Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Jan. 25, 2026
Update	: Jan. 25, 2026
Parts	: 02

Synopsis:



Continuing our discussion from part one, As I've long shared with my readers, personally, I simply view myself as being a Bible-believing Christian who strives his best to please the Lord through my daily service to Him. Nothing more. As such, I have no personal need to prefix or append any other name or label to the word "Christian". The word is fine all on its own. After all, a Christian is a person who believes in Jesus, and who strives to follow His teachings, and shares those same teachings with others. What more needs to be said or done? I just don't need the approval of any church or any denomination in order to do what God has called me to do. I simply need the approval of my Heavenly Father. After all, He alone will be my Judge in the end when I stand before Him.

So considering these online comments I have seen where some Baptists are endeavoring to set themselves apart from other Christians -- similar to Roman Catholics, the Seventh Day Adventists and other denominations, and of course, most of the cults -- I honestly do not see these divisive Baptists striving for the unity that is described in the previous set of Bible verses. Any denomination which thinks that they are any different, or any better, or more knowledgeable of the Scriptures, or closer to God, or adhering more closely to the Biblical pattern, or has some special revelations from God which no one else knows about, is simply deceiving themselves.

Folks, to engage in such things is just your pride and that damnable, divisive spirit of exclusivity which I mentioned earlier. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul warned against this foolish practice of comparing ourselves to others in order to make ourselves feel better about ourselves or perhaps even more righteous. Consider what Paul wrote:

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand. But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth."


Quite frankly, during my lifetime, I have attended a number of all-White, Southern Baptist churches where the membership was primarily -- if not completely -- comprised for the most part of the local community's successful, rich business and political leaders who ran the local government, and operated many of the local businesses. So I do know what I am talking about. Some of those churches were nothing more than social clubs for the elite. They were spiritually dry, obviously very materialistic and money-minded, and as is very common knowledge, their record concerning infidelity, divorce and remarriage, drunkenness, etc., is not exactly stellar to say the least.

I have shared the story before regarding one Baptist church I attended in McAllen, Texas back during the early 1980s. I used to go out Gospel tract passing, and one day this local businessman -- a Chicano fellow who owned a car dealership -- invited me to his Baptist church. This fellow was quite obviously well-off, because he drove around town in a black mustang with four carburetors that he was selling for the sum of $80,000 at the time. Even back then, I was NOT the church-going type. However, I accepted his invitation anyway because the man had laid a $100 donation on me which really surprised me to say the least. So, out of courtesy, I went to church with him that Sunday.

This event occurred at least forty-three years ago, so I do not remember all of the details now. However, I do distinctly remember two things. The first one is that my friend's rather dark-skinned, mustached face was the only one I saw in that very White congregation. I realized at that point that the only reason why he was probably even allowed to be a member of that Baptist church was because of his social status as a local rich businessman. The second thing -- which likewise surprised me -- was that when we attended the adult Bible study class that day, the mayor himself -- who will remain unnamed being as he is now deceased -- was the teacher.

The topic that day was a reading of part of 1 Corinthians 12 where the Apostle Paul discusses the various spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. I have to say that my jaw dropped as the mayor read right through the verses, and then proceeded to offer his own modern interpretation of what the verses meant. To say the least, the mayor totally despiritualized what the Apostle Paul had written. In the mayor's mind, the gifts of the Spirit included things such as driving the bus to take people to church. Huh? Okay. When it came to 1 Corinthians 12:10 where Paul mentions speaking in tongues as well as the interpretation of tongues, the mayor simply said that it was not for today and kept moving on.

Needless-to-say, I never attended that church again, although I did attend one other Baptist church one time with different friends sometime after that. I cannot recall what happened, other than the fact that the pastor of that church told us to not return to his church because we did not agree with one of his doctrines. Again, it happened so long ago, that I honestly don't remember what the troublesome doctrine was.

Let me share one final incident I had with a Baptist person. This last event occurred here on Guam where I have now lived for forty years. It occurred quite a few years ago. At that particular time, I was without personal transportation -- I do not recall if my car was in the repair shop or what -- so I had to catch a ride by hitchhiking. Well, this young fellow picked me up who immediately identified himself as a Baptist. We began chatting, and I informed him about my online writing ministry, and how I offer all of my online work to my website visitors for free, because that is precisely what Jesus said we should do in the following Bible verse:

"And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.‭ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.‭"


Let me mention here that even though this fellow claimed to be a Christian and a Baptist, he had a very dirty mouth. In fact, he repeatedly dropped the F-bomb as we chatted. Upon learning that I offered my work for free, he began to berate me and tell me that I was doing it the wrong way. According to him, what I should be doing was allow my site visitors to read just a few paragraphs or pages, and then have a mechanism on the web page which informed them that if they wanted to read the rest of my article, they had to send me a donation of five dollars. I of course told this guy that, no, that was wrong according to the Scriptures, and that was NOT how I wanted to do it.

Well, the more I resisted his suggestion, the more he raised his voice and cussed. I mean I was really quite shocked by his behavior. To say the least, I was very relieved when we finally arrived at my destination and I was able to escape him by getting out of his car. I never saw him again, thank God! Anyway, it was because of that incident, as well as another online incident I had at a different time, that I finally wrote my three-part series entitled "Money-Making Bible Hucksters and Mammon", which you will find listed at the end of this same article with a clickable link. As far as that man's cussing is concerned, consider the following Bible verses:

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."


"But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth."


"Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few."


"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."


"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."


"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."


"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."


"Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."


"And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."


"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."


"For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."


In light of the aforementioned incidents, I imagine that you the reader can understand why I don't exactly have a positive opinion regarding Baptists. Of course, I am NOT saying that all Baptists behave in that fashion. After all, every person, and every Christian, is different, and it isn't wise to paint with a broad brush -- or to stereotype people -- as they say. None of us is perfect, and we are all still growing in our personal faith and walk with the Lord. Nevertheless, based on my personal experiences, I still have to say that while some Baptists may toot their own horn and brag about how different they are from all other Christians, claim that they are more directly related to John the Baptist and the Christians of the first century, and even view themselves as the so-called "originals", in my opinion, they deceive themselves, whether they accept it or not.

In conclusion, as I explained earlier, it is my view that our Christian faith would be a lot better off, and more unified in the Spirit, if we dropped all of the foolish comparisons, abandoned our denominational nomenclatures, and strived to find more doctrinal unity between ourselves. I am sure that doing so would please the Lord, and make us a more effective witness to the world, because right now, I imagine that we are quite the disappointment and embarrassment to the Lord. Furthermore, if we fail to do these things, the day may come when we destroy ourselves from within, while the world also destroys us from without, and that could be the end of our Christian faith. Think about it.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you've found it informative and enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Abundant Life Doctrine: Scripturally Exposed!

Are the Gifts of the Spirit for Today?

Are You Deceived and Don't Even Know It?

Are You Flexible?

Do You Seek the Truth or Short-Change Yourself?

Doctrinal Correction: The Proper Way to Do It

Elijah: Where Are the True Prophets of God?

History of the Authorized King James Bible

Humility in Our Understanding of God's Word

In Defense of the KJV Bible

Is the KJV Bible the Inerrant Word of God?

King James Bible: Structure and Breakdown

Money-Making Bible Hucksters and Mammon

My Evolving Theology

Roman Catholicism, Water Baptism and the Holy Trinity

Should Christians Engage in Doctrinal Debates?

So, You Have Got It All Figured Out, Do You?

Stop Cussing! Be Not Conformed to This World!

The Theologian War and Man Worship

Understanding the Bible in Context

What Is a Cult?

---

---

Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.