Introductory note : I am currently updating and revising our Membership Manual, and I thought that this segment, "Why are we Reformed Baptist?" might be worth sharing. A. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY REFORMED ?
1. It explains something of our historical and theological roots.
1. It explains something of our historical and theological roots.
Reformed Baptists are children of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation of the 16th Century was a movement of the Holy Spirit in which it pleased God to lead men to rediscover the authority of Scripture.
Five primary principles were crystalised at this time:
(i) Sola Scriptura (the principle that the Bible alone can be our basis for faith and practice)
(ii) Sola Fide (that our justification before God, is by Faith alone)
(iii) Sola Gratia (that our salvation can only be by God's Grace alone – that is apart from any merits or efforts by ourselves)
(iv) Solus Christus (that Christ alone is the Saviour of men )
(v) Soli Deo Gloria (that the glory in all things may only ever belong to God. He is the First Cause , the Beginning and the End of all things) .
(i) Sola Scriptura (the principle that the Bible alone can be our basis for faith and practice)
(ii) Sola Fide (that our justification before God, is by Faith alone)
(iii) Sola Gratia (that our salvation can only be by God's Grace alone – that is apart from any merits or efforts by ourselves)
(iv) Solus Christus (that Christ alone is the Saviour of men )
(v) Soli Deo Gloria (that the glory in all things may only ever belong to God. He is the First Cause , the Beginning and the End of all things) .
We are in full agreement with these principles!
The Bible emphasizes that the salvation of a sinner is ultimately only possible only because God makes it possible for sinners to be saved. Every human being by nature (since Adam’s fall) is totally depraved. By this we do not mean that people are as evil as they possibly can be but we do mean that there is not sufficient will in ourselves to desire God more than anything else in the world . For this we were originally created. Now (and because of Adam’s fall) we are “dead in our sins” (Eph 2:1,5). On account of our fallen nature we are unresponsive to God’s call. It is not that we may not come to God. It is that we will not come to God.
This does not negate the fact that God calls men everywhere to turn and be saved. John 3:16 classically asserts the fact that the gospel of God is given to the whole world . We have a clear mandate from Jesus to preach that gospel to the whole world (Matt 28:18-20) irrespective of whether people will hear and obey that gospel or not. The gospel is given for all to hear and all to see . God has placed no restrictions on the preaching of the gospel. All are invited! (Lk 14:12-24) . But all will not come! Many come up with excuses as to why they will not come to Christ to have life (Jn 5:40).
Why is this? Is there something wrong with the gospel ? No ! There is something wrong with mankind! Sin has so darkened our hearts and our understanding, and we are so proud in ourselves that mankind refuses the free offer of the gospel . So we see that it is essentially the unbelief of man that limits the effects of the gospel.
If it weren’t for the fact that despite this ‘deadness’ God had acted in love to predestine certain among men to belong to Him, nobody would be saved by their own free will. The Scripture shows us therefore that God goes beyond the general call in John 3:16 and issues a particular call to God the Father has given His Son a people out of the world (see John 17). And so in time Christ came (Gal 4:4,5) and died for the sins of the elect . The Bible teaches us that in conversion the Holy Spirit works in harmony with the decree of the Father and the death of the Son by applying the work of redemption to the elect (the sheep – John 10) .
Therefore God has, from before the foundation of the world, chosen certain sinners for salvation. Eph. 1:3ff is a prominent text which underlies this biblical conviction. God has purposed from the beginning of time to have a people for Himself from every tribe , tongue and nation. That promise was first given to Abraham (Gen 12:2; 18:18), and the fulfillment of it is seen in Revelation 5:9 and 7:9 (a prophetic glimpse into the future).
2.It explains what we are presently seeking to accomplish:
Since Reformed Baptists are persuaded that the Scriptures alone are the infallible guide for truth and life , we are actively seeking to bring ourselves and our generation back under the authority of the Bible. We want to become intimately acquainted with what the Bible teaches. We want to trust God more than our natural instincts; we want to trust God more than we would trust the prevailing worldview.
