Nick Kennicott
The name Reformed Baptist raises numbers of eyebrows. Some Christians believe the moniker is a contradiction in terms. Others think it simply refers to Baptists who are Calvinists. Nevertheless, despite the understandable confusion, Reformed Baptists have a rich history with well-defined characteristics.
The first congregation of Reformed Baptists (then called Particular Baptists) assembled in London by 1638.1 The movement was born out of the separatist movement of the English Reformation. The Particular Baptists were English Puritan dissenters who faced significant persecution while remaining faithful to their convictions. They were called Particular Baptists because they believed Christ accomplished salvation and reconciliation for a particular group—only for the elect. They differed from the General Baptists who believed in a general atonement, or the idea that Jesus died for all mankind.
The Particular Baptists walked a fine line: they maintained substantial agreement with other Reformed traditions while distancing themselves from the General Baptists, Arminians, and Anabaptists. After nearly two decades as a Reformed Baptist pastor, I have often quipped that it would be easier just to be a Presbyterian. Yet, like my spiritual forebears, I believe in the name “Reformed Baptist,” and, more importantly, I believe that the underlying theological distinctions are worth preserving.
So, what is a Reformed Baptist?
1. Confessional
Reformed Baptists are confessional. We are staunch proponents of the Reformed principle of sola Scriptura. However, we believe that the Bible should be interpreted in light of the church’s theological heritage and doctrinal refinements throughout the ages.
The First London Baptist Confession of Faith was published anonymously in 1644, and a second “corrected and enlarged” edition followed in 1646. It was the confession
of seven congregations, or churches of Christ in London, which are commonly, but unjustly called Anabaptists; published for the vindication of the truth, and information of the ignorant; likewise for the taking off those aspersions, which are frequently, both in pulpit and print, unjustly cast upon them.2
In 1677, Particular Baptist ministers assembled again to publish a confession of faith. They intended to explain themselves “more fully and distinctly; and also to fix on such a method as might be most comprehensive of those things we designed to explain our sense and belief of.”3 It was decided that the Westminster Confession of Faith of the Presbyterians and the Savoy Declaration of the Congregationalists were mostly agreeable; therefore, they concluded “it best to follow their example in making use of the very same words with them” where agreement was shared.4 The Particular Baptists wanted to show that their doctrine largely agreed with that of other non-conformists. The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (2LBC) of 1677 was published anonymously because of the ongoing persecution of Baptist ministers and churches. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, a second edition was published in 1689 with thirty-seven signatories.
In 1742, the Philadelphia Confession of Faith was published. It was identical to the 1689 London Baptist Confession except for the addition of two chapters (chapter 23 on the singing of Psalms and chapter 31 on the laying on of hands). In 1833, the New Hampshire Confession of Faith was published, and more moderated language was adopted on several doctrinal matters, especially those relating to God’s decrees, predestination, effectual calling, and the ability of sinners to respond to the gospel. Today, some churches subscribe to The New Hampshire Confession of Faith. However, those most often identified as Reformed Baptists subscribe to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689.
Reformed Baptists reject a “no creed but the Bible” approach to the Christian faith. As long as a confession is consistent with orthodox Christianity, it is a valuable tool and guide for individual believers and churches. The church is called “a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15). Therefore, biblical truth’s historical developments and summations must be considered.
2. Reformed
Reformed Baptists have purposefully sought to align with the historic Reformed understanding of Christianity. We believe that the essential elements of Reformed theology accurately reflect the Bible’s teaching.
Five Solas
The basic elements of Reformed theology are summarized in the five solas of the Reformation:
- Sola Scriptura: God’s inspired, inerrant, and sufficient Word is the sole final authority for Christian life and faith.
- Solus Christus: The sinless and law-fulfilling life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection of Christ alone is the basis for a sinner being declared righteous in the eyes of God.
- Sola fide: Sinners are justified by faith in Christ alone, and no amount of human works can make one more or less commendable to God.
- Sola gratia: The salvation of sinners, from beginning to end, is by God’s grace alone.
- Soli Deo gloria: God alone is worthy of glory for his work of creation and redemption.
