In a previous post I announced that Grace Baptist Church of Odenton recently adopted the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession as our statement of faith. As a Reformed Baptist congregation does this mean that the Confession supersedes scripture? This is a fair question, especially for those who are new to the Reformed faith, or Confessionalism. In this post I will attempt to clarify a few terms and dispel the concern that Confessional churches may be adding to scripture.
What makes Reformed Baptists “Reformed”?
Historically, the Reformation unofficially began on October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg. In his book “A History of the Reformation in the 16th Century” the famous 19th century historian Jean Henri Merle d’Aubigné wrote:
Luther decided to post a Theses with ninety-five propositions upon it demonstrating the need to reform the indulgence. It was October 31, 1517 at high noon that he posted the document in order to have the people read it the next day on All Saint’s Day. His desire was to set forth the light of truth and make it as plain the noon-day sun. Though the document was not as bold as the current form of Reformed Theology today, it did house the basic essentials of truth and what the Reformation would turn into in the days to come.
Martin Luther reacted to what he perceived were the excesses of the Roman Catholic Church. His 95 Theses was the pivot on which the Reformation swung. Originally Luther only sought to reform the Catholic church; but it became apparent that there was to be no negotiating with Rome. The Reformation, the event to which every Christian church owes it’s existence, had begun in earnest.
As was just said, in it’s infant stages Martin Luther and the early Reformers sought reconciliation with Rome. As this likelihood quickly evaporated, it became necessary for the Reformation to be defined and unified. In 1618, Christian leaders gathered in the Dutch city of Dordrecht to refute the erroneous teachings of a group called the Remonstrants. This meeting is commonly called the Synod of Dordt. While it was not the intent of the Synod to provide a statement on the Reformed faith, history has judged otherwise. The Synod published, what is commonly called, the Five Solas of the Reformation. The five solas are:
- Sola Scriptura – Scripture alone
- Solus Christus – Christ alone
- Sola Gratia – Grace alone
- Sola Fide – Faith alone
- Soli Deo Gloria – Glory to God alone
Most Christian churches today believe strictly, or give assent, to the Five Solas. But the Five Solas alone are not what constitutes a Reformed church. In my next post I will introduce another product of the Synod of Dordt that has come to specifically define what a Reformed church is.
