Introduction: I did a search on the web this week just using the word "distinctive". As you would guess, pages and pages of web sites were suggested. The word was used mainly to get the idea across that what was being offered by that web site was different than what anyone else was offering. When we use the word "distinct" we mean: something that is separated or distinguished by some feature; different; well-defined; sharp and clear; unmistakable; notable. Many of you here have bought a home, and when you went shopping for a home, you were probably shown some of the distinct qualities of that home that are meant to make it stand out from other homes you have looked at. It may have been some distinct feature of your present home that led you to purchase it. This is a word that the advertising world has used much, and unfortunately, may have lost some of it sharpness in our thinking. Just because it is used by many to sell their products, whether a good product or not, the word is still a good one.

This word "Distinctive" is a word that I want to use in a series of messages entitled: Biblical Distinctives of Baptists. There are some core truths that set Baptist brethren apart from all others, and I believe it is very important that we take the time to examine them from a Biblical point of view. What are these Biblical Distinctive Baptist beliefs? As a memory aid, an acrostic using the word BAPTISTS will be used in this series of studies to teach these important distinctives.

B - Biblical Authority
A - Autonomy of the Local Church
P - Priesthood of all believers
T - Two ordinances
I - Individual Soul Liberty
S - Saved, Baptized church membership
T - Two offices
S - Separation of church and state

If you missed some of these as I was giving them to you, you can find them on the church’s web pages, and we will be spending time each week examining them in further detail.

These Biblical Baptist Distinctives do not comprise all that North Eulalia Baptist Church believes. There are some basic, fundamental truths that make up the fundamentals of the Christian faith. These would include the inspiration of the Scriptures, Jesus’ virgin birth, Jesus’ diety, His substitutionary death, His bodily resurrection from the dead, and His literal return. If these fundamentals of the faith are lacking in a church’s doctrinal statement and in the belief structure of those who say they are believers, then you have nothing more than a dead, liberal group of people playing around at church. These fundamentals of the faith are upheld by other groups other than Baptists, but there are some distinctive marks that set Baptist brethren apart.

How did these beliefs come to be known as Baptist Distinctives? Did somebody sit down and decide that if Baptists were going to be different from other denominations, then they needed something to set them apart and came up with what this series of messages will be about.? Definitely not! Rather, these distinctive beliefs have resulted from the study of God’s Word by many different believers over centuries of time. As they studied the New Testament scriptures about the early church, they found that many of the truths taught in the NT were being ignored by many and were led of the Holy Spirit of God to get back to the fundamentals of the early church. This has been a characteristic truth of those who have been called Baptists, and by those with Baptistic beliefs throughout the ages of the church. Also, these teachings have emerged as distinctives because individual Baptist churches have consistently and independently held to them. In time these teachings became the distinguishing marks of Baptists.

Pastor, why is it so important to study these Baptist distinctives? There are four good reason that I would like to offer to you this AM as to why such a study is important.

1. It is important to study these Baptist distinctives so that we may select a church that is faithful to Biblical truth.
a. Granted, being saved is of greater importance than church membership; a believer should, however, desire to belong to a church that closely follows Biblical truth.
b. When we see that all the Baptist distinctives are Biblical, we become Baptists by conviction and not by name only. The Baptist churches that hold these beliefs are closest to Biblical truth. However, Baptists should say this with thanksgiving to God and not with fleshly pride.

2. It is important to study these distinctives so that we may genuinely be Baptists and not just bear the name.
a. Some people and churches called Baptist should not use that name since they do not hold to truths that have distinguished Baptists historically. Each of us needs to know what a Baptist does and then do it.
b. By studying these distinctives we, as Baptists, grow stronger in our beliefs. Most of us have a general idea of what Baptists believe, but we could benefit from more careful thought on the specific Biblical foundations for our beliefs.

3. It is important to study these distinctives so that we can do our part in maintaining the Baptist position of our local church.
a. If we believe that the Baptist distinctives are closest to Biblical truth, then we understand that this is a position worth defending and maintaining. Studying these distinctives and being Baptists can help maintain the Baptist position of our church as new converts become church members and the years pass. If members do not know and practice the Biblical teachings of Baptists, the church may digress into unscriptural positions.
b. By studying these distinctives we can provide more knowledgeable help to those who have questions about Baptist churches or even their own church. Some may simply be curious about what we believe; others may want to compare or contrast Baptist beliefs with beliefs their own church holds. We cannot help such individuals if we do not know what we believe.

