Is believing/faith a work ?

A General Baptist is a Christian denomination, originating in 17th-century England, distinguished by its belief in general atonement, meaning Jesus Christ died for all humanity, offering salvation to anyone who chooses to accept it, rather than a select few (particular atonement), which is held by Particular Baptists. They often follow Arminian theology, emphasizing free will and the ability to fall from grace, and are known for their missionary work and autonomous church structure.


Key Beliefs & Characteristics
  • General Atonement: Christ's sacrifice was for everyone, making salvation universally available.
  • Arminian Theology: They lean towards Arminianism, believing in free will and that salvation can be lost, unlike Calvinistic traditions.
  • Believer's Baptism: Like other Baptists, they practice baptism for believers by immersion (not infants).
  • Congregational Polity: Churches are self-governing but voluntarily band together in associations for mission and support.
  • Mission-Focused: Strong emphasis on evangelism and fulfilling the Great Commission through global and local ministries, including schools and orphanages.
History & Branches
  • Origins: Emerged in England alongside Particular Baptists, with early leaders like John Smyth and Thomas Helwys.
  • Free Will Baptists: A significant branch that grew from General Baptists, adopting the name to emphasize free will in salvation.
  • US Presence: The General Association of General Baptists in the US, headquartered in Missouri, coordinates many of these churches.

Titus said:
In reformed denominations like the Baptist sects.
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✋ (talk to the hand)
 
Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
The Synod of Dort approved the Heidelberg Catechism in 1619, and it soon became the most ecumenical of the Reformed catechisms and confessions.

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own,1
but belong—
body and soul,
in life and in death—2
to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.3
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,4
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.5
He also watches over me in such a way6
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven;7
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.8
Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life9
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.10

Q. What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?

A. Three things:
first, how great my sin and misery are;1
second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery;2
third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.3

Contrary to the LIES of some, we who embrace the Biblical Doctrines of Grace have been assured of our salvation for over 463 years in our confessions based on Scripture.

Feel free to read the whole thing: HERE
 
atpollard said:
A General Baptist is a Christian denomination, originating in 17th-century England
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You gave no explanation on how your sect is saved by the gospel.
What you did do is prove you are not saved as God put all those whom He saved in His church.
The one church you read about in the new testament began on the first penetcost after Jesus' ressurection and ascension back to heaven.

Since Jesus did not establish or build or even think of the sect made by white Europeans known as the Baptist church in the recent 17th century. You admitted you do not qualify for being in the body.

Paul is in the Lords church not in the Baptist church. None of the apostles members of the Baptist church.
Jesus did not die to establish a Baptist church in the 17th century.
Too young to be the church Christ died for.

Ephesians 5:23,
- for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the Head of the church and He is the Savior of the body

Only the saved are in the body of Christ.
Since the Baptist church is not the new testament church founded by Jesus.
It is impossible to be saved in the Baptist church. It is counterfeit.

Acts 2:47,
- praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added daily to the church such as were being saved

atpollard said:
Contrary to the LIES of some, we who embrace the Biblical Doctrines of Grace have been assured of our salvation for over 463 years in our confessions based on Scripture
Click to expand...
If you were really the body of Christ and followed the Sacred Scriptures you would not use confessionals.
atpollard said:
The Synod of Dort approved the Heidelberg Catechism in 1619, and it soon became the most ecumenical of the Reformed catechisms and confessions.
Click to expand...
This is what your church doctrine is really founded upon. Not new testament christianity.

Again, calvinists deny the gospel saves. Their man made doctrine teaches you are saved before you believe in the gospel.
 
Doug Brents said:
that baptism is the point at which the Holy Spirit removes you sins (1 Pet 3:21
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Thats not true, the work of Christ removed sins. Heb 1:3 The Holy Spirit doesn't remove sins, He points the regenerated elect person to the one who did remove their sins, and gives Faith in that person, Jesus Christ Now if water baptism is done right, its a symbolical public confession of that fact. That one is saying I believe that Jesus Christ saved me, I died, and was buried, and rose again with Him as He was my Surety representative. Thus it's a good work that follows salvation and is the basis for fellowship with other believers in Christ
 
Believing is one of works God has ordained each new creation of His to walk in. Eph 2:10

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before

Thats why believing Faith can be contrasted with works for Salvation, when its a work post Salvation ! 23
 
brightfame52 said:
It does mean something too bad you ignore it. If you get baptized while unregenerate its done in the flesh which doesn't please God. Its nothing but a dead fruitless work of religion.
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So honoring father and mother is a dead, fruitless work of religion (Eph 6:2-3)? No my friend, you continue to read your favorite passage incorrectly.
 
brightfame52 said:
Thats not true, the work of Christ removed sins. Heb 1:3
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Yes, that is the cause of forgiveness. But Jesus' death and resurrection does not automatically remove sin from a person today. If a person does not believe in Jesus, and obey Him in faith, that person does not receive the benefit of Jesus' sacrifice. Repentance from sin is absolutely mandatory for sin to be forgiven (Acts 3:19), as is confession of the Lordship of Jesus (Rom 10:9-10), and baptism (John 3:5, 1 Pet 3:21, Acts 2:38).
brightfame52 said:
The Holy Spirit doesn't remove sins,
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Again, you are wrong. Who is it that 1 Pet 3:21 says removes sin? And by what power does He do it? Get your story biblically correct before you run off at the mouth with falsehoods.
brightfame52 said:
He points the regenerated elect person to the one who did remove their sins, and gives Faith in that person, Jesus Christ Now if water baptism is done right, its a symbolical public confession of that fact. That one is saying I believe that Jesus Christ saved me, I died, and was buried, and rose again with Him as He was my Surety representative. Thus it's a good work that follows salvation and is the basis for fellowship with other believers in Christ
Click to expand...
Your misconception is corrected in Rom 6:1-7 and Col 2:11-14. Read them and learn some Truth. We are baptized into Jesus in order to have our sins removed. We die with Jesus in baptism, and are resurrected by the Holy Spirit so that we can arise from the water to a new life.
 
brightfame52 said:
Believing or Faith is contrasted with works Salvation because one must be saved already in order to believe in Christ. So when you see verses like Rom 3:22

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
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@brightfame52 ... at the end of this is a question. Please answer it

Your mindset collapses the gospel backwards — and it does so by quietly smuggling works back into salvation under the word “already.”
Let’s look at this biblically.

