What is a Baptist?

What is a Baptist?

If you've ever wondered, "What exactly is a Baptist?" the answer is simple: we are Bible-believing Christians who want to follow Jesus Christ in the way He teaches in Scripture.

The name Baptist comes from our commitment to baptizing believers by immersion, just like Jesus and the early church did. But being a Baptist is about more than a name - it's about building our lives and our church on the Word of God.

Here are a few things that make us who we are:

The Bible is our foundation.

We believe God's Word is true, powerful, and relevant for every part of life.

Salvation is a gift.

Eternal life cannot be earned by good works, church membership, or baptism. It is given freely through faith in Jesus Christ.

Each church is local and independent.

Rose Park Baptist isn't controlled by a denomination or hierarchy. We are accountable to Christ as the Head of the church.

Every believer has direct access to God.

You don't need a priest or go-between. Through Jesus, every Christian can pray, worship, and grow personally in their relationship with the Lord.

We follow Christ's two ordinances.

Baptism shows our faith in Jesus, and the Lord's Supper helps us remember His sacrifice. Both are powerful symbols, but neither saves us - only Christ does.

In short, being a Baptist means loving Jesus, living by the Bible, and enjoying the freedom to serve Him with joy.

What We Are Not

There are a lot of ideas floating around about Baptists, and some of them simply aren't true. Let us clear up a few of the biggest ones:

We don't believe baptism saves you.

Baptism is important, but it's a picture of the salvation you already have in Christ.

We're not about rules for rules' sake. 

Yes, we believe in living holy lives, but that comes from love for God - not to try to "earn" His favor.

We're not joyless. 

The Christian life is full of joy, hope, and peace because it's rooted in knowing Jesus personally.



We're not all identical. 

Every Baptist church is independent, so while we share the same core beliefs, the details may look a little different from one church to another.