When we compare Scripture with current worldviews we realize that there are clashes. The world’s view of gender roles, family values , authority , sexuality – to name but a few, clashes with the worldview of the Scriptures. We note with great concern that much of the modern church has become so uncritical of current world views. It appears that much of the modern church uncritically approves and follows the thought patterns and man made philosophies of the world , rather than formulating our worldview from the Scriptures.
For this reason too, the modern church by and large lacks that distinctive prophetic voice, thundering “ thus says the LORD…”. She is so fixated on being accepted by the world , that she readily compromises her message. She is apparently more anxious to please man than God. She shrinks back from proclaiming the holiness of God and the justice of God. She is afraid to tell the world that there is a sovereign God, who is the King and the ultimate Judge of this world and who will , in due course demand an accounting from all that He has made (Matt 25:14-30). The modern church is often afraid to tell their world that they are sinners in trouble with God, and that apart from repentance and trust in Christ the Redeemer there can be no salvation ; they will not tell their world that they will in due course will reap what they have sown; she avoids telling the world that there is only one Saviour (Jn 14:6). It is not uncommon to hear that churches now teach that there may be many ways to God , thus excluding man’s unique need for Christ! Much of the modern modern church is therefore left without a gospel.
Having said this we do not claim that Reformed Baptist Churches have “arrived” or that they are better than any other church. No! We live after all under the same “world ethos”; we are subjected to the same current world views . But, by God’s grace we are seeking to believe God’s wisdom more than man’s wisdom (1 Cor 1:18-25) because we are committed to the authority of the Scriptures – God’s wisdom .
B. What do we mean by 'Baptist' ?
The Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century was undoubtedly a huge blessing from God , for it freed God’s people from the bondage of the Roman Catholic church by bringing the church back under the authority of Scripture. It was primarily the rediscovery of the doctrine of “Justification by Faith alone” that caused the Reformed Revolution in the 16th Century .
But , our attempts at reforming our society according to the Word of God will always fall short of a perfect effort . We see this illustrated in the Scriptures. Even the best of kings in the Old Testament, in reforming their societies did not manage to bring about complete reformation. In conclusion of their reign we will often read: “The high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places” (e.g. 2 Ki 12:3). This should however never stop us from doing what is right . It shows us also that Reformation is an ongoing thing.
Keeping that in mind we may then ask: How are Reformed Baptists contributing to the ongoing Reformation process ?
Where are they currently making their strongest contribution? I believe that the answer is that they are strongest in their doctrine of the church (ecclesiology) and in its union with Christ :
Reformed Baptists have recovered the biblical meaning of baptism: At the time of the Reformation the biblical manner and mode of administering baptism – the point of entrance into the church, according to the Scriptures had generally been misunderstood and misapplied . Infant baptism had followed a tradition rather than a biblical practice in the church. When tradition rules over the plain teaching of Scripture, the Spirit who caused His Word to be inspired, is grieved. This unreformed tradition of baptizing babies into the communion of the church has spawned a huge group of “nominal believers “ in the world who may be convinced but not converted ! Whenever we ignore the necessity, importance and primacy of the new birth as the vital entry point into Christ and into the church, we will soon find that our churches will slowly die, for the church that is populated by unregenerate men and women is indeed a barren tree. Many mainline denominations (including Baptists) are now led by unconverted men and women. Having not entered through the narrow gate themselves (Matt 7:13,14) they cannot teach and persuade others concerning the importance and necessity of the new birth (John 3:1-8). If we ignore the necessity of the new birth , then the only other alternative is a mechanical conversion. The doctrine of baptism has been abused to this end . Oddly enough, a good number of evangelical believers today continue to hold on to the practise of infant baptism, justifying this practise by appealing to the covenant. We however believe that this is a misapplication of the covenant. The covenant was never designed by God to be an unconditional guarantee that believer’s children would be automatically saved because their parents were in covenant with God ! In that case also the baptism of children would be a presumptuous thing . The “If … then” clauses of the Old Testament covenant indicate that the privileges of the covenant must not be regarded presumptively. God requires parents to teach their children , pray for their children , and walk in covenantal faithfulness before their children. There is certainly much hope for parents who walk in covenantal faithfulness before their God. However , the covenant requires that God also requires children to respond obediently to their parents teaching. We are of the opinion that Luther and Calvin did unfortunately not take the Reformation far enough in this matter of reforming the Roman Catholic practise of infant baptism . Thankfully there were those children of the Reformation ( the Anabaptists and the English Baptists ) that did see the plain meaning, teaching and practise of Scripture in this regard. Their insistence upon the biblical practise of the manner and mode of baptism made them to inherit the name “Baptist”. They clearly saw that the New Testament practise of baptism always only applied to believers. They also saw very clearly that since baptism is the biblical response to one’s profession of faith , that this act also became the door to church membership. Reformed Baptists therefore teach that only those who are converted and baptized should have a right to membership in Christ's church. This is often referred to as a “regenerate membership”.
