit are leading in the discovery of truth. In addition, it is important to recognize the years and years of Church history and tradition that feeds into our modern understanding. While we would say that we do not hold tightly to such Church doctrine tradition, we cannot say it has no influence in our thinking. Ultimately, if Christ is guiding, the truth found should be theologically sound.

One final note Shurden makes in this section is that this idea of Bible freedom is hard work because it means we must study, seek, read, think, work and dig to understand the Scripture to the best of our abilities with the best of the resources available to us. We should never take lightly the task of being able to discover Truth for ourselves.


More to come as we learn what it means to claim to be of the Baptist way.

Lory