“Baptist” has
“baptism” as its root. To “baptize” is to immerse or to
dip. In the New Testament Scriptures, the Pharisees practiced a kind of
baptism as they ceremonially cleansed their pots and utensils or washed
their hands before eating. Thus, one primary idea underlying baptism is
that of cleansing from corruption. Baptism was a regular feature of the
ministry of the forerunner of Jesus. John was called the Baptizer,
since he would baptize those who came to hear his preaching. But he
baptized people only after they showed some evidence of real repentance
and faith. Baptism pictured a repentant believer's cleansing from sin
by God's grace and his union with Christ.
Our Lord was sinless and never needed spiritual cleansing. Jesus was baptized as a pattern for His followers. On the occasion of His baptism, the Father voiced His pleasure with His dear Son and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus as a dove. At Jesus' baptism the tri-personal Being of God was beautifully and unmistakably declared. When the Lord later commanded His apostles to baptize new disciples, He told them to baptize them into “the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Christian baptism gives glory to the one true God who is eternally three in Person—the Author of our salvation.
While some use the word to indicate other things, we use “Baptist” to especially communicate our conviction that only confessing believers in the Lord Jesus Christ should be baptized. While we do believe that baptism is immersion—we believe the far more important issue is “Who should be baptized?” The only biblically sound answer is, ‘Believers in Jesus Christ and only believers.'
Although infant baptism is widely practiced, it is not a biblical practice. There is neither example nor command in the Bible for Christians to baptize infants or children. In the Bible, only believers were baptized and admitted as members of churches. There is no biblical evidence to suggest that household baptisms included anyone that did not first confess faith in the Lord Jesus.
The church universal contains only believers and the local church should express that character as much as possible. We love to proclaim the gospel to all people and everyone is welcome to attend the meetings of the local church in order to hear God's Word. Yet only baptized believers should be recognized as members of local churches.
Christ appointed baptism to express at least these three things: Our cleansing from sin, our separation from the world, and our spiritual union with the Redeemer and His people. By faith in Jesus, we have been cleansed from our sins. We confess this in our baptism. In coming to the Lord Jesus, we have been called to live “in newness of life,” a life wondrously different from our former life in bondage to sin. By our baptism we acknowledge that life in Christ means separation from the world and the paths of sin. By our baptism we also testify that we are spiritually united with Christ and with all who are truly His. This is what we mean by “Baptist.”
What does the term “Reformed” signify?
In the designation, Reformed Baptist, “Reformed” refers to the Protestant Reformation that swept across 16th century Europe. For more than a thousand years the forces of darkness had oppressed the people of God. But sometime near the turn of the 16th century, the Lord Christ raised up men to take a stand for the truth of His gospel afresh and anew. Among them: Huss, Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin, and others; later the English Puritans, followed by the great Baptist pastor of 19th century London, ‘the prince of preachers,' Charles Haddon Spurgeon. In his faith and preaching, Spurgeon was Reformed and Baptist.
As Reformed Baptists, we use the word “Reformed” to say that we treasure the biblical gospel that was clearly and systematically proclaimed during the Protestant Reformation. We believe the Bible teaches these great, powerful truths freshly proclaimed by the Reformers and many who follow in their steps. The five ‘solas' of the Reformation are among the truths we heartily proclaim today.
• Sola Scriptura—Scripture Alone. The Scriptures alone are the Word of God and have authority to bind the hearts and minds of God's people unto obedience. The Holy Scriptures alone teach the one way of salvation and are the infallible standard by which all things are to be judged.
• Sola Gratia—Grace Alone. Salvation from sin and death and hell is by God's grace alone. In no sense is our salvation a human work, but it is the result of a divine work of grace worked immediately upon our souls by God Himself. Particularly, saving faith and true repentance are gifts from God to His people who exercise them.
• Sola Fide—Faith Alone. Justification, a sinner's being ‘declared righteous' in the sight of God by God Himself, is by faith alone. Justifying faith embraces the perfect righteousness of Jesus by trusting Him as Saviour and Lord. God justifies only those who believe in Jesus.
• Solo Christo—Christ Alone. The salvation of God is ours through the merits of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, and His righteousness alone. God declares the believer righteous by faith alone in Christ alone.
• Soli Deo Gloria—Glory to God Alone. By His own power and grace, God alone saves us. No man shares the glory for his salvation.
Distinguishing Reformed Baptist Features
In Reformed Baptist churches, our faith combines Reformation theology with biblical views concerning the church. We find this combination perfectly consistent with the Bible's teachings. We approach the worship of God with godly fear, straightforward simplicity, and make a serious attempt to order our church life and worship by the Bible. We call this ‘the regulative principle.'
