What is a Baptist?

A Baptist, first of all, is someone who has been born again (Jn 3), who has put his or her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (Ephes 2:8-10). Then he or she has obeyed His command to be baptized as a public testimony of his or her commitment to Him and to His people (Mat 28:18-20; Rom 6). Following this he or she has joined a church all of whose members have had a similar experience of saving faith and have been baptized (Acts 2:41-42). This is where he or she can grow as he or she learns more about Christ and how to obey Him (Mat 28:20). This church only has such members because it is under the authority of the Bible, the Word of God (II Tim 3:15-17), and is seeking to obey the commands of Christ its Head. As such it is autonomous and answers to Him alone for all its beliefs and practices (Rev 2,3). It does not depend on or accept interference from any person or body outside of itself (especially not from a non Christian state), though it seeks to develop and maintain close relations with other churches which have the same beliefs. A Baptist desires freedom to worship God as he or she believes the Bible teaches, but he or she also believes that everyone should have that same freedom to worship or not to worship as they believe, because each person will answer to God individually for their beliefs. While they should not be persecuted for their faith or lack of it, it is the duty and privilege of every Christian in every true church to spread the message of the Gospel to everyone, so that others too can have a relationship with God through Christ.