Holding forth the Word of Life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ

Philippians 2:16

Trinity Reformed Baptist Church

Topeka Kansas - 66614

Home Services Sermons Missions Links Articles

What is a Reformed Baptist?  

 Adapted from a sermon by

Pastor Jim Savastio

The Reformed  Baptist  Church

       Louisville, KY  

      

What is a Reformed Baptist…  The Term ‘Reformed Baptist’ best refers to those persons who adhere to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, in faith and practice as well as in theory, Romans 12:1-2. The name ‘Reformed’ refers to the distinctive historical and theological roots of these Baptists. There is a body of theological beliefs commonly referred to as the ‘Reformed faith’. Such great biblical truths as ‘sola fide’ [justification by faith alone], ‘sola gratia’ [salvation by God’s grace alone], ‘solus Christus’ [salvation through Christ alone], ‘sola scriptura’ [the Bible alone is the basis for faith and practice], and ‘soli Deo gloria’ [the fact that God alone is to receive glory in the salvation of sinners] are all noted hallmarks of the Protestant and Reformed faith. Yet, the Reformed faith is perhaps best known for its understanding that God is sovereign in the matter of man’s salvation. This is to say that God has, before the foundation of the world, chosen or elected certain sinners for salvation. He has done so sovereignly and according to His own good pleasure. Ephesians 1. Additionally, the Reformed faith teaches that, in time, Christ came and accomplished His work of salvation by dying for the sins of those elected by God the Father. Furthermore, the Reformed faith teaches that the Holy Spirit, working in harmony with the decree of the Father, and the death of the Son, effectually applies this work of redemption to each of the elect in their personal conversions.  As a result of this emphasis on the sovereignty of God in salvation, the Reformed faith also promulgates the ‘Five Doctrines of Grace’: these doctrinal truths set forth: The Total depravity of man, The unconditional nature of God’s election, The limited or particular nature of Christ’s atonement, The irresistibility of