Baptist Distinctives
BAPTISTS
1. Number 1 was “BIBLE” – the Bible is the ONLY authority!
2. Number 2 was Autonomy of the Local Church
3. Priesthood of the Believer
All born-again believers have the privilege of direct access to God. Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and man. We need no other human agent or spiritual mediator. As God’s priests, we can study His Word, pray for our needs, intercede for others, offer worship, and serve in His work. Every child of God has equal access to their Heavenly Father.
Some have misused this Baptist distinctive. It does not mean every individual Christian has the right to believe anything they wish. For Baptists, all matters of faith are under biblical authority. Properly understood, the priesthood of believers means that each believer has direct access to God, through Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit. No believer needs a priest or church hierarchy to gain access to God. Each believer is a priest; each has direct access to God through prayer and His Word.
According to God’s Word, only the blood of Christ can forgive sin—not confession to a person or any amount of penance (1 Peter 1:18–19). Scripture tells us that “there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
Baptists believe the Bible. The Bible teaches the Priesthood of believers, so I am a Baptist.
1 Timothy 2:1-6; 1 Peter 2:5-9; Revelation 1:5-6; 5:9-10
