Independent Free Will Baptists Associations
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations are a group of churches that all share a common history, a common name and the belief of the Arminian theology of general atonement which includes free grace and free salvation. They are a fellowship of Evangelical believers who have united to be the witness of Christ and the building of His church around the world. They share similar views with the General Baptists, the Separate Baptists and the United Baptists.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations have their roots in early 1611 England. The first Free Will Baptist church in America was started by Paul Palmer in 1727 in Perquimans County, North Carolina. Benjamin Randall started a Free Will Baptists in 1780 in New Durham, New Hampshire.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations believe that Jesus Christ commanded the church to go into the entire world and preach the gospel to every creature. Today the Independent Free Will Baptists Associations are involved in mission work around the world and in the United States. They claim to have churches in 42 states and in 14 foreign countries.
History
The Independent Free Will Baptists came under the influence of the General Baptists who came from England and settled in the early American colonies. There were two distinct lines which developed independently of each other. These two lines, the Palmer line and the Randall line are the roots of the current the Independent Free Will Baptists denomination of today.
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. The early settlers in Carolina had written the General Baptist Association in England and ask them to send help. By the end of the 18th century the churches organized by Paul Palmer were commonly known as the Free Will Baptists and were referred to as the Palmer line of Free Will Baptists. Joseph and William Parker, Josiah Hart and William Sojourner were others who continued the organization of the Palmer Line Free Will Baptist churches. 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 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.
Benjamin Randal was ordained April 5, 1780, at New Durham, New Hampshire. He died of tuberculosis on October 22, 1808. He was credited with starting many Freewill Baptist churches throughout New England.
There could be no formal union between the northern and southern Free Will Baptists because of the question of slavery was resolved and the Civil War until ended. Finally, 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 Independent Free Will Baptists Associations are a group of churches who hold to the traditional Arminian theology. This is based on the belief of General Atonement. They believe it is possible to reject ones faith willfully. They believe someone could willfully sin and that it is not an accidental occurrence.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations believe the Bible is the completed, inerrant word of God. They believe the literal interpretation of the Scripture. They believe God used holy men to write the Scriptures. They believe the Scripture are the only rule of faith and practice.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations believe that God is the Creator, the Sustainer, and Righteous Ruler of the universe. They believe God has revealed Himself in nature, and in the Scriptures of the Holy Bible as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and that He is one God.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations believe Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God the Father. They believe Jesus Christ is only one of a kind. They further believe the Scripture teaches that Jesus Christ is God that is revealed in the flesh. They believe Jesus Christ is, in His divine nature the true God and in His human nature truly man. They believe Jesus Christ is the One crucified for the sins of man, that He is now risen and glorified. They believe Jesus Christ is the glorified Savior and Lord who now mediates between God and man and gives access to people to His Father through His intercession. They believe no man comes to the Father unless they come through Jesus Christ.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations believe the Holy Spirit has all of the attributes of God. They believe the Holy Spirit convicts men of their sins. They believe the Holy Spirit convinces man of what is right and what is wrong. They believe that the final Day of Judgment will come. They believe the Holy Spirit comes to live in the lives of man at conversion and helps open the understanding to the Scripture and to lead man into the truth.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations believe man was created by God in an innocent state. They believe man was tempted by satan, and yielded willfully and disobeyed God. They became sinners and incurred the judgment of God upon their sins. They believe all the descendants of Adam have inherited his fallen nature and have a natural inclination to sin. They believe when one comes to the age of accountability, they are guilty of sinning before God and are in need of salvation.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations believe man receives forgiveness for his sins once he admits to God that he is a sinner and turns from those sins and trusts in the work of Jesus Christ as redemption for their sins. They believe there must be an acceptance of the great salvation of God and believe in the death of Christ on the cross as the substitute for man. They also must believe Jesus Christ was raised from the dead as predicted. They believe it is a salvation by grace alone and not of works.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations believe it is the will of God that all be saved, since man has the power of choice, and that God only saves those who repent of their sins and believe in the work of Christ on the cross. They believe those who refuse to repent condemn themselves to eternal damnation by their unbelief.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations believe in three ordinances according to Scripture. Baptism in water by immersion, the Lord’s Supper which will be perpetuated until His return, and the Washing of the Saints’ feet, which they believe teaches humility.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations believe the resurrection of the bodies of all men is taught in the Scriptures, believing each in its own order; if they have done well, they will come to the resurrection of life and if they have done evil, they will come to the resurrection of damnation.
The Independent Free Will Baptists Associations believe the Bible teaches Jesus Christ will come again to close the Gospel dispensation, to glorify His saints, and to judge the world. They believe Jesus Christ ascended on high and sits at the right hand of God.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Independent Free Will Baptists Associations:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Jan 2006.<https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2727,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006, January) “Independent Free Will Baptists Associations:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2727,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006) “Independent Free Will Baptists Associations:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (January), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2727, (accessed).