The doctrinal statement of Reformed Baptist churches is the historic 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, also known in America as The Philadelphia Confession. This is the doctrinal statement used by Baptists in colonial America before the nation was born. In keeping with our commitment to the supremacy of Scripture, the Confession of Faith serves only as a convenient, helpful aid to our unity and understanding. Always the Scriptures themselves stand as the absolute and final authority for faith and life.
Reformed Baptist churches are covenanting assemblies of believers gathering for worship, instruction and fellowship around the Word of God. We hold a high view of Bible inspiration and of the sufficiency of Holy Scripture. The preaching of God's Word holds a primary place in our gatherings. Our meetings include Scripture reading, exposition of the Bible, the singing of hymns, and prayer; when appropriate, we baptize believers and fellowship at the Lord's table. We also urge all God's people to make proper use of the Lord's Day every week.
Our assembling together is always a great delight to us. We are glad to see each other and glad to have opportunity for warm brotherly fellowship. Yet our meetings are not primarily about us, they are mainly about the God whom we love and worship. The living God commands that we worship Him and Him alone. Our Saviour is worthy of our worship and we take our privilege and duty seriously.
Since the church is God's people and not a place, Reformed Baptists do not generally place extreme importance on buildings and facilities. The important thing is the gathering of believers. Our concerns are mostly about worship, fellowship and instruction from God's Word. While some Reformed Baptist congregations meet in traditional church buildings, others meet in non-traditional settings like homes or rented facilities. Some congregations have grown into considerable assemblies meeting week by week in rented accommodations. We are not opposed to having nice facilities when they are truly needed, but these things simply do not rank high on our list of more important things. Real worship, biblical preaching, loving fellowship—these things are higher priorities.
The gospel of salvation is regularly and evangelistically proclaimed in Reformed Baptist churches. Sinners are exposed to ‘the word of the cross,' that has power to transform their lives for time and eternity. We do not practice altar calls or other unbiblical techniques. The truth of the gospel, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, will bring sinners to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. God Himself guarantees the complete success of the gospel. (Isaiah 55:10-11)
In Reformed Baptist churches, the Word of God is regularly expounded in a meaningful way. Preaching and teaching are priorities. Our desire is to faithfully teach and preach the Word so that, under His blessing, God's children will “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We live in a day when many professing believers choose the church they attend as if they were shopping for clothing or an automobile. They begin by asking all the wrong questions. Where is it? Who else attends? What do they offer my family? What activities do they provide? Anyone who begins by asking questions like these will not find what his soul needs—nor what the souls of his family members need. We need salvation and only the gospel of the Lord Jesus holds out to us the promise of salvation. We need to come before the Lord in true, sincere, loving worship on a regular basis. We need to find a church that is “the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15)
Our Lord was sinless and never needed spiritual cleansing. Jesus was baptized as a pattern for His followers. On the occasion of His baptism, the Father voiced His pleasure with His dear Son and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus as a dove. At Jesus' baptism the tri-personal Being of God was beautifully and unmistakably declared. When the Lord later commanded His apostles to baptize new disciples, He told them to baptize them into “the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Christian baptism gives glory to the one true God who is eternally three in Person—the Author of our salvation.
While some use the word to indicate other things, we use “Baptist” to especially communicate our conviction that only confessing believers in the Lord Jesus Christ should be baptized. While we do believe that baptism is immersion—we believe the far more important issue is “Who should be baptized?” The only biblically sound answer is, ‘Believers in Jesus Christ and only believers.'
Although infant baptism is widely practiced, it is not a biblical practice. There is neither example nor command in the Bible for Christians to baptize infants or children. In the Bible, only believers were baptized and admitted as members of churches. There is no biblical evidence to suggest that household baptisms included anyone that did not first confess faith in the Lord Jesus.
The church universal contains only believers and the local church should express that character as much as possible. We love to proclaim the gospel to all people and everyone is welcome to attend the meetings of the local church in order to hear God's Word. Yet only baptized believers should be recognized as members of local churches.
Christ appointed baptism to express at least these three things: Our cleansing from sin, our separation from the world, and our spiritual union with the Redeemer and His people. By faith in Jesus, we have been cleansed from our sins. We confess this in our baptism. In coming to the Lord Jesus, we have been called to live “in newness of life,” a life wondrously different from our former life in bondage to sin. By our baptism we acknowledge that life in Christ means separation from the world and the paths of sin. By our baptism we also testify that we are spiritually united with Christ and with all who are truly His. This is what we mean by “Baptist.”
What does the term “Reformed” signify?