Reformed Baptists believe in a regenerate membership which expresses itself in meaningful, deep relationships. A careful reading of the NT epistles shows that the apostles in writing their letters to the various churches assumed that the readers were 'saints' i.e. people set apart for God by their conversion , and therefore qualified for membership in the church. Reformed Baptist Churches take the nature of church membership seriously. We take seriously the duties and responsibilities of church membership. Membership actually means something in Reformed Baptist Churches. We aim to do things together - like a family- and in the spirit of a family , for we are indeed a family of the great King ! For this reason there ought not to be a great disparity between Sunday morning and evening services when we come to worship our great God , and when we have fellowship with the family of God. Biblical churchmanship presupposes such a commitment to God, our elders , and our brothers and sisters.
Reformed Baptists believe that the church exists for the glory of God (Eph. 3:21, 5:26, 27 ; 1 Tim 3:15). Because the church exists for the glory of God, the Word of God which helps us to worship God in spirit and in truth is central to its life. The church is God's temple – His dwelling place on earth . It is not up to man to do as he pleases in the church. For this reason , Reformed Baptist Churches generally tend to follow “the regulative principle“ in worship. We believe that God is most glorified when He is worshipped in the way in which He has most clearly directed us to worship Him. The true worship of God must include prayer, congregational singing, offering, Scripture reading and exposition of Scripture. Nothing can be more glorious on earth than to assemble with the church and to hear His Word read , sung , prayed and preached. It is this conviction that explains the reverence and seriousness with which we approach the worship of God.
Reformed Baptists have recovered the biblical meaning of baptism: At the time of the Reformation the biblical manner and mode of administering baptism – the point of entrance into the church, according to the Scriptures had generally been misunderstood and misapplied . Infant baptism had followed a tradition rather than a biblical practice in the church. When tradition rules over the plain teaching of Scripture, the Spirit who caused His Word to be inspired, is grieved. This unreformed tradition of baptizing babies into the communion of the church has spawned a huge group of “nominal believers “ in the world who may be convinced but not converted ! Whenever we ignore the necessity, importance and primacy of the new birth as the vital entry point into Christ and into the church, we will soon find that our churches will slowly die, for the church that is populated by unregenerate men and women is indeed a barren tree. Many mainline denominations (including Baptists) are now led by unconverted men and women. Having not entered through the narrow gate themselves (Matt 7:13,14) they cannot teach and persuade others concerning the importance and necessity of the new birth (John 3:1-8). If we ignore the necessity of the new birth , then the only other alternative is a mechanical conversion. The doctrine of baptism has been abused to this end . Oddly enough, a good number of evangelical believers today continue to hold on to the practise of infant baptism, justifying this practise by appealing to the covenant. We however believe that this is a misapplication of the covenant. The covenant was never designed by God to be an unconditional guarantee that believer’s children would be automatically saved because their parents were in covenant with God ! In that case also the baptism of children would be a presumptuous thing . The “If … then” clauses of the Old Testament covenant indicate that the privileges of the covenant must not be regarded presumptively. God requires parents to teach their children , pray for their children , and walk in covenantal faithfulness before their children. There is certainly much hope for parents who walk in covenantal faithfulness before their God. However , the covenant requires that God also requires children to respond obediently to their parents teaching. We are of the opinion that Luther and Calvin did unfortunately not take the Reformation far enough in this matter of reforming the Roman Catholic practise of infant baptism . Thankfully there were those children of the Reformation ( the Anabaptists and the English Baptists ) that did see the plain meaning, teaching and practise of Scripture in this regard. Their insistence upon the biblical practise of the manner and mode of baptism made them to inherit the name “Baptist”. They clearly saw that the New Testament practise of baptism always only applied to believers. They also saw very clearly that since baptism is the biblical response to one’s profession of faith , that this act also became the door to church membership. Reformed Baptists therefore teach that only those who are converted and baptized should have a right to membership in Christ's church. This is often referred to as a “regenerate membership”.
