Baptism required for church membership

[Joe Chandler]

I don't know how your church practices baptism, but in every church that I have joined, the candidate must present a public profession of faith. Then the pastor says, "Upon your profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you, my brother, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Buried in the likeness of his death and raised to walk in newness of life."

Baptist churches have always admitted only regenerate members. Other institutional and state churches killed Baptists for this practice. Church discipline handled the problems and the restoration of ill-behaved members. This is the way to ensure that unregenerate people cannot become members with voting rights. This is only one of the Baptist distinctives that I agree with.

[BrotherTony]

16 minutes ago, Joe Chandler said:

I don't know how your church practices baptism, but in every church that I have joined, the candidate must present a public profession of faith. Then the pastor says, "Upon your profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you, my brother, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Buried in the likeness of his death and raised to walk in newness of life."

Baptist churches have always admitted only regenerate members. Other institutional and state churches killed Baptists for this practice. Church discipline handled the problems and the restoration of ill-behaved members. This is the way to ensure that unregenerate people cannot become members with voting rights. This is only one of the Baptist distinctives that I agree with.

I hate to disagree here, but many IFB churches have allowed unregenerate people into the membership of the church because they said ita 1,2,3, pray after me type prayer with no evidence of repentance. Sad, but so very true.

[Joe Chandler]

1 minute ago, BrotherTony said:

I hate to disagree here, but many IFB churches have allowed unregenerate people into the membership of the church because they said ita 1,2,3, pray after me type prayer with no evidence of repentance. Sad, but so very true.

You are not disagreeing with me, you are agreeing with me. I just didn't make a clear distinction between a genuine profession and a false one. Your comments are always welcome.

[MikeWatson1]

I got baptised by immersion twice.  The first time as a charismatic youth in a methodist church.  Later when I found an independent Baptist church, I got re-baptised to make sure, because we weren't sure if the first baptism had the right authority from that kind of charismatic, methodist church.  I also wasn't clear on what the baptism meant in my teens. 

This re-baptism, with baptism as a pre requisite to join one of God's churches is related to defining what 'the church' is. 

 

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by MikeWatson1

[Joe Chandler]

5 hours ago, MikeWatson1 said:

I got baptised by immersion twice.  The first time as a charismatic youth in a methodist church.  Later when I found an independent Baptist church, I got re-baptised to make sure, because we weren't sure if the first baptism had the right authority from that kind of charismatic, methodist church.  I also wasn't clear on what the baptism meant in my teens. 

This re-baptism, with baptism as a pre requisite to join one of God's churches is related to defining what 'the church' is. 

 

 

That is the policy of any decent Baptist church. That is why we were literally killed for it in the past. I have a cousin that attends a Baptist church in New Hampshire, but he is Methodist. He cannot understand why he cannot be a member until he is re-baptized. I show him Bible, but he values his tradition more.

[MikeWatson1]

1 hour ago, Joe Chandler said:

That is the policy of any decent Baptist church. That is why we were literally killed for it in the past. I have a cousin that attends a Baptist church in New Hampshire, but he is Methodist. He cannot understand why he cannot be a member until he is re-baptized. I show him Bible, but he values his tradition more.

Well, if they believe the church is all redeemed, then membership in a local body is a foreign concept. 

[Jim_Alaska]

1 hour ago, Joe Chandler said:

That is the policy of any decent Baptist church. That is why we were literally killed for it in the past. I have a cousin that attends a Baptist church in New Hampshire, but he is Methodist. He cannot understand why he cannot be a member until he is re-baptized. I show him Bible, but he values his tradition more.

Hopefully since he is attending a Baptist church the Holy Spirit will convict and teach him the truth about baptism and its prerequisites. That is, of course, if it is a sound Baptist Church.

[BrotherTony]

Coming from another denomination fraut with so much error and the true gospel not being taught these days in many of their churches, I hope he has a true salvation testimony. Still, if he does he would need to be re baptized in most Baptist churches that I know of.

[Joe Chandler]

4 hours ago, MikeWatson1 said:

Well, if they believe the church is all redeemed, then membership in a local body is a foreign concept. 

Please explain.

[MikeWatson1]

1 hour ago, Joe Chandler said:

Please explain.

Well.. I believe the body of Christ is purely local.  That is 'the church'.  Matt 16:18 Has Jesus building His church that is Him and His disciples.  It's local because Matt 18:20 is also local. 

The time the church will be all redeemed is in the New Jerusalem.  We haven't got there yet.

All redeemed is in the Family of God. Not the body of Christ. Which is local.

So... A methodist would call the church all redeemed (universal, invisible). Church membership is not a doctrine they would believe in, seeing 'the church' for them is not local. 

And if they see at as both local and universal.. well most who have this don't do church membership either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Joe Chandler]

3 hours ago, MikeWatson1 said:

Well.. I believe the body of Christ is purely local.  That is 'the church'.  Matt 16:18 Has Jesus building His church that is Him and His disciples.  It's local because Matt 18:20 is also local. 

The time the church will be all redeemed is in the New Jerusalem.  We haven't got there yet.

All redeemed is in the Family of God. Not the body of Christ. Which is local.

So... A methodist would call the church all redeemed (universal, invisible). Church membership is not a doctrine they would believe in, seeing 'the church' for them is not local. 

And if they see at as both local and universal.. well most who have this don't do church membership either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your reply. I see what you are saying now. I'm not a universal church guy either. I believe as you do, which is why I asked for an explanation. I was espousing believers' baptism for membership in a local church.

Acts 2:41   Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

So being saved is a prerequisite to being baptized into a local assembly. Ideally, this would lead to a regenerate congregation. Church discipline/the Lord's supper should ensure that we live our faith. I also know that some make false professions, but I don't know what to do about that except to pray for folks that don't seem genuine and continue to preach the Word.

[SureWord]

On 5/18/2023 at 4:19 PM, Joe Chandler said:

I don't know how your church practices baptism, but in every church that I have joined, the candidate must present a public profession of faith. Then the pastor says, "Upon your profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you, my brother, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Buried in the likeness of his death and raised to walk in newness of life."

Baptist churches have always admitted only regenerate members. Other institutional and state churches killed Baptists for this practice. Church discipline handled the problems and the restoration of ill-behaved members. This is the way to ensure that unregenerate people cannot become members with voting rights. This is only one of the Baptist distinctives that I agree with.

Maybe I'm misreading you but are you saying every time I want to join a new church I need to be re-baptized?

[BrotherTony]

Just now, SureWord said:

Maybe I'm misreading you but are you saying every time I want to join a new church I need to be re-baptized?

That shouldn't happen when transferring from one Baptist Church to another.

[Joe Chandler]

3 minutes ago, SureWord said:

Maybe I'm misreading you but are you saying every time I want to join a new church I need to be re-baptized?

Good question. You are not misreading me, but I did fail to mention moving by letter from a sister church of like faith and practice since I was focusing on the biblical method of baptizing a new convert. Does that clear things up?

[SureWord]

3 minutes ago, BrotherTony said:

That shouldn't happen when transferring from one Baptist Church to another.

So I need references?

I think a profession of faith in the blood of Christ should suffice.

Anything else is Baptist Briderism.