ABOUT US

Reformed Baptists are simply in alignment with the historically held convictions of Christians, and we're Baptists.  We most likely have more in common than not, but there are several very important distinctives that make us Reformed Baptists.  The purpose here is to outline those distinctives.

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Historic Christianity

Reformed Baptists are Christians who believe the essential Christian doctrines that have been consistently held throughout history.  Beyond that we are Reformed historically and theologically.  Our history is not a unique heritage, but is simply Baptist history, which is rooted in the Protestant Reformation in general and the English Reformation in particular emerging from the separatist movement in England in the 1630's.  The great majority of Baptists today can trace their history back to a Puritan separatist congregation is England.  The difference is that Reformed Baptists value historical continuity in their theology.

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The Five "Solas"

Reformed Baptists believe salvation is by 1) grace alone through 2) faith alone in 3) Christ alone, 4) to the glory of God alone. We believe that 5) the Bible alone, illuminated by the Spirit of God, is completely sufficient for everything that is needed to make us wise unto salvation, to glorify God, and for faith, and life.

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The Doctrines of Grace

Reformed Baptists hold to the Doctrines of Grace believing that humanity is both guilty and radically corrupt by our nature, believing in the freedom and sovereignty of God in the election of sinners to salvation by pure grace, that the intent of the giving of the Son was not merely to make salvation available but to actually atone for the sins and fully secure the salvation of those believing in Him, that the inward call of God is effectual, and that those God has accepted in the Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, and given faith cannot fall away completely and will be eternally saved.

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Covenant Theology

We maintain that dispensationalism, which emerged within the last 150 years, is a departure from the continuity of the theology of the Bible as well as from historic Baptist theology.  We understand the theology of the Bible to be covenantal and not dispensational.  This theology provides the framework for all that we believe.  The covenant revealed in the gospel was revealed first of all to Adam in the promise of salvation through the seed of the woman.  After that, it was revealed step by step throughout the Old Testament until the full revelation of it was completed in the New Testament.  There is only one way of salvation throughout the Scriptures.

 

Confessional

Reformed Baptists are confessional.  The majority of Reformed Baptists, as we also do, hold to the 1689 London Baptist Confession.  While Christians are responsible to search out the Scriptures for themselves and understand them, we assign substantial value to the theological continuity throughout the history of the church where the Scriptures have been searched out and doctrines developed over time.  Understanding the confession of faith and historical theological continuity to be subordinate standards to the Bible, they do aid in the instruction, edification, correction, and protection of the church.

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Cessationist

Prior to the completion of the canon of Scripture, the charismatic gifts, revelatory in nature, were foundational to the establishment of the early church and to authenticate the Gospel message. Recognizing that God still does miraculous and supernatural things, the conveyance of gifts such as prophecy, tongues, healing, words of knowledge are no longer normative in the life of the church.  Also, with the completion of Scripture, the full counsel of God is contained in the Bible, and while the inward illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary for a saving understanding of what is revealed in the Word, extrabiblical private revelation (or new special revelation) is not needed and does not continue.  Furthermore, the apostles were a special appointment necessary to lay the foundation upon which the church continues.  The apostles were never replaced with new apostles.  Apostolic appointments do not go on today.

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Regulative Worship

A principle of worship recognizing that the acceptable way of worshiping God is instituted by Him in the Scriptures, and that we may not worship Him in any way not explicitly prescribed in the Bible.

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Baptistic

We hold to Baptist distinctives including the mode (full immersion) and subjects (believers) of baptism, that the institutions of the church and the state are separate institutions (i.e. a Church-State or State-Church is unbiblical), and the autonomy of the local body, subject only to Christ.

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