Part Catholic - Part Baptist

Q: I am part Catholic and part Baptist. What do I do?

A:  Thank you for writing. I have pondered on what you mean by being part Catholic and part Baptist. My best guess (and it is a guess) is that one of your parents may have been Catholic and the other Baptist. I am going to answer your question from that assumption. I am sorry if I misunderstood what you meant. 

You first need to understand that there is something more important than whether you are Baptist, Catholic, or whatever. It is the question as to whether or not you are truly a Christian. I am not talking about what your parents were or what religion you consider yourself to be. To be a Christian means to know God through the Lord Jesus Christ; it means to be spiritual born from above; it means to have all your sins forgiven because you have turned from your way and have trusted in Jesus Christ as your eternal Saviour. 

Do you know right now if you have had a time in your life when you truly and fully trusted in the Lord Jesus? Do you know that your some is in heaven with the Lord? Do you know that when you die and leave this world that you will go to be with the saints in heaven? In case you are not sure, I am going to send you the text of a booklet I have written on the subject. However, before I put the text of that booklet, I would like to say something about being a Baptist or a Catholic. Since I am a Baptist, I will speak of the subject from that standpoint. 

Being a Baptist is a matter of belief and conviction. No one is truly a Baptist just because their parents were. Baptists believe that each individual must be saved and then join a Baptist church because of their own convictions. It is too much for this letter to explain what a Baptist is. There are many who claim to be Baptists today.

Perhaps the easiest way to explain what a Baptist is with the following:

The Acronym for BAPTISTS – this list is a very good teaching tool because it follows the letters of the word BAPTISTS in order to list the Baptist Distinctives.

1. Biblical Authority – the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice
2. Autonomy of the Local Church – Each local church is an independent body accountable to Jesus Christ as its head.
3. Priesthood of the Believer – Every believer, as a priest, has direct access to God through prayer and worship without the aid of a mediator
4. Two Ordinances – The New Testament provides for only two ordinances of the local church: believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper. They are ordinances (ceremonies ordained or ordered by God) and not sacraments (means of obtaining grace from God).
5. Individual Soul Liberty – Each individual has the liberty to believe according to the dictates of his own soul. No one should be forced to consent to any belief against this own will.
6. Saved, Baptized Church Membership – Local church membership should be restricted to those who have a personal testimony of faith in  Jesus Christ and who have obediently followed the Lord in believer’s baptism.
7. Two Offices in the Church – The two biblically established offices of the local church are that of pastor and deacon.
8. Separation of Church and State – No church should be given authority over the state and the state should not have the authority to control the churches.

Be sure to read this article as well - How Our Sins Can Be Forgiven.

I hope this helps,

Pastor David Reagan