Reformed Baptists believe in a regenerate membership which expresses itself in meaningful, deep relationships. A careful reading of the NT epistles shows that the apostles in writing their letters to the various churches assumed that the readers were 'saints' i.e. people set apart for God by their conversion , and therefore qualified for membership in the church. Reformed Baptist Churches take the nature of church membership seriously. We take seriously the duties and responsibilities of church membership. Membership actually means something in Reformed Baptist Churches. We aim to do things together - like a family- and in the spirit of a family , for we are indeed a family of the great King ! For this reason there ought not to be a great disparity between Sunday morning and evening services when we come to worship our great God , and when we have fellowship with the family of God. Biblical churchmanship presupposes such a commitment to God, our elders , and our brothers and sisters.
Reformed Baptists believe that the church exists for the glory of God (Eph. 3:21, 5:26, 27 ; 1 Tim 3:15). Because the church exists for the glory of God, the Word of God which helps us to worship God in spirit and in truth is central to its life. The church is God's temple – His dwelling place on earth . It is not up to man to do as he pleases in the church. For this reason , Reformed Baptist Churches generally tend to follow “the regulative principle“ in worship. We believe that God is most glorified when He is worshipped in the way in which He has most clearly directed us to worship Him. The true worship of God must include prayer, congregational singing, offering, Scripture reading and exposition of Scripture. Nothing can be more glorious on earth than to assemble with the church and to hear His Word read , sung , prayed and preached. It is this conviction that explains the reverence and seriousness with which we approach the worship of God.
Reformed Baptists believe that the church is central to the purposes of God on the earth. The church alone is the special dwelling place of God upon the earth (Eph. 2:22). God ultimately directs this world for the benefit of His church ! The Great Commission of the church is fulfilled as preachers of the gospel are sent out by churches to plant new churches by means of conversion, baptism, and discipleship (Matt 28 : 18-20). If you want to be where the special presence of God is, then find a biblical church made up of true believers!
Reformed Baptists believe that salvation radically alters the life of the convert. The Jesus we proclaim is a very great Saviour. He does not leave His people in their sin. He came to save His people FROM their sins (Matt. 1:21). We proclaim the biblical truth that if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). We proclaim the Jesus who came to make a people zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). We reject as unbiblical the modern notion that a man can embrace Christ as Saviour and reject His Lordship. The word of God nowhere teaches that Christ can be divided. If you have Christ then this will show in the bearing of fruit in your conversion.
In summary :
Reformed Baptists are rooted in the 16th Century Reformation , a movement which is rooted in a return to the authority of Scripture alone – connecting the reformation to the faith and practise of the early church.
Reformed Baptists believe that conversion is by the Grace of God alone ( sovereignly applied by the Holy Spirit) through Faith alone in Christ alone . This conversion is followed by biblical believers baptism and discipleship in the church.
Reformed Baptists believe that the Church is God’s primary institution and tool for sanctification of His people . Reformed Baptists make much of the church, because she alone is His body!
Reformed Baptists are rooted in the 16th Century Reformation , a movement which is rooted in a return to the authority of Scripture alone – connecting the reformation to the faith and practise of the early church.
Reformed Baptists believe that conversion is by the Grace of God alone ( sovereignly applied by the Holy Spirit) through Faith alone in Christ alone . This conversion is followed by biblical believers baptism and discipleship in the church.
Reformed Baptists believe that the Church is God’s primary institution and tool for sanctification of His people . Reformed Baptists make much of the church, because she alone is His body!
