Original Title: “Who Are The Reformed Baptists?”
by: Dr. Poh Boon Sing & Rev. Earl M.
Blackburn
History
After the time of the apostles, churches continued to multiply everywhere. As
the years passed, many churches began to depart from the teachings of Christ
and the Holy Scriptures. Superstition and human traditions were propagated as
truth. Wars were waged in the name of Christianity. Immorality, idolatry, and
corruption were rampant in the so-called Christian world. The true Christians
were a persecuted minority.
In the 16th century, God brought about a mighty stirring in Europe, causing
many people to seek Him and hunger again after the truth. This is now called
the Reformation. Despite the attempts of the older churches to counter this
movement, new churches were founded right through the 17th century.
In England the particular Baptists churches arose in the first half of the 17th
century. They were known as Baptists because, unlike the other reformed
churches, they held to the baptism of believers by immersion. They were known
as Particular Baptists because, unlike the General Baptists, they held to the
doctrine of "particular redemption," i.e. the belief that Christ died
specifically for the elect.
The Particular Baptist churches grew in number quickly in Britain and America,
until they were affected by hyper-Calvinism in the 18th century. Hyper
Calvinism distorts the doctrine of the sovereignty of God by denying that it is
right to call upon sinners to repent and believe in Christ.
From the 19th century, all evangelical churches were weakened by the rise of
modernism. The Particular Baptists were not spared. Modernism (or liberalism)
denies the supernatural and miraculous of the Bible in the name of proud
scholarship. A man-centered emphasis settled upon the churches. The prevailing
laxity and low view of the authority and sufficiency of Scripture allowed the
charismatic movement to spread fast in the 20th century, with its humanistic
practices of tongue-speaking, prophesying, healing, dancing, drama, and the use
of high-powered music.
A revival of interest in reformed theology began in the 1960s, focused at first
in Britain and America. It began to spread worldwide, so that today a reformed
movement is in almost every part of the world. The Baptists and Presbyterians
have benefited most from this recovery. The older Particular Baptist churches
have been revived and newer Reformed Baptist churches have been founded, the
two streams merging to form a worldwide Reformed Baptist movement.
Distinctives
The beliefs of the Reformed Baptists are summarized in the London Baptist
Confession of Faith of 1689. Reformed Baptists are confessional subscribing
fully to this Confession of Faith as a subordinate standard and summary of
those things most surely believed among us. In this document, the major
doctrines of the Bible are stated clearly and concisely, yet with sufficient
fullness so as to provide a useful reference manual in this age of shallowness
and confusion.
Apart from referring to this document, how may we describe the Reformed
Baptists? Reformed Baptists are characterized by the following emphases:
The primacy of the Word of God: Holy Scripture, the Bible, is the inerrant,
infallible, sole, and only authority in all matters of faith and practice.
Preaching the Scriptures must occupy the central place in the worship of God.
The Bible is to be preached in an expository, verse-by-verse, manner; giving
the correct meaning and applications, and directed to the consciences of the
hearers.
The sovereignty of God: God is all-powerful and in absolute control of
creation, history, and salvation. God has predestined certain individuals from
before the creation of the world to be saved. These are known as "the
elect." Every person is born sinful and is unable to do anything good to
make God accept him. God calls out the elect from the world by the proclamation
of the gospel, and changes their nature by the power of the Holy Spirit so they
willingly turn from sin to Christ to be saved. Christ died as a sacrifice in
the place of the elect, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven to give
them eternal life. Salvation is therefore a free gift of God, not gained by
human merit, but received by faith alone in Christ alone. This understanding of
salvation has been called "Calvinism," after the major Protestant
Reformer — John Calvin.
The purity of worship: The worship of God must be carried out in "spirit
and in truth," (i.e. with sincerity and according to God's Word). Whatever
is commanded must be followed, while anything not commanded must be rejected.
This is sometimes called "the regulative principle." Worship is kept
God-centered, instead of man-centered, at the same time that the worshippers
maintain a spirit of reverence, joy, warmth, and love.
The centrality of the church: The local church is central and unique in all the
redemptive purposes of God. The New Testament knows nothing of a churchless
Christianity. Baptized believers should voluntarily covenant together in a
church to worship and serve God the Lord. A high level of commitment is
required of the members, but no higher than what is taught in the Holy Bible.
Through the exercise of pastoral oversight and church discipline, the
membership is kept healthy and pure. No church is perfect in this world, but
that does not mean a church should be allowed to lose its spirituality.
A radical discipleship: Reformed Baptists take seriously the truth that they
have been bought by the blood of Christ. They belong to God and wish to glorify
Him by living in accordance to the teaching of Holy Scripture. They are not
extremists who love violence, nor fanatics who disrupt the peace of the public.
Conscious that they have been reconciled to a thrice-holy God, they actively
seek to live holy lives before God and men. This holiness is not according to
man-made rules, but according to the dictates of Scripture. The Law of God, the
10 Commandments, is an abiding rule of faith to aid in gospel holiness. They do
not claim to be perfect but, in dependence upon God, attempt to live holy
lives. Also, being mindful of their reconciliation to God, they actively seek
to lead others to saving faith in Christ.
How Do Reformed Baptists Differ From Other Evangelicals?
There are evangelical churches that show great love for the Lord and have been
mightily blessed by Him. Such churches often put us to shame and make us yearn
to live better for Christ. Having said that, it remains true that there are
evangelicals who are weak in precisely those five areas that Reformed Baptists
are strong. Many evangelicals think that is enough to have faith in Christ, to
pray, to attempt to win souls for Christ. They have a low view of the authority
and sufficiency of Scripture and a defective view of the sovereignty of God.
Many have succumbed to charismatic teaching and practice, and also compromised
the truth by seeking to please men.
How Do Reformed Baptists Differ From Other Reformed Churches?
There are reformed Christians who hold to infant baptism, believing that the
children of believers should be treated as church members and are therefore
baptized. They baptize by sprinkling instead of immersion. The baptism of
infants leads to a mixed church membership; one consisting of believers and
unbelievers. Reformed Baptists are of the view that only believers should make
up the membership of the church.
Some churches claim that they are "reformed" yet show little or no
appreciation of the Reformation nor of the truths recovered at that time. We do
not use the word "reformed" in these ways.
How Do Reformed Baptists Differ From Other Baptists?
Like the other evangelical churches, most of the non-reformed Baptists are
either fully-fledged Arminians or hold to a modified Arminianism. This system
teaches that Christ died for every individual in the world, and man has a
free-will which must be exercised to "accept Christ" so as to be
saved. Reformed Baptists strongly reject this.
How Do Reformed Baptists Relate To Other Evangelical Churches?
We recognize others churches as true churches of Christ when the cardinal
doctrines of the faith are upheld by them. The limitations of time, ability,
and opportunity means that we have to practice selective fellowship. Truth
determines the degree of closeness with other churches: the more of truth we
agree upon, the closer our fellowship. Consequently, our closest fellowship is
with other Reformed Baptist churches, followed by other reformed churches, and
then other evangelical churches.
Further
Reading:
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