ON THIS REFORMATION DAY (10/31/24) let us be reminded why we Baptists don't view ourselves as a product of the Reformation, i.e. why we do don’t believe that our heritage is traced to Protestants who came out of the Roman Catholic Church.

The key reason that we do not view ourselves as products of the Reformation is that Scripture demands that biblical churches would exist continuously from the first century forward, i.e. without a need to re-establish such churches through a Reformation movement.

Where does Scripture demand this? First, in Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build his church upon himself -- and that "the gates of hell" would not "prevail against it." Second, we observe in Ephesians 3:21 that Christ would be glorified in the churches "throughout all ages." Both of these verses demand the continuous existence of biblical assemblies -- from the first century through this century.

Who were some of the historical groups that maintained legitimate biblical churches, i.e. in parallel to the development of the Roman Catholic church? Prior to the Reformation, history reveals Baptist-like groups such as the Waldenses, Albigenses, and certain Anabaptists, who are clear spiritual ancestors to modern Baptist assemblies.

Praise God that we have the privilege to understand our heritage - and to see it traced throughout history.

For More Information:

(Article) The Protestant Persectutions by David Cloud
(Book) I Will Build My Church: The Doctrine and History of Baptists, Dr. Tom Strouse
(Article) Five Good Reasons Why Baptists Are Not Protestants