Tips for remaining true to who we are.

We are Independent Fundamental Baptists by affirmation and association. We must embrace this in our modern world. It is possible to have a right position and sweet disposition at the same time. It is one thing to speak of standards, and another to take the time to teach and explain the Biblical reason behind the standard.

1. Don’t change your music. (Ps. 40:3) The first sign of a shift in theology is often deciding that music is amoral. Our song must be praise to God – something based on what He likes, not our preference. The result of our music should be that others will fear God.
2. Don’t change your dress standards. There should be gender distinction in both dress and hair. (Deut. 22:5; Isaiah 47:1-2) There should be modesty displayed in orderliness, respectfulness, and self-control. (I Tim. 2:9)
3. Don’t change your name. (Acts 11:26) The name Christian was given as a derision. The name Baptist was a term of ridicule. Yet, by these names we are identified with a heritage of those who have given their blood for the convictions represented by those terms. Don’t be ashamed of the name, even if others may have dishonored it.
4. Don’t change your associations. (II Cor. 6:14-17) We must not be unequally yoked. Ecclesiastical separation is still Biblical.
5. Don’t change your Bible. (Is. 59:20-21) God promised to preserve His Word for each generation – there could not have been a gap where manuscripts were lost for thousands of years. Varying translations give an uncertainty in whether we can know what God really said. (Prov. 22:20-21) God’s Word is certain!