We are indebted to Dr. Frank Norris for a definition of a Fundamental Baptist. He is presumably qualified to tell us and we must depend on him or some other human source for the information since the New Testament says nothing about Baptists, fundamental or otherwise. The disciples of Christ in the New Testament were called Christians but never Baptists. The only man we read about in that book to whom the term “Baptist” was applied was not even called “a Baptist” but “the Baptist” which means “the Baptizer” or “the Immerser.” He preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins which would not be considered “fundamental” among Baptists of our time. But here is the definition:
“Summing it all up, a Fundamental Baptist is one who believes in a supernatural Bible, which tells of a supernatural Christ, Who had a supernatural birth, Who spoke supernatural words, Who performed supernatural miracles, Who lived a supernatural life, Who died a supernatural death, Who rose in supernatural power, Who ascended in supernatural splendor, Who intercedes as a supernatural Priest and Who will one day return in supernatural glory to establish a supernatural kingdom on the earth.”
It is good to know that “a Fundamental Baptist” believes some things found and taught in the New Testament. All the truth he believes was accepted by Christians a long time before there were any Fundamental Baptists or any other kind. A man can believe and practice what the New Testament teaches without being a Baptist, Methodist or accepting any party title. This is really fundamental. The apostles and early Christians were not partisan and were properly rebuked when they headed in that direction.
The main hobby of “a fundamental Baptist” is that Christ “will one day return in supernatural glory to establish a supernatural kingdom on the earth.” The New Testament teaches that Christ is king now, on David’s throne in fulfillment of prophecy and that we enjoy “the sure blessings of David” in the possession of remission of sins and all spiritual blessings in Christ. This is the only kingdom the prophets foretold. It was “at hand” in the days of John the Baptist and during the personal ministry of Christ. It is here now and Christians have been delivered out of the power of darkness and translated into it, according to Paul. Christ is coming again to raise the dead and judge the world, not to set up an earthly kingdom. His kingdom is not of this world, Does Dr. Norris believe that the present reign of Christ was a matter of prophecy? It takes some speculative heresy to make “Fundamental Baptists.” Whatever is peculiar to them cannot be found in the New Testament at all. Here is another item “a Fundamental Baptist” glories in and does a lot of talking about.
“We believe that every truly born again soul should declare his faith by the act of baptism (immersion in water) setting forth the Lord’s death, burial and resurrection.”
The New Testament says not one word about the children of God declaring their faith “by the act of baptism.” The birth that makes a Christian is one birth of “water and the Spirit”. It is the same as “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Simon Peter told inquiring believers to “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” Baptists do not talk like that in these days. Christians in the New Testament did not talk like Baptists do now. The squirming and twisting that a Methodist does to make sprinkling conform to the word baptize is no more fantastic than a Baptist effort to make baptism a declaration of a Christian’s faith. “A fundamental Baptist” appears to encounter no difficulty at all in seeing that the word baptize means to dip, immerse and he is able to grasp its significance in “setting forth the Lord’s death, burial and resurrection.” One text makes it clear to him: “We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). When he reads the third verse his vision becomes as blurred as a Methodist who cannot see anything but a camel’s track or a craw-fish hole when Philip and the eunuch came to a certain water, went down into it and came up out of it. The third verse reads: “Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” “A fundamental Baptist” confesses that he is.
