Continuing with my series on “What’s the Big Deal with being Reformed?” What are some other Reformed Baptist distinctives? Reformed Baptists believe in…
God-centered Worship
Let us start by defining what worship is. Donald K. McKim defines worship as:
The service of praise, adoration, thanksgiving, and petition directed toward God through actions and attitudes.[1]
A question that should be asked when considering worship is whether the Bible instructs Christians on how to worship God? Reformed Baptists believe the answer to that question is “yes”. The Bible instructs, or regulates, worship. Reformed Baptists describe this as the Regulative Principle of Worship, or the RPW for short. The RPW teaches that we are to worship God in the manner in which the Bible prescribes, and to refrain from those forms of worship that the Bible does not prescribe. In this way worship is not only God-centered, but also confirms to the instructions set forth in the Bible.
An excellent white-paper on the Regulative Principle of Worship has been put forth by ARBCA (Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America). You can read this paper at the following link: A Position Paper concerning the Regulative Principle of Worship.
Confessionalism
Let me start by saying what Confessionalism is not. Confessionalism is not elevating the writings of men over the Word of God. Reformed Baptist’s believe that the Bible is the sole authority for all matters of faith and practice. Even the greatest written work of man pales in comparison to the Spirit-inspired Word of God. The problem many Christians face is understanding the doctrine (or teaching) of the Bible. Which denomination is right? Even different Baptist denominations disagree over key doctrines in the Bible. It was partly for this reason that a group of 17th Century pastors and theologians from England gathered together to pray, study, and confess their joint agreement on some of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. The result was a confession of faith that has been a standard for Baptists for 324 years! The confession is called the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. You can read the entire confession here: 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith.
The 1689 “LBC” allows like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ to stand united on confessed biblical truths. Another way of saying this is that the 1689 LBC says what we believe. The 1689 LBC does not replace studying the Bible. Remember, the Bible is the authority. The 1689 LBC acts as a commentary on the Bible. Those men that gathered 324 years ago debated, argued, and finally agreed on doctrinal positions that have withstood the test of time over the centuries. We live in a day and age when Judges 21:25 is alive and well:
…everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
Confessionalism provides an anchor against the constantly blowing winds of change both inside and outside the Church.
Tomorrow I will finish up the discussion of Reformed Baptist distinctives by taking a look at evangelism.
[1] Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms (1996, WJK Press).
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