Perpetuity of the moral law
Reformed Baptists believe that God’s moral law is written on the hearts of all mankind. It is an immutable, binding standard of righteousness established by God in the Garden of Eden and confirmed in the Ten Commandments (See 2LBC 19.1, 5). God’s moral law obligates all mankind to obey and is the standard by which God judges sinners.5
Most Christians are content to agree with the abiding necessity to uphold and promote all but the fourth commandment. In Reformed theology, however, the fourth commandment still binds believers to obedience, albeit as the Lord’s Day or Christian Sabbath, not as a seventh-day Sabbath (cf. Mark 16:9; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2; Rev 1:10).6
Regulative principle of worship
Reformed Baptists believe that the corporate worship of God should be conducted according to his revealed will in Scripture. In other words, God alone determines how he will be worshipped. John Calvin writes,
I know how difficult it is to persuade the world that God disapproves of all modes of worship not expressly sanctioned by his Word. … But since God not only regards as fruitless, but also plainly abominates, whatever we undertake from zeal to his worship, if at variance with his command, what do we gain by a contrary course?7
The elements of worship should avoid human innovations and traditions not explicitly authorized in the Bible. They should be based solely on what God has commanded (Exod 20:4–6; Deut 12:32; Lev 10:1–7; Matt 15:9; John 4:23–24; Heb 12:28–29).
The biblically prescribed elements of worship are often called the ordinary means of grace. They are means appointed by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to point God’s people to Christ. They are the conduits by which God brings a greater measure of his grace into the lives of his people on earth. They sustain and nourish us in our union with Christ as we rest in the sovereign ends of our triune God.
These elements, or means of grace, include:
- Prayers of various kinds (repentance, thanksgiving, intercession; John 14:13–14; Phil 4:6; 1 Pet 3:12; 1 John 1:9)
- The public reading of Scripture (1 Tim 4:13)
- Preaching (Rom 10:14–17; 1 Tim 4:2)
- Hearing the Word of God (Luke 8:18; Acts 17:11; 1 Pet 4:11)
- Singing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph 4:19; Col 3:16)
- The ordinances of baptism (Gal 3:27; Acts 2:37–38, 41; 22:16) and the Lord’s Supper (Matt 26:26–28; 1 Cor 11:23–26)
The elements of worship are simple and guard the church from engaging in excesses and fruitless endeavors.
Covenant theology
Reformed Baptists believe that God has progressively revealed himself and his plan of redemption through a series of covenants. The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 is based on a covenantal framework. Covenant theology is a hallmark of the Reformed tradition. God covenanted with Adam in a covenant of works (Rom 5:18) and promised a covenant of grace (Gen 3:15).
Traditional Reformed covenant theology teaches that the covenant of grace has two administrations, often distinguished as “old covenant” and “new covenant.” It is believed that the covenant of grace is worked out through the different covenants of the Old Testament (i.e., Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic). Many Reformed Baptists, on the other hand, believe the old covenant was a temporary, national covenant made with Israel at Mount Sinai.
The new covenant is the covenant of grace, revealed in the old covenant as a promise to be inaugurated by Jesus Christ. The Particular Baptist pastor Benjamin Keach writes, “All believers, who lived under the Old Testament, were saved by the covenant of grace, which Christ was to establish.”8 God’s people have always been saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. The Baptist confession says, “It is alone by the grace of this covenant that all the posterity of fallen Adam that ever were saved did obtain life and blessed immortality” (2LBC 7.3).
Furthermore, traditional Reformed covenant theology emphasizes Old Testament circumcision as the sign and seal of the covenant of grace, with New Testament baptism as its counterpart. Reformed Baptists reject any continuity between Old Testament circumcision and New Testament baptism. We believe that the circumcision of the flesh in the Old Covenant is analogous to the circumcision of the heart in the New Covenant (Deut 30:6; Jer 4:1–4; Rom 2:29).
3. Baptist
At least four things distinguish Reformed Baptists from our other Reformed brethren.
We are credobaptists
We believe baptism is only for those with a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Question 98 of the Baptist Catechism asks, “To whom is baptism to be administered?” The answer is, “Baptism is to be administered to all who actually profess repentance toward God, faith in and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to none other.” We do not believe infants should be baptized or considered church members.
We also believe that the only proper mode of baptism is water immersion (Matt 3:11, 16; John 1:26; Acts 8:36; 1 Pet 3:21) in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19). Our conviction that immersion is the proper mode of baptism is based on the Greek word translated “baptize,” which means to “dip” or “immerse” (). It represents a Christian’s spiritual union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection, shown in the physical act of immersion (Rom 6:3–5).
