We Are Baptist

This past Sunday, we considered Matthew 28:18–20 and heard again the risen Christ’s words:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

These verses are not only the great charter for the mission of the church; they also shape our identity as Baptists.

Christ’s Authority

Our starting point is not tradition or preference, but the authority of Christ. He alone has the right to command the church. We do not look to a pope, a state, or even to ourselves as final authority. We look to Jesus, who now reigns at the Father’s right hand.

That confession has never been safe. In history, Baptists suffered fines and imprisonment for refusing to submit their consciences to human rulers. But it is also freeing. To confess that Christ alone is Lord means we need not live under the tyranny of shifting cultural winds or the heavy expectations of others. We are free men and women under one Lord.

Of course, it’s possible to bear the name “Baptist” and yet lose the substance. Some churches once grounded in the authority of Christ and his Word have gradually traded that authority for the voice of culture, the lure of pragmatism, or the weight of tradition. The name remains, but the identity has drifted. That is why we must keep returning, not to a denominational label, but to the living words of Jesus in the Great Commission.

Disciples, Not Crowds

Christ commands his church to make disciples of all nations. This guards us from thinking of the church as a national institution or a cultural club. A true church is not built by sprinkling infants or enrolling whole communities. A true church is made up of disciples, men and women who hear Christ’s voice, believe in him, and follow him.

This is why Baptists baptize believers. Baptism is the mark of discipleship. It is the public declaration that we belong to Christ and no longer to ourselves. Just as marriage vows require consent and commitment, so baptism requires faith.

Baptism and Membership

But baptism does not stand alone. In Scripture, those who were baptized were immediately gathered into local churches. To be baptized is to be joined not only to Christ but to his people. In Acts, faith led to baptism, and baptism led to belonging (Acts 2:41-42).

This is important for us. At Pineland, baptism is never treated as a private rite. It is the door into the fellowship of this local body. To be baptized and then remain unattached is like a wedding without a marriage, or a birth without a family. Baptism says, “I belong to Christ,” and church membership makes that belonging visible and accountable.

In our age of radical individualism, many want faith without fellowship, baptism without belonging, Christianity without the church. But that is not how Jesus designed it. The Great Commission calls us to make disciples, baptize them, and then teach them in the context of the church. To separate baptism from membership is both unbiblical and, if we are honest, quite silly. It empties the sign of its meaning and leaves Christians vulnerable, disconnected, and unaccountable.

A Learning People

Jesus’ command is not only to baptize but to teach his disciples to obey all that he commanded. The church is a school of Christ. Baptists have always pressed for Bible reading, preaching, catechism, and prayer because a regenerate church membership must be a taught membership.

We do not gather as spectators but as learners. And the subject of our study is not human tradition or popular opinion, but the Word of Christ. To be Baptist is to be a people under Scripture, committed to lifelong learning and joyful obedience.

His Presence with Us

Finally, Jesus does not leave us to this task alone. “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Baptists have never believed that his presence depends on a special priesthood or holy relics. Christ is present with his people by his Spirit and through his Word. This gives us great confidence. The mission is his, and the power is his.

Living as Baptists

So what does it mean, practically, that we are Baptist?

• We submit to Christ alone as Lord of the conscience.
• We preach the gospel to make disciples, not merely converts.
• We baptize those who believe, and welcome them into membership in the local church.
• We gather as a people committed to learning and obeying Christ’s commands.
• We walk in confidence, knowing he is with us.

These convictions are not narrow or sectarian. They are biblical. They flow out of the Great Commission itself.

May the Lord help us not merely to bear the name “Baptist,” but to live as a Great Commission people, until the day when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord.