The National Association of Free Will Baptists
The National Association of Free Will Baptists is a group of churches that share a common history, name and accept the Arminian theology rather than the usual Calvinistic predestination doctrine. The Arminian theology is based on the belief of general atonement, the theory of free will, free grace, and free salvation.
The National Association of Free Will Baptists is a national body, primarily white, Free Will Baptist churches in the United States and Canada. They are the largest of the Free Will Baptist denominations.
The mainstream Free Will Baptist congregations belonging to the National Association of Free Will Baptists believe in voluntary tithing and the total abstinence of alcohol and tobacco. They do not work on the Sabbath and most have an millennial view of eschatology.
The National Association of Free Will Baptists has been organized since 1934 and has their headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The history of the Free Will Baptists can be traced to the General Baptists that came from England. They settled in the early American colonies. They followed the Arminian doctrine believing the atonement of Jesus Christ was given to all instead of the Calvinistic belief that the atonement of Jesus Christ was given to only the elect.
The early Free Will Baptists in the America colonies followed the English General Baptist in professing the Standard Confession of Faith. This General Baptists called the Free Will Baptists “Freewillers”.
There were two distinct branches of the early Free Will Baptists developing in America at this time. The North Carolina movement followed Paul Palmer. The movement from New Hampshire in the late eighteenth century followed Benjamin Randal. These two groups progressed independently from each other.
The Palmer Line
Paul Palmer founded the Free Will Baptist church in Chowan, North Carolina in 1727 from a disorganized group of General Baptists in North Carolina. By the end of the 18th century the churches organized by Paul Palmer were commonly known as the Free Will Baptist and were referred to as the Palmer Line of Free Will Baptists. They organized different associations and conferences and in 1921 organized a General Conference.
The Randall Line
Benjamin Randall started a new movement in the North while the movement in the South was struggling. Randall united with the Particular, also called the Regular Baptist, in 1776, and broke with them in 1779. The break came because of their strict views on predestination.
Benjamin Randall left the Particular Baptists and formed a Freewill Baptist church in New Durham, New Hampshire in 1779. All the denominations property and the majority of churches merged with the Northern Baptist Convention in 1911.
There could be no formal union between the Northern and Southern Free Will Baptists because of the question of slavery, then later the Civil War, until the 20th century.
It was on November 5, 1935, representatives of the General Conference, the Palmer line, and the Cooperative General Association, (which was the combination of Randall and Palmer elements west of the Mississippi), met in Nashville, Tennessee to organize the National Association of Free Will Baptist.
Belief
The National Association of Free Will Baptists believes Jesus Christ died for all men. They believe salvation lies completely with the individual. They believe man is depraved and fallen and unable to save himself and regeneration is necessary for salvation except in the case of infants and idiots, who are not responsible for their sin.
The National Association of Free Will Baptists believe salvation comes by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and those Christians who persevere to the end are saved those that are wicked are punished eternally. They believe the dead, just and unjust will be raised to face judgment by Jesus Christ.
The National Association of Free Will Baptists believe their doctrine is distinguished from other major Baptist groups because they reject the traditional Baptist view of perseverance of the saints, also referred to as the “Doctrine of Eternal Security.” They believe the Calvinist teaching of “Limited Atonement” and a “Predestined Elect” are wrong. National Association of Free Will Baptists believes in the traditional Arminian position that is based on the belief in a “General Atonement”.
The National Association of Free Will Baptists believe the Bible is the completed, inerrant Word of God and the literal interpretation of Scripture.
The National Association of Free Will Baptists believe the Lord’s Supper and Believer’s Baptism by immersion are the only authorized Christian ordinances and they should be open to all believers. They believe in the observance of the Washing of the Saints’ Feet as a third ordinance of the church. The Washing of the Saints’ Feet is a rite common among other evangelical denominations but not practiced by other Baptist denominations.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “The National Association of Free Will Baptists:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Jan 2006.<https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2705,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006, January) “The National Association of Free Will Baptists:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2705,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006) “The National Association of Free Will Baptists:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (January), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2705, (accessed).