Run a Logos Bible Word study on the Greek word commonly translated “baptize.” Get the Logos app free, if you don’t already have it.
We believe in regenerate church membership
In other words, a local church should only have baptized members who have been given the gifts of faith and repentance (2 Cor 5:17; Eph 2:8–9; Phil 1:29). We readily acknowledge that tares will be among the wheat (Matt 13:24–30). We cannot know a person’s heart; therefore, Reformed Baptist churches practice church discipline (Matt 18:15–20).
We are autonomous
Many Reformed Baptist churches voluntarily join associations or networks—such as my own Reformed Baptist Network. Associations and networks allow Reformed Baptists to develop fraternal relationships and work together to support missions and church planting.
However, each Reformed Baptist church is autonomous even within these formal relationships. There are no ecclesiastical courts or denominational oversight outside the local church itself. Nevertheless, “In cases of difficulties or differences,” churches should ask representatives from other like-minded congregations to “meet to consider, and give their advice in or about the matter in difference” (2LBC 26.15). The decisions and recommendations of the assembled council are not authoritative.
We are congregational
Reformed Baptists believe churches should be led by a plurality of elders but ruled by the congregation. Every Reformed Baptist church practices congregationalism to varying degrees. However, in most cases, church members periodically vote on major decisions, such as calling new officers, adopting budgets, or purchasing property.
4. Experiential
Reformed Baptists believe in the experiential (once called “experimental”) theology of the Puritans. True Christian faith is not just a matter of intellectual belief but also of lived experience, of continual spiritual transformation. Our faith should manifest itself in everything as we seek to live godly, holy lives. When we are in Christ, we are blessed with the ability to commune with God. It is an experiential, conscious communing with our creator, sustainer, and friend. John Owen writes, “What am I the better if I can dispute that Christ is God, but have no sense or sweetness in my heart from hence that he is a God in covenant with my soul?”9
Christianity is more than mentally assenting to and verbally expressing your doctrinal beliefs. Christianity is a way of life that emerges from an inner experience of fellowship with God through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit. Our communion with God is not based on mystical experiences. It is enhanced through the regular use of the means of grace. We are responsible for reminding ourselves daily of what God has accomplished for us in our redemption. The more we are reminded of what God has done and is doing, the more we can have a felt sense of Christ’s love for us. Our communion with God will wax and wane but can be sweetened as we encounter the truth of God. Experiential Christianity leads to greater peace, joy, love, and hope in a believer’s life.
What about other Baptists?
There are different streams of Baptist faith, so how are Reformed Baptists different?
Calvinistic Baptists
Every Reformed Baptist is Calvinistic, but not every Calvinistic Baptist is Reformed. In the twenty-first century, “Reformed” and “Calvinist” are often used interchangeably, but an important distinction must be made.
I do not doubt that some of my Presbyterian brothers will find it ironic that a committed Baptist is arguing that some Christians are not Reformed, even if they claim otherwise. Nevertheless, we believe that being Reformed goes beyond our theology of salvation. Calvinistic Baptists generally believe in the sovereignty of God in salvation, commonly summarized with the acrostic TULIP.10 Some Calvinistic Baptists are dispensational, continuationist, or egalitarian. These are not historically Reformed positions. Robust Reformed Baptist theology goes beyond the five points of Calvinism to include every aspect of the Christian life and the church. I am thankful for a resurgence of Calvinism in Baptist thinking and practice, and I hope my Calvinistic Baptist brethren will embrace a more robust confessional identity.
Southern Baptists
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is considered the largest Protestant denomination in the world. It comprises thousands of churches with various beliefs and practices and is not monolithic. Some Reformed Baptists are members of the SBC, but most are not.11 The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is the SBC’s doctrinal standard. It is intentionally written to have a broader appeal than the Reformed confessions. Like Reformed Baptists, the SBC stems from the Puritan separatist tradition and holds to common points of local church autonomy and believer’s baptism. Many modern SBC churches, however, reject Calvinism, the regulative principle of worship, elder-led congregationalism, and covenant theology, amongst other distinctives. Reformed Baptists in the SBC are primarily concerned with partnering in missions, church planting, and seminary training for future gospel ministers.
Notable Reformed Baptists
There are many notable Reformed Baptists in church history.
- Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892) is the most well-known Reformed Baptist. He was called the “Prince of Preachers” in the nineteenth century, and his sermons and writings continue to serve God’s people around the world today. A few of his most popular works include The Treasury of David, a six-volume commentary on the Psalms; Lectures to My Students, a collection of twenty-eight of Spurgeon’s lectures to ministerial students at the Pastor’s College of London; and thousands of sermon manuscripts from his preaching at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London.
- John Bunyan (1628–1688), the author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, was a Particular Baptist preacher who endured significant persecution for his theological convictions. The Holy War is one of his most exciting books, and I especially appreciate his warm, honest biographical work, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. The Works of John Bunyan offers a treasure trove of pastoral insights and wisdom forged in the fires of persecution.
- Benjamin Keach (1640–1704) was one of the signatories of the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 and is best known for Keach’s Catechism and his defense of believer’s baptism in The Ax Laid to the Root.
- John Broadus (1827–1895) played a vital role in developing The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was known as a dynamic preacher, and his best-known work is A Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons.
- William Carey (1761–1834) is often called the father of modern missions. He translated the Bible into various languages, and his pamphlet, An Enquiry into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathen12, is cited as the primary motivation for establishing the Baptist Missionary Society and others.
Learn from these authors in Logos
Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century
Regular price: $3.99
The Baptist Catechism, Commonly Called Keach’s Catechism: Or, a Brief Instruction in the Principles of the Christian Religion
Regular price: $2.49
Conclusion
Reformed Baptists have a rich heritage of faith, and it is worth preserving. Like the original authors of our confession of faith, we believe it is good and right to hold steadfastly to our distinctives while maintaining fraternal relationships with other Christians.
In many ways, we have more in common with our paedobaptist brethren than we do with many other Baptists. Nevertheless, our greatest desire is to see God glorified and Christ proclaimed to the nations. When souls are saved through Presbyterian or other Baptist ministries, we shall rejoice! I am thankful that I am a Reformed Baptist, but I am even more grateful that I am saved by grace, through faith, apart from works of the law (Eph 2:8–9).
Soli Deo gloria!
Other resources referred to in this article
From the Finger of God: The Biblical and Theological Basis for the Threefold Division of the Law
Regular price: $12.99
Our Chief of Days: The Principle, Purpose and Practice of the Lord’s Day
Regular price: $4.99
Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century
Regular price: $3.99
- Stephen R. Spencer, “Baptists, Particular,” in Encyclopedia of the Reformed Faith (Louisville, KY; Edinburgh: Westminster/John Knox Press; Saint Andrew Press, 1992), 24.
- Thomas Crosby, The History of the English Baptists, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos, 2011), 391.
- The Baptist Confession of Faith and The Baptist Catechism (Birmingham, AL: Solid Ground Christian Books, 2010), xii.
- ibid.
- Philip Ross, From the Finger of God: The Biblical and Theological Basis for the Threefold Division of the Law (Scotland: Christian Focus, 2010), 308–50.
- Numerous books have been written about the perpetuity of the fourth commandment by Reformed pastors and theologians. A few of my favorites include Walter J. Chantry, Call the Sabbath a Delight (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1991); Glen Knecht, The Day God Made (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2003); Joseph A. Pipa, The Lord’s Day (Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 1997); Bruce A. Ray, Celebrating the Sabbath: Finding Rest in a Restless World (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2000); Jeremy Walker, Our Chief of Days: The Principle, Purpose and Practice of the Lord’s Day (Welwyn Garden City: Evangelical Press, 2019); Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1999), 93–122.
- John Calvin, Theodore Beza, and Henry Beveridge, Tracts Relating to the Reformation, vol. 1 (Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1844), 128–29.
- Benjamin Keach, “The Display of Glorious Grace” in The Covenant Theology of Benjamin Keach (Conway: Free Grace Press, 2017), 110.
- John Owen, The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, n.d.), 12:52.
- The letters of the acrostic stand for the doctrines of total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints.
- Founders Ministries is a group of mostly SBC pastors and churches that are, writes Tom Ascol, “committed to the recovery of the gospel of God’s grace and the biblical reformation of local churches.” They believe the convention should return to its founding principles, which were Reformed and baptistic, consistent with the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. Today in the SBC, Reformed Baptists are the minority—though there are also Reformed, baptistic individuals and institutions (see Al Mohler and 9Marks) in the SBC that are not part of Founders Ministries.
- William Carey, “An Enquiry: Into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens,” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader, ed. Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, 4th ed. (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2009), 312ff.
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