In the designation, Reformed Baptist, “Reformed” refers to the Protestant Reformation that swept across 16th century Europe. For more than a thousand years the forces of darkness had oppressed the people of God. But sometime near the turn of the 16th century, the Lord Christ raised up men to take a stand for the truth of His gospel afresh and anew. Among them: Huss, Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin, and others; later the English Puritans, followed by the great Baptist pastor of 19th century London, ‘the prince of preachers,' Charles Haddon Spurgeon. In his faith and preaching, Spurgeon was Reformed and Baptist.
As Reformed Baptists, we use the word “Reformed” to say that we treasure the biblical gospel that was clearly and systematically proclaimed during the Protestant Reformation. We believe the Bible teaches these great, powerful truths freshly proclaimed by the Reformers and many who follow in their steps. The five ‘solas' of the Reformation are among the truths we heartily proclaim today.
• Sola Scriptura—Scripture Alone. The Scriptures alone are the Word of God and have authority to bind the hearts and minds of God's people unto obedience. The Holy Scriptures alone teach the one way of salvation and are the infallible standard by which all things are to be judged.
• Sola Gratia—Grace Alone. Salvation from sin and death and hell is by God's grace alone. In no sense is our salvation a human work, but it is the result of a divine work of grace worked immediately upon our souls by God Himself. Particularly, saving faith and true repentance are gifts from God to His people who exercise them.
• Sola Fide—Faith Alone. Justification, a sinner's being ‘declared righteous' in the sight of God by God Himself, is by faith alone. Justifying faith embraces the perfect righteousness of Jesus by trusting Him as Saviour and Lord. God justifies only those who believe in Jesus.
• Solo Christo—Christ Alone. The salvation of God is ours through the merits of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, and His righteousness alone. God declares the believer righteous by faith alone in Christ alone.
• Soli Deo Gloria—Glory to God Alone. By His own power and grace, God alone saves us. No man shares the glory for his salvation.
Distinguishing Reformed Baptist Features
In Reformed Baptist churches, our faith combines Reformation theology with biblical views concerning the church. We find this combination perfectly consistent with the Bible's teachings. We approach the worship of God with godly fear, straightforward simplicity, and make a serious attempt to order our church life and worship by the Bible. We call this ‘the regulative principle.'
The doctrinal statement of Reformed Baptist churches is the historic 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, also known in America as The Philadelphia Confession. This is the doctrinal statement used by Baptists in colonial America before the nation was born. In keeping with our commitment to the supremacy of Scripture, the Confession of Faith serves only as a convenient, helpful aid to our unity and understanding. Always the Scriptures themselves stand as the absolute and final authority for faith and life.
Reformed Baptist churches are covenanting assemblies of believers gathering for worship, instruction and fellowship around the Word of God. We hold a high view of Bible inspiration and of the sufficiency of Holy Scripture. The preaching of God's Word holds a primary place in our gatherings. Our meetings include Scripture reading, exposition of the Bible, the singing of hymns, and prayer; when appropriate, we baptize believers and fellowship at the Lord's table. We also urge all God's people to make proper use of the Lord's Day every week.
Our assembling together is always a great delight to us. We are glad to see each other and glad to have opportunity for warm brotherly fellowship. Yet our meetings are not primarily about us, they are mainly about the God whom we love and worship. The living God commands that we worship Him and Him alone. Our Saviour is worthy of our worship and we take our privilege and duty seriously.
Since the church is God's people and not a place, Reformed Baptists do not generally place extreme importance on buildings and facilities. The important thing is the gathering of believers. Our concerns are mostly about worship, fellowship and instruction from God's Word. While some Reformed Baptist congregations meet in traditional church buildings, others meet in non-traditional settings like homes or rented facilities. Some congregations have grown into considerable assemblies meeting week by week in rented accommodations. We are not opposed to having nice facilities when they are truly needed, but these things simply do not rank high on our list of more important things. Real worship, biblical preaching, loving fellowship—these things are higher priorities.
The gospel of salvation is regularly and evangelistically proclaimed in Reformed Baptist churches. Sinners are exposed to ‘the word of the cross,' that has power to transform their lives for time and eternity. We do not practice altar calls or other unbiblical techniques. The truth of the gospel, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, will bring sinners to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. God Himself guarantees the complete success of the gospel. (Isaiah 55:10-11)
In Reformed Baptist churches, the Word of God is regularly expounded in a meaningful way. Preaching and teaching are priorities. Our desire is to faithfully teach and preach the Word so that, under His blessing, God's children will “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We live in a day when many professing believers choose the church they attend as if they were shopping for clothing or an automobile. They begin by asking all the wrong questions. Where is it? Who else attends? What do they offer my family? What activities do they provide? Anyone who begins by asking questions like these will not find what his soul needs—nor what the souls of his family members need. We need salvation and only the gospel of the Lord Jesus holds out to us the promise of salvation. We need to come before the Lord in true, sincere, loving worship on a regular basis. We need to find a church that is “the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15)