4. It is important to study these distinctives so that we may see the significance of the Baptist name.
The trend today is to avoid any identifying title more specific than merely "Christian" or "Christ" and to label churches as "community." We who bear the Baptist name should be confident that it carries significance and is worthwhile in distinguishing us from the many other religious groups that call themselves Christian. Probably many of you have not heard a series of messages on Baptist Distinctives and need to understand these important Biblical truths.

Well, that introduces us to this series of studies so let’s examine the first letter in the BAPTISTS acrostic - B - Biblical Authority

I. What Is Biblical Authority?

What makes a book authoritative? The key factor is probably the author. If he is a respected authority, his book will likely be considered authoritative. This is true of a humanly authored book, but today we shall examine this same idea with regard to the one divinely authored book, the Bible.

The term "Biblical authority" refers to the fact that the Bible is the sole authority on every topic it covers, whether that topic is our beliefs and practices, science, history or sociology. Whatever the Bible affirms, we Baptists accept it as true. The Bible is the highest authority. This is foundational to the Baptist doctrinal position and to this study of Baptist distinctives. All our doctrines must be based upon the Bible. Doctrines are true and authoritative only to the degree that they accurately reflect the teaching of God's Word. Human beings possess no other infallible, inerrant truth but the Bible. Nothing else on the face of the earth, whether a written document or an oral tradition, bears the authority that God's Word does. Scripture is the written message of the all-knowing, unchanging, truthful God--Psalm 119:30, 89,160; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 2:15.

II. What Do Some churches Regard as Their Final Authority?

Many churches, even some that call themselves Baptist, do not regard the Bible as their sole, highest authority. Some acknowledge a man or a historical church teaching as having authority equal to or higher than the Bible. Others believe that the writings of their sect's founder or its current leaders hold that position. Many believe that experience or feelings are of equal or greater authority than the Scriptures. However, we Baptists believe that the Bible is the sole and final authority.

Quote: B. H. Carroll, a beloved and greatly honored Baptist theologian and scholar of the nineteenth century summarizes several ideas that declare the Baptist distinctive of Biblical Authority. "All through the Christian ages - from dark and noisome dungeons, from the lone wanderings of banishment and expatriation, from the roarings and sickening conflagrations of martyr fires - there comes a voice shouted here, whispered there, sighed, sobbed, or gasped elsewhere - a Baptist voice, clearer than a silver trumpet and sweeter than the chime of bells, a voice that freights and glorifies the breeze or gale that bears it. O Earth, hearken, to it: The New Testament is the law of Christianity! Let the disciples of Zoroaster, Brahma, Confucius, Zeno and Epicurus hear it. And when Mahomet comes with his Koran, or Joe Smith with his Book of Mormon, or Swedenborg with his new revelations, or spirit rappers, wizards, witches and necromancers with their impostures, confront each in turn with the all-sufficient revelation of this book,... , may that Baptist voice rebuke it. Christ himself set up his kingdom. Christ himself gave us Christian law. And the men whom he inspired furnish us the only reliable record of these institutions. They had no successors in inspiration. The record is complete. Prophecy and vision have ceased. The canon of revelation and the period of legislation are closed. Let no man dare to add to it or take from it, or dilute it, or substitute for it. It is written. It is finished.'

III. What Does the Bible Say about Its Own Authority?

The key question in this message is, Is the Bible a book from men or a book from God? If mere humans were the ultimate source of the Bible, then the Bible bears no more authority than any other book. If, however, the Bible is a book from God, then it bears the authority of God Himself. The following Scriptures show that the Bible is indeed a book from God, even though God used men to write it.

A. I am the words of God (Jer. 1:4-9) Jeremiah wrote that the Word of the Lord came to him and that he recorded exactly what the Lord said. The Lord told Jeremiah that He had ordained him to be a prophet or a spokesman for God. Jeremiah protested that he was unqualified for such a position. God responded: "Whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak." Then the Lord touched Jeremiah's mouth and declared: "Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth." Therefore, Jeremiah's message was not his own words but the words of God.

B. I am the commands of God (1 Cor. 14:37)
Paul said that the things he wrote to the Christians at Corinth were the commandments of the Lord. He even challenged all those who claimed to be God's spokesmen to acknowledge that such was the case.

C. I have been revealed by God (Gal. 1:11,12)
Paul specifically denied that the gospel he preached was of human origin or that it was communicated to him through another human being. Rather, he declared that the gospel was directly revealed to him by Jesus Christ.

D. I am the Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13)
The message Paul gave to the Thessalonians came directly from God. The Thessalonians recognized and received it as the Word of God and not as the mere words of man.

