What Primitive
Baptists Believe
In
order to help you develop an understanding of the basic
doctrine of the Old Line Primitive Baptist, here are some
basic & fundamental points presented in the form of
Questions and Answers.
1. What is the
basic difference between Primitive Baptists and other
religious societies?
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Answer: The basic
difference is that Primitive Baptists believe in
salvation by grace. There are really only two positions
that a person can occupy on this matter. One is that
salvation is by grace, and the other is that salvation
is by works. It cannot be a combination of the two. A
person may say that he believes in salvation by grace,
but if he sets forth any act of man's will, such as
repentance, faith, baptism, or hearing the gospel, as a
condition for obtaining it, then this position must be
put on the works side. Primitive Baptists believe that
salvation is of the Lord, that it is by His grace, and
that nothing needs to be added to it.
2. What do
Primitive Baptists believe about the fall of man?
3. How do Primitive
Baptists support their view of unconditional election?
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Answer: They believe
that Ephesians chapter one plainly teaches that before
the foundation of the world, God, according to His own
sovereign pleasure, elected a people to eternal
salvation and made all of the arrangements necessary for
them to live with Him in glory.
4. What is their
position on predestination?
-
Answer: They believe
that God has predestinated a great number to be
conformed to the image of His Son (Rom.8: 28-30) .While
some object to this doctrine because they say it is
unfair, Primitive Baptists rejoice in it, for they see
that had it not been for predestination, the whole human
family would have been lost forever. Predestination is
not the thing that condemns a man, or puts him in a
ruined condition, but the very thing that gets him out
of such a state. Predestination concerns not "what" but
"whom." It is the great purpose of God to lift a people
up from sin and corruption and make them like Jesus
Christ. That's glorious!
5. Did not Jesus
die for the whole human race?
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Answer: No, the
Scriptures will not support that idea. Jesus said He
came into the world to do the will of His Father, and
that will was that He should save all who were given Him
(the elect) even before the world began (John 6: 37-39).
Jesus came to save HIS PEOPLE from their sins, and He
did it (Matt. 1: 21; Rom. 8: 33, 34). He died for His
sheep, not for goats (John 10: 15). He died for sons,
for the sanctified, for the brethren, for the church,
and for the children (Heb. 2: 9-15). He saw the travail
of His soul and was satisfied (Isa. 53: 10-12) .
6. Do Primitive
Baptists deny that Christ died for the world ?
7. How do you know
that all of the elect will respond to the call of the Spirit
?
8. Do you not then
teach that some might want salvation but could not have it
because they are not one of the elect?
-
Answer: No, the man who
wants salvation already HAS it. The man who hungers and
thirsts (desires it) after righteousness is a blessed
character (Matt. 5: 2-6). The alien sinner doesn't want
salvation, he doesn't fear God, and he doesn't love God;
therefore we conclude that the man who wants salvation,
fears God and loves God is a subject of grace (Rom. 3:
11, 18; I John 4: 10) .
9. Why then do you
preach, if you are already sure that all of the elect are
going to be saved in Heaven?
10. Don't you
believe that the preaching of the gospel is God's ordained
means of bringing eternal salvation to the sinner?
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Answer: No, only by the
direct operation of the Holy Spirit can eternal life be
brought to the dead sinner (John 3 : 6-8) .The gospel
brings life and immortality to light, but doesn't
produce life (llTim.1: 10).
11. How then do you
explain I Corinthians 1 :21 and passages like it?
-
Answer: The text says,
"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom
knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe." Please notice,
that the one saved by the gospel is a believer, one who
believes in God, one who has already been born again ;
he is not an alien sinner .
12. Why is it that
Primitive Baptists do not send out missionaries?
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Answer: First, they
believe that since preaching is not designed to make
people ready for a home in Heaven, it is not necessary
to send men across the seas in order to "save souls."
The Lord put gifts in the church, and these are listed
in Ephesians 4: 11; there is no mention of a missionary.
