A Confessional Baptist

Beliefs

Creed

\'kreed\

[ ME crede, from OE creeda, from Latin credo ("I believe" the first word of the Apostles' and Nicene creeds), from credere to believe, trust, entrust; akin to OIr cretid "he believes" ]
1: a brief authoritative formula of religious belief
2: a set of fundamental beliefs
3: a guiding principle ^[1]

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" A confession of our loyalty to the Bible is not enough. The most radical denials of biblical truth frequently coexist with a professed regard for the authority and testimony of the Bible. When men use the very words of the Bible to promote heresy, when the Word of truth is perverted to serve error, nothing less than a confession of Faith will serve publicly to draw the lines between truth and error. ...

The church is to 'hold fast the form of sound words' (2 Tim. 1:13), to 'contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints' (Jude 3), and to 'stand fast with one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel' (Phil. 1:27). In the fulfilment of this task, a confession is a useful tool for discriminating truth from error and for presenting in a small compass the central doctrines of the Bible in their integrity and due proportions. ...

Nevertheless, our confessions are not inherently sacrosanct or beyond revision and improvement; and, of course, church history did not stop in the seventeenth century. We are faced with errors today which those who drew up the great confessions were not faced with and which they did not explicitly address in the confessions, but it is a task to be undertaken with extreme caution. ...

A confession is a useful means for the public affirmation and defence of truth...[it] serves as a public standard of fellowship and discipline...[and it] serves as a concise standard by which to evaluate ministers of the Word. "

R. P. Martin quoted by Samuel E. Waldron, A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, (Evangelical Press, 1989), p. 9-23. ^[2]

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This section is dedicated to doctrinal beliefs; biblical truths which Reformed Baptists most surely believe. This section contains documents which unite us with other bible believing Christians of the Reformed traditions and also some things which distinguish us from other Reformed traditions and other Christian traditions, and even others calling themselves "Baptists".

Many Reformed Baptists use the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith or its equivalent alone as their doctrinal statement and that is fine; I believe, however, that the other documents which I list among my own beliefs are not only in essential harmony with the 1689 LBCF but also provide clarity and further explanation of some of the most important articles of that confession. Even as the Baptists assembled in London some 300 years ago saw the excellence of truth contained within the Westminster Confession of Faith and so used that document as the basis of our own confession, we may now surely see the excellence of many statements of truth that we as Baptists may use for our own edification and instruction.

Are formal belief statements necessary?

There is, of course, a general animosity in the church today among professing Christians towards formal documents and statements of belief. They are derided as devisive and unnecessary, arrogant and pugnacious. They are believed to drive away seekers and lay heavy burdons on believers without need. Formal statements of belief, if used at all, should only focus on a very few essentials and leave the rest to personal opinion.

I would submit to the contrary that doctrinaly precise, comprehensive and biblically pure doctrinal statements unite the church rather than divide; strengthen our voice rather than weaken it; guard against destructive errors and glorify God. To be sure there are many people "seeking" satisfaction in this world who would be turned away by dogmatic beliefs. But it is not our business to soften hearts to the truth - that is God's business and only he can do that. Our job is to present God's truth that he has revealed to us without compromise and in so far as we are able, pure in God's intended meaning. There is no truth that God has given men that is superfluous and non-essential; he indeed has only given that which is essential for our salvation, conduct and happiness.

And so with this belief statement about belief statements, I present this resource for your edification and instruction, for God's glory, Amen.

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Footnotes

1. Definition from Creed.net, a website by Rev. Michael H. Anderson, MDiv. It is important to understand that the authority of a creed corrosponds to and is limited to the authority of, and accurate understanding of, the source of information, in our case the infallible and innerrant bible. In so far as a creed represents an orthodox, correct understanding of scripture, it is authoritative even as scripture is authoritative.

2. Quotations selected from the The 1677/89 BCF Assistant, What is a Confession of Faith?: Some Quotations, with original source citation from that article.