E. I am inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16,17)

1. Scripture is the writing or, as in this case, the written books which comprise the Bible. All Scripture is "given by inspiration of God"; it is literally "God-breathed." This means that it came from the mouth of God. Scripture is a written record of God's words to man.

2. The statement that all Scripture is God-breathed (inspired) leads to two conclusions.

a. First, every word in the Bible was given by God. We convey this idea by the term "verbal inspiration." This means that inspiration extends to every word of the Bible (1 Cor. 2:13). The Scripture, like any other writing, is composed of words and not mere thoughts. Words are the vehicles which convey the thoughts. If the writing is from God, of necessity the words themselves must be from God. Furthermore, not only were the words of the original writings from God, but even the letters and meaningful parts of letters were from God (Matt. 5:18).

b. Second, if all Scripture is God-breathed (inspired), then the entire Bible is from God. Every book, whether Old Testament or New Testament, whether addressed to an individual or a group, whether discussing the distant past, events contemporary with its writing or the remote future, is equally from God. We convey this idea with the term "plenary inspiration," that is, inspiration extends to the entire Scripture.

F. I am the product of the Holy Ghost (2 Pet 1:21)
Peter discounted any work of man in the origin of Scripture. The origin of Scripture was God. Furthermore, Peter revealed the method by which God achieved a perfect written record of His Word even though the writers were imperfect human beings. God the Holy Spirit "moved" the writers. The idea is "to be carried along" like the fish that were "brought" to Jesus by His disciples (John 21:10), or like the storm that "drove" Paul's ship (Acts 27:15-17). The Holy Spirit carried or controlled the writers so that they wrote exactly what God wanted.

IV. What Did Christ Teach about the Bible's Authority?

Did our Lord believe in the authority of the Bible? Did He fully obey it? If the answer to these questions is yes then Christ Himself powerfully confirmed the authority of the Bible.

Jesus based an argument with His opponents on the fact that "the scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). It was the Savior who declared: "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Matt. 5:18).

The record shows that Christ did indeed submit Himself to the authority of the Bible. Luke 2:51 states that He was in subjection to His earthly parents, as the Old Testament commanded. Matthew 4:1-11 shows that Christ submitted to the authority of the Bible when He was tempted by Satan. Mark 1:35 reveals our Lord in prayer, as Scripture commanded. Christ Himself displayed perfect submission to the Bible as the final written authority.

In Jesus' day, the Bible was, of course, limited to the Old Testament. But the Lord provided for additions to the Old Testament Scriptures. He stated that His own teaching was directly from God, and He promised the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who would bring all Christ's teachings to the remembrance of the men who would write the Gospels. The Holy Spirit would teach them all things and guide them into all truth (1olm 14:26; 16:13).

V. Conclusions about the Bible's Authority
These passages clearly indicate that the Bible was authored by God, not men. This leads us to several conclusions.

1. First, since the Bible was God-breathed, there were no errors in the original writings. God is perfect and can make no mistakes. Therefore, His book is also perfect and without mistakes (or inerrant), even though God used fallible men as writers.

2. Second, the Bible was God-breathed and is therefore authoritative. The full authority of the sovereign God lies behind His Word.

3. Third, since the Bible is God's authoritative Word, we must obey it. The authority of the Bible is not just a theoretical matter of discussion - it should affect our lives. We are obligated to obey our Creator; therefore, we must obey the divinely given authority, the Bible.

Illustration: When Mary Jones was 10 years old, she began saving money for something special she wanted to buy. She babysat, tended neighbors' gardens, and sold eggs from her own chickens. By the time she was 16, she had accumulated enough money to get what she so desperately wanted.

Was it a new car? A fresh wardrobe? A Nintendo? No, Mary Jones was 16 in the year 1800, and what she had been saving for was a Bible. But there was no place to buy one in the tiny Welsh village where she lived, so she walked to Bala--25 miles away. There Rev. Thomas Charles had one Bible left to sell, and after some convincing, Mary talked him into selling it to her.

Because of Mary's hunger for the Bible, Rev. Charles and others began discussing the need of making the Scriptures more readily available. The British and Foreign Bible Society was started, and during the next 100 years it distributed more than 200 million copies of God's Word worldwide. To Mary, nothing was more important than the Bible, and her persistence paid huge spiritual dividends.

Do we treasure God's Word as much? How often do we even walk across the room to pick up the Bible and read it? As Baptist believers, if we truly considered the Bible as the sole authority of our life and practice, we would truly treasure this book and obey what it says.