Furthermore, the gifts that the Lord did put in the
church were not put there for the purpose of saving
souls but "for the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ" (Eph. 4: 12).
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Secondly, they
believe that gospel ministers should go where they are
directed by the Spirit and not by a mission board (Acts
20: 22-23). Primitive Baptists believe that if the Lord
impresses one of His servants to go to a foreign land to
preach the gospel, he ought to go at once and not wait
for someone to pay his way.
13. Why is it that
Primitive Baptists do not have Sunday Schools?
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Answer: This ties in
very closely with the previous question. The Lord put
gifts in the church, and so the church has no more right
to appoint someone to teach than they do to call a man
to preach. We believe that "pastors and teachers" are
one office. Children ought to be brought up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6: 4), but this
is the responsibility of the parents in the home. The
church cannot possibly do for a child in one hour a week
what his parents should have been doing all week long.
The Sunday School is another of man's inventions which
is generally used as a "soul-saving" agency But it must
be emphasized that Jesus the Saviour is the only soul
winner and that man never has been able to do that work
(Heb. 8 :11). Furthermore, we are taught that women are
to keep silence in the churches (1 Cor. 14: 34), and
this is ignored in most Sunday Schools and Bible
Schools. The church should be taught by the pastor, who
is to be a God-called man and who must be apt to teach
even before being recognized by the church as an elder
(1 Tim. 3: 2).
14. Why are your
ministers called Elder?
15. Are Primitive
Baptists Protestants ?
-
Answer: No, the true
church of Jesus Christ was established before the
religious institutions of men bearing the name
"Christian" came into being and has been somewhere in
the world since that time. The true church was in
existence long before the Protestant Reformation, so it
cannot really be called a Protestant Church.
16. Why is it that
Primitive Baptists do not build hospitals, orphanages, and
other charitable institutions?
-
Answer: It is not that
they are unconcerned about caring for those who have
need, because they feel to have a duty in that regard.
But the church is a spiritual body and not a charitable
institution. The church is a home for God's people where
the gospel of Christ is proclaimed, His ordinances are
observed and discipline is maintained. It is the duty of
every member of the church to visit the fatherless and
widows in their affliction (James 1: 27), and prayer
should be offered for the sick (James 5: 14-16) ; but it
is the chief aim of the church to render a spiritual
service that is pleasing to God ( John 4: 24).
17. Do you believe
in tithing?
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Answer: No, this
was a requirement put on the Israelites under the old
law service but is not binding today. If we bring over
part of the old Jewish service into the church, we might
as well bring it all. God's people in this dispensation
ought to give, but the principle set forth is that "God
loveth a cheerful giver" (II Cor. 9: 7).
18. Do Primitive
Baptist ministers receive a salary?
-
Answer: No, they devote
their time and substance to the service of God out of
love, and as the Lord blesses their labors among His
people, those among whom the minister has labored
contribute willingly to his needs (ICor. 9: 9-14).
19. Is it true that
Primitive Baptists wash feet?
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Answer: Yes, Jesus said
we ought to wash each other's feet, and Primitive
Baptists do so. "Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say
well ; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master,
have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one
another's feet." (John 3: 13-14).
20. Do Primitive
Baptists actually believe they are the only ones going to
Heaven?
-
Answer:
Absolutely not; in fact they allow for a larger number
being in Heaven than most religious societies. Ideas
like this have been started by the enemies of the church
and not by her friends. Jesus is the firstborn among
MANY brethren. There will be a people in Heaven out of
every nation on earth (Rev. 5: 9-12). No one will be
there because of what he believed, but many will be
there in spite of it. One's doctrinal views or church
affiliation has nothing to do with his destiny.
21. Can you know
beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are saved?
