Excerpts: Four Confessions

                                                                                                                                                                        Vol. X, No. 1, January 1997

           The “Antiheritage” quotes in this issue written by Kirby Godsey fly so directly in the face of what Baptists have always believed, it seemed well to demonstrate that fact by quotes from several well known confessions of faith. The first selection is from the London Confession (1644):

“28. That those which have union with Christ are justified from all their sins, past, present, and to come, by the blood of Christ; which justification we conceive to be a gracious and free acquittance of a guilty, sinful creature, from all sin by God, through the satisfaction that Christ hath made by His death; and this applied in the manifestation of it through faith.

“29. That all believers are a holy and sanctified people, and that sanctification is a spiritual grace of the new covenant and effect of the love of God, manifested to the soul, whereby the believer is in truth and reality separated, both in soul and body, from all sin and dead works, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, whereby he also presseth after a heavenly and evangelical perfection in obedience to all the commands which Christ as Head and King in this new Covenant has prescribed to him.

“30. All believers through the knowledge of that justification of life given by the Father and brought forth by the blood of Christ, have this as their privilege of that new Covenant, peace with God and reconciliation whereby they that were afar off were brought nigh by that blood and have (as the Scripture speaks) peace passing all understanding, yea, joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the atonement.

           The second section is from The Philadelphia Confession of Faith (1742) chapter 8, paragraphs 3-5.

“3. The Lord Jesus, in His human nature thus united to the divine in the person of the Son, was sanctified, and anointed with the Holy Spirit, above measure; having in Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; in whom it pleased the Father, that all fullness should dwell; to the end, that being holy, harmless, undefiled, and full of grace and truth, He might be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of a mediator, and surety; which office He took not upon Himself, but was thereunto called by His Father, who also put all power and judgment in His hand, and gave Him commandment to execute the same.

“4. This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake, which that He might discharge He was made under the law and did perfectly fulfil it, and underwent the punishment due to us, which we should have borne and suffered, being made sin and a curse for us; enduring most grievous sorrows in His soul, and most painful sufferings in His body; was crucified, and died, and remained in the state of the dead; yet saw no corruption; on the third day He arose from the dead, with the same body in which He suffered; with which He also ascended into heaven; and there sitteth at the right hand of His Father, making intercession; and shall return to judge men and angels, at the end of the world.

“5. The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience and sacrifice of Himself, which He through the eternal Spirit once offered up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of God, procured reconciliation, and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father hath given unto Him.”

           Our third selection is from the New Hampshire Confession (1833), articles 3-5:

“3. Of the Fall of Man: That man was created in a state of holiness, under the law of his Maker; but by voluntary transgression fell from that holy and happy state; in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint but choice, being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God, wholly given to the gratification of the world, of Satan, and of their own sinful passions, therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse.

“4. Of the Way Of Salvation: That the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who took upon Him our nature, yet without sin; honored the law by His personal obedience, and made atonement for our sins by His death; being risen from the dead He is now enthroned in heaven; and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections, is every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior.

“5. Of Justification: That the great gospel blessing which Christ in His fullness bestows on such as believe in Him, is justification; that justification consists in the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life, on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through His own redemption and righteousness, that it brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God, and secures every other blessing needful for time and eternity.

           The final reading is from the Report of the Presidential Theological Study Committee (1994) Article Three:

           “All human beings, marked by original sin and their own individual sins, are utterly helpless before God and without excuse, deserving of eternal punishment and separation from God. Nevertheless, in Jesus Christ and His cross, God revealed both the extent of our lostness and the depth of His redemptive love. All human beings -- in all places and of all ages -- are lost but for salvation through Jesus Christ. He is the only hope of salvation and the only Savior.

           “Christ's redemption was wrought by His atonement which was both penal and substitutionary. Christ died in our place, bearing in His body the penalty for our sin and purchasing our redemption by His blood.

            ‘The cross of Christ is thus the apex of God's plan of redemption, revealing God's absolute holiness and infinite love. The gospel of that cross is the only message which can and does save.

           “The redeemed are justified before God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, trusting in Him alone for their salvation and acknowledging Him as Savior and Lord.

           Therefore, Baptists must reject any effort to deny the true nature and identity of Jesus Christ or to minimize or to redefine His redemptive work. Baptists must reject any and all forms of universalism and bear faithful witness to salvation in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone. Furthermore, Baptists must join with all true Christians in affirming the substitutionary nature of Christ’s atonement and reject calls -- ancient and modern -- for redefining Christ’s reconciling work as merely subjective and illustrative.”

           You have just read from four Baptist confessions ranging over the 350 years from 1644 to 1994. Considering that the first Baptists appeared in 1609, these confessions pretty well cover our entire history, and they stand in stark contrast to the views Kirby Godsey expresses in this month’s “Antiheritage.”

           Those wishing to do more reading in this area are referred to Baptist Confessions, Covenants, and Catechisms, Timothy and Denise George, editors (Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, 1996). The book should also be available at your Baptist Bookstore.