"I was a Baptist before I was saved"

Back when I was in the Church of God of Prophecy, I used to joke around with people and say "I was a Baptist before I was saved."

That statement was total bunk of course...

Prior to my conversion I was no more a Baptist than the Pope in Rome, but I got lots of chuckles with that line because some of us suffered from a kind of spiritual superiority syndrome. Basically, we were of the opinion that most Baptists were a bunch of unregenerate, beer drinking knuckleheads who believed they could live like the Devil and have full assurance of Heaven. Therefore, to hear someone say "I was a Baptist before I got saved" was a real hoot!

Prior to my conversion, I would sometimes identify myself as Baptist. You might say a "cultural Baptist," much like the Über-atheist Richard Dawkins recently identifying himself as a "cultural Christian". I had always heard my mother's side of the family claim to be Baptists, so I figured that if I wanted to get some religious nut off my back, it would be okay to call myself a Baptist.

The perception that Baptists are a carnal bunch isn't helped by all the people who claim to be Baptists, but have never been Born Again. If I were a betting man, I'd wager good money that here in the South, you could poll all the people at a Sunday NASCAR race and find that around 87% would claim to be Baptists! Furthermore, I'd bet these same "Baptists" could probably name 6 brands of beer for each of the 10 Commandments they could remember!

During my school days, many of my best friends were active members of Baptist youth groups. You know what's really sad? We all talked the same, acted the same, and broke God's commandments the same. The only difference between them and myself was that they went to church three times a week and I didn't! They claimed to believe in God and I claimed God didn't exist.

Did any of them try to reach me with the Gospel?

NO!

Until this day, some of the most reprobate people I know will tell you that they are "Baptists." They won't darken the door of a church, or invoke God's name unless it's in blasphemy, but simply because their grand-pappy used to be a deacon, they think the name "Baptist" is their spiritual pedigree or something. What's so disturbing about the majority of these unregenerate "Baptists" is that almost all of them think they are soundly saved and headed for Heaven!

With virtually no church discipline being practiced and after years of unchecked Antinomianism being spewed from many Baptist pulpits, it's really no wonder there are so many false converts who use the Baptist name. When one reads the writings of historic Southern Baptist leaders, it's plain to see that something has gone terribly awry in the SBC. The theology and practices of the typical Baptist church of today would horrify C. H. Spurgeon, J. P. Boyce, or J. L. Dagg.

I used to say I was a Baptist before I was saved, but that was a lie...

I've now been in the SBC for about a year and a half and I've seen true Baptists. True Baptists are people who fear God, love Christ, and are indwelled with the Holy Spirit. They are people who are serious about serving the Lord and seeing others come to faith in Jesus Christ. Anyone who claims to be a "Baptist" but doesn't honor Christ with their lives is a liar and the truth is not in them. A real Baptist is a Christian!

Don't be fooled by the pretenders!

May God send Revival and Reformation to the SBC and all Baptist churches!