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Answer: In
response to this question we would ask another; does any
man have access to the Lamb's Book of Life? Of course
there is but one Answer:. No man knows the names which
are recorded there, so we must say with Paul, "In hope
of eternal life" (Titus 1: 2) .We are confident that the
God Who cannot lie is going to save those He loved
before the world began, and we have the sweet hope of
being in the number. When Jesus said one of His
disciples would deny Him and was a devil from the
beginning, they all asked, "Lord, is it I?" We must
acknowledge that if some can be deceived, thinking they
are a child of God but are not, we could be in that
number. A humble expression of hope in the mercy of God
is far more befitting the little child of grace than a
presumptuous boast that he knows he is secure.
22. Why do you not
preach that God loves everybody?
23. Since you
believe that your destiny is in the hands of God and that
you can do nothing about it, does this not cause you a great
deal of anxiety?
24. For what
purpose were the Scriptures written?
25. Is not the word
the means by which we are born again?
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Answer: It is true that
we are born again by the Word of God which liveth and
abideth for ever, but that Word is not the written word,
or the preached word, but the living Word-Christ (John
1: 1, 2, 14; I Peter 1: 23-25) ."And this is the word
which by the gospel is preached unto you." The Word and
the gospel are two distinct things. Christ and the
message of Christ are not synonymous. The gospel is the
good news of what Christ has done for His people.
26. Do Primitive
Baptists believe in preaching the gospel to sinners?
-
Answer: Yes, because
the only people in the world interested in the gospel of
grace are poor, needy sinners. A man must be made
sensible of his sin by the Spirit, must be born again to
receive the gospel message (Luke 5: 31, 32; I Cor. 2:
14). The gospel is not addressed to the dead alien
sinner but to the burdened sinner (Matt. 11: 28-30).
27. Do you call
upon men to repent and believe?
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Answer:Yes, the
burdened sinner ought to repent and believe the truth.
The one who thus repents, believes, and is baptized is
going to be saved from the distress he feels and from
much error and confusion (Mark 16: 16). The salvation
involved here is not that which takes a man to Heaven,
but that which saves his life here in the world (Acts 2:
40).
28. What is meant
by the expression, "the gospel or militant church?"
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Answer: There are two
phases of the church. The universal church or the church
of the first born is made up of all the children of God.
This is the church which Christ purchased and which He
shall finally present without spot or wrinkle and
therefore must involve more than one assembly or body of
people (Eph. 5: 25-27; Heb. 12: 23). Then the visible,
gospel or militant church was set up by Christ as a home
for His people during the days of their pilgrimage. To
enter the gospel church one must be taught by the gospel
and follow the Lord in obedience through the waters of
baptism. The gospel church is but a little flock in each
place where it is found (Matt. 18: 17; Luke 12: 32; Rom.
16: 16; II Cor. 1: 1) but the church which shall be
housed in heaven includes multitudes (Heb. 11:12,13;
Rev. 5:9 and 7:9)
29. Do Primitive
Baptists preach infants in Hell ?
-
Answer: No, the
doctrine preached by Primitive Baptists is the only
message which leaves any hope for infants, the
feeble-minded, and the heathen, most religious groups
preach that one must hear and understand the gospel,
actively obey the gospel, and manifestly believe on
Christ, in order to become a child of God. But the great
message of grace which is so firmly believed and
preached by Old Baptists, declares that one may be a
recipient of the mercy of God without hearing the report
of it through the gospel and even without fully
understanding what has taken place in his heart. If
infants, the feeble minded, and the heathen must hear
the gospel preached by man and actively repent and
believe the truth, then there is no hope for them. But
since salvation is by the sovereign grace of God through
the work of His Son, we know that He will save His own
regardless of their circumstances in life (Rom. 8
:34-39; Rom. 11 :28; II Tim. 2 :13, 16-19) .
30.
Where did the Primitive Baptists
get their name?
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Answer: The true church
has been known by several different names since Christ
set it up during His earthly ministry .In centuries past
those who made up the gospel church have been known as
Christians, Donatists, Waldenses, Albigenses,
Ana-Baptists, and others. Around the year 1832 there was
a division in the Baptist family in this country. Those
who insisted on establishing mission boards, Sunday
Schools, and other unscriptural societies in the church
became known as the New School or Missionary Baptists.
