Theological Term of the Week: London Baptist Confession

London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689
A statement of faith written by Particular Baptists in England to articulate what they believed to be biblical teaching on the matters most important to the church. 

• From the London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689:

Chapter 29: Of Baptism

1. Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized, a sign of his fellowship with him, in his death and resurrection; of his being engrafted into him; of remission of sins; and of giving up into God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life.

2. Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance. 

3. The outward element to be used in this ordinance is water, wherein the party is to be baptized, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

4. Immersion, or dipping of the person in water, is necessary to the due administration of this ordinance. 

• From About the Confession at 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith:

In 1677, Reformed Baptists anonymously published the Second London Confession of Faith. This was a confession based upon the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Savoy Declaration. The baptists used these contemporary confessions as a basis for their own for two reasons. One was to show their unity with the reformed branch of the church, the other was because of the clear, beautiful, and biblical articulation found within. In 1689, greater freedom was given to dissenting ministers in England and the Second London Confession was republished and signed. It is called the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, or the Second London Confession as it was the second confession published by Reformed Baptists in London.

Learn more:

1. Theopedia: London Baptist Confession of 1689
2. James Anderson: A Tabular Comparison of the 1646 WCF and the 1689 LBCF
3. Michael Haykin: The 1689 Confession (audio)
4. Greg Nichols: Studies in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith (audio)
5. Sam Renihan: 1689 Stands for Unity: The Second London Confession of Faith

Related terms:

• Augsburg Confession
• Belgic Confession
• Canons of Dordt
• Heidelberg Catechism
• Second Helvetic Confession
• Westminster Confession of Faith

Filed under Creeds and Confessions

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Sunday Hymn: Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There a pre­cious fount­ain
Free to all, a heal­ing stream
Flows from Cal­va­ry’s mount­ain.

Refrain

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glo­ry ev­er;
Till my rap­tured soul shall find
Rest be­yond the riv­er.

Near the cross, a trem­bling soul,
Love and mer­cy found me;
There the bright and morn­ing star
Sheds its beams around me.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes be­fore me;
Help me walk from day to day,
With its sha­dows o’er me.

Near the cross I’ll watch and wait
Hoping, trust­ing ev­er,
Till I reach the gold­en strand,
Just be­yond the riv­er.

—Fan­ny Cros­by

Sunday Hymn: Blessed Assurance

Blessèd as­sur­ance, Je­sus is mine!
O what a fore­taste of glo­ry di­vine!
Heir of sal­va­tion, pur­chase of God,
Born of His Spir­it, washed in His blood.

Refrain

This is my sto­ry, this is my song,
Praising my Sav­ior, all the day long;
This is my sto­ry, this is my song,
Praising my Sav­ior, all the day long.

Perfect sub­mis­sion, per­fect de­light,
Visions of ra­pture now burst on my sight;
Angels des­cend­ing bring from above
Echoes of mer­cy, whis­pers of love.

Perfect sub­mission, all is at rest
I in my Sav­ior am hap­py and blest,
Watching and wait­ing, look­ing ab­ove,
Filled with His good­ness, lost in His love.

—Fan­ny Cros­by