What Romans 3:22 actually says is​

“The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”

Not “for all who were already saved and therefore believe.”

Paul is explicit. He always is totally clear.
Faith is the means by which righteousness is received. Righteousness is not the cause of faith it is the result of faith.

Your “already saved so you can believe” idea is a works-based system in disguise​

It sounds spiritual, but it destroys the gospel. Because it says, God saves you first then you believe, therefore faith is not how you are saved.

Do you understand what that means?

Faith is no longer the instrument of justification. Faith becomes a proof of an earlier secret salvation.
And salvation becomes detached from Christ.

Paul directly denies this in Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, = Justified by faith, not before faith.

Scripture always places faith before salvation​

Everywhere.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” — Acts 16:31
“Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16
“Through Him everyone who believes is justified.” — Acts 13:39
“By grace you have been saved through faith.” — Ephesians 2:8

Never:
“You were saved so that you could believe.”

Never does the bible promote the fatalistic predestination system you have come to embrace.

A system that says God regenerates first / Then you believe / Therefore unbelief is impossible for the elect.......
Even though Paul says the opposite in Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

IOW... The word is preached , then faith is produced ,then salvation follows.

Works vs Faith: let's contrast​

Paul’s contrast is simple:
Works Faith
EarnsReceives
BoastsTrusts
ClaimsDepends
SelfChrist

Romans 4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness

Faith is not a work. Faith is the abandonment of works.

“You are not saved so that you can believe. You are saved because you believe.”

@brightfame52 , question.
Where does Scripture ever say a man is justified before he believes?


The correct answer is.....It doesn’t.
 
FreeInChrist said:
@brightfame52 ... at the end of this is a question. Please answer it

Your mindset collapses the gospel backwards — and it does so by quietly smuggling works back into salvation under the word “already.”
Let’s look at this biblically.

What Romans 3:22 actually says is​

“The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”

Not “for all who were already saved and therefore believe.”

Paul is explicit. He always is totally clear.
Faith is the means by which righteousness is received. Righteousness is not the cause of faith it is the result of faith.

Your “already saved so you can believe” idea is a works-based system in disguise​

It sounds spiritual, but it destroys the gospel. Because it says, God saves you first then you believe, therefore faith is not how you are saved.

Do you understand what that means?

Faith is no longer the instrument of justification. Faith becomes a proof of an earlier secret salvation.
And salvation becomes detached from Christ.

Paul directly denies this in Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, = Justified by faith, not before faith.

Scripture always places faith before salvation​

Everywhere.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” — Acts 16:31
“Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16
“Through Him everyone who believes is justified.” — Acts 13:39
“By grace you have been saved through faith.” — Ephesians 2:8

Never:
“You were saved so that you could believe.”

Never does the bible promote the fatalistic predestination system you have come to embrace.

A system that says God regenerates first / Then you believe / Therefore unbelief is impossible for the elect.......
Even though Paul says the opposite in Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

IOW... The word is preached , then faith is produced ,then salvation follows.

Works vs Faith: let's contrast​

Paul’s contrast is simple:
Works Faith
EarnsReceives
BoastsTrusts
ClaimsDepends
SelfChrist

Romans 4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness

Faith is not a work. Faith is the abandonment of works.

“You are not saved so that you can believe. You are saved because you believe.”

@brightfame52 , question.
Where does Scripture ever say a man is justified before he believes?


The correct answer is.....It doesn’t.
Click to expand...
Pay attention to what Im posting.
 
brightfame52 said:
Pay attention to what Im posting.
Click to expand...
I always do. The fact that you don't understand my replies is of no matter. Since they seem to go over your head, in the future Ill try to lower expectations some
 
brightfame52 said:
If its done for salvation when unregenerate yes.
Click to expand...
It is not "done for salvation", any more than honoring father and mother is done in order to get long life and prosperity. But those are gifts given by God for honoring father and mother, just as salvation is given as a gift to those who obey God in baptism.
brightfame52 said:
Eph 6 isnt written to the unregenerate, but to the saints, chosen in Christ see Eph 1
Click to expand...
Irrelevant to this discussion.
 
brightfame52 said:
Then its irrelevant. Im talking about the unregenerate doing things in order for conditions to salvation like water baptism
Click to expand...
You misunderstand (as usual). God has placed conditions that must be met on most (if not all) of His blessings and promises. Man (the unregenerate, sinful, spiritually dead) must meet these conditions (all of which are entirely doable by unregenerate, sinful, spiritually dead man) in order to receive the blessings He has promised.

Look at the fall of Jericho.
Look at the widow who poured oil from one small bottle into many larger jars and filled them all.
Look at the widow who gave her last cake of bread to the prophet and survived the famine.
Look at Naaman who dipped in Jordan 7 times and was cleansed of leprosy.
All of these (and many more) were given commands and offered blessing if they fulfilled the command, but would not have received the blessing if they had not fulfilled the command. Baptism is no different.
 

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