Those who continued to walk in the old paths were known
as Old School or Primitive Baptists. The word primitive
simply means: "Of early times; of long ago ; first of
the kind; very simple; original." The Primitive Baptist
Church is certainly of early times, from the time of
Christ. It is the first of the kind, tracing its
identity to the church which Christ established. It is
very simple, adorned only with that beauty which Christ
gave His church. It is original, the very church of
Christ.
If the principles
set forth here find a response in your heart, we would
encourage you to attend services at a true old-line
Primitive Baptist Church near you. You will find a very
simple but beautiful form of worship as God's people meet to
sing the old songs of Zion, pray, and delight themselves in
the joyful sound of the gospel. And you will find that the
fellowship is sweet with those who have felt themselves to
be poor, needy sinners, but have been blessed to rejoice in
hope. Regrettably, not all churches who carry the name
Primitive Baptist adhere to the old ways. Unfortunately,
there are those who now advocate missions (while denying
them to be such), salaried pastors, and a host of other
changes to the church which are clearly unscriptural.
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If you have a question
about Primitive Baptists, our beliefs or a question about the
scriptures, email us by clicking
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Why do Primitive Baptists not use
Musical
Instruments?
We can find no biblical precedent for the usage of musical
instruments in New Testament worship. The scriptures give
repeated instructions to sing in the church, but never to
play (Rom 15:9, I Cor 14:15, Eph 5:19, Col 3:16, Heb 2:12,
Ja 5:13).
It will occasionally be objected that there are also many
other things in all modern churches which are without
scriptural precedent - things such as electric lights, air
conditioners, etc; however, these items affect only the
setting of worship and are not integral to it. The
scriptures have clearly afforded much liberty in such
matters (Lk 5:3, Jn 4:20-24, Acts 20:7-8, Acts 21:5). A
distinction must also be made between an addition to the New
Testament pattern and an aid to this pattern. Electric
lights, song books, reference Bibles, etc. are aids to
worship, but musical instruments are additions to worship.
We would also refer you to this short but
excellent article.
2000
Years Later, Over 300 Groups Claim to Be
The True Church
As do we. And what of our claim? It is possible to
trace the history of the Primitive Baptists to the time of
Christ. Many have undertaken the task and found the route
undeniable through recorded histories. Elder R. A. Tindall
of Amarillo, Texas did extensive research on the matter,
utilizing numerous volumes to establish verifiable links
from today to the time when Christ walked the earth. Here
is the chain Elder Tindall’s study revealed.
All Old
Line Regular
Primitive Baptists
can
show by church records, history, fellowship,
doctrine and practice a link, prior to the
division of 1832 to The Baptist Church
at
Dyersburg, Tennessee
which was
organized by
J.W. Jetter
a man who came
from the Philadelphia
association
Hillcleft Church, Wales, England
had a man by the
name of
H. Roller
who
came to the Philadelphia association.
In
AD 987
the Hillcleft church was
organized by
Aaron Arlington
The
Lima Piedmont Church
ordained Aaron Arlington in 904 AD
Lima Piedmont was organized 812 AD
by
Balcolon
who came from the church
at
Timto in Asia Minor.
The
Timto Church was organized in 738 AD by
Archer Flavin
Archer Flavin came from
the
Darethea Church
which was organized 671 AD in Asia Minor
by
Adronicus
Adronicus came from
the
Ponta Fossi Church
at
the foot of the Alps in France. It was organized
by
Tellestman
from Teran Italy, AD
398.
Teran Church
was organized AD 327
by
Tertullian
from
Big Joy Africa. Tertullian was a member of
Partus Church
at
the foot of the Tiber River, organized 150 AD by
Polycarp
who was baptized on 12-25-95 AD by
John the Beloved
John
was with Jesus and was a member of the first
New Testament Church
Jesus was baptized during the summer of 26 AD by
John the Baptist.
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