MRBF POSITION PAPER
Reaffirmed October 5, 1996
First Baptist Church, Marion, MT
As we see the Biblical teaching of separation being undermined and denied the Council of Six of the Montana Fellowship would like to reiterate our historic, Biblical, G.A.R.B.C. position upon this matter with a challenge for us to follow our Lord’s teaching as Regular Baptists.
Literature item #1, Constitution and Articles of Faith of the G.A.R.B.C.
Constitution of The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, Article II. Purpose, Section 1.
To maintain an Association of sovereign, Bible-believing, Christ honoring Baptist Churches; to promote the spirit of evangelism; to spread the gospel; to advance Regular Baptist educational and missionary enterprises at home and abroad; to raise and maintain a testimony to the truth of the gospel and to the purity of the Church; to raise a standard of Biblical separation from worldliness, modernism and apostasy; to emphasize the Biblical teaching that a breakdown of the divinely established lines between Bible believers and apostates is unscriptural and to be a voice repudiating cooperation with movements which attempt to unite true Bible believers and apostates in evangelistic and other cooperative spiritual efforts.
Articles of Faith, XVI, Separation
We believe in obedience to the Biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from worldliness and ecclesiastical apostasy (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 1 Thess. 1:9,10; 1 Tim. 6:3-5; Rom. 16:17; 2 John 9-11).
Literature item #6, The Position of the G.A.R.B.C. on Separation, pg. 2
First Timothy 6:3,5: Second Chronicles 19:2; Second Timothy 2:17-19; Second Corinthians 6:14-17; Romans 16:17,18; Second Thessalonians 3:6; Second John 10,11; These and other Scriptures constitute a mandate not subject to option, modification or compromise on the part of the believer. The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches stands upon these verses in this matter of separation. These Scriptures forbid (1) organic union or cooperation with unbelievers; and (2) organic union or cooperation with believers who insist upon and practice such union with unbelievers. The “brother” who will not separate is involved in these Scriptures also. (See 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 Chronicles 19:2.)
Editorials, Baptist Bulletin, June 1981
“Within the GARBC there is room for difference of opinion on some matters. In no way does this editorial seek to press everyone into the same identical mold. But separation is one of the basic planks in our Associational platform, and we must be careful and consistent lest it be loosened or dislodged. We know what a little leaven does; we have often compared it to the malicious penetration of false doctrine. The principle has further applications. A little relaxing of separation standards may well lead to greater relaxation. The position is lost, not by catastrophe, but by gradual erosion.”
The members of the Montana Council of Six call upon our fellowshipping churches to reaffirm our Biblical, historic position on separation. We urge our sister churches to apply this biblical principle of separation when confronted with ecumenical endeavors which seem to be proliferating in this age of “anything goes” Christianity.
Council of Six:
Jim Herd
Rodney Myrum
Rudy Ringhoff
Gordon Dexter
Bob VanAlstine
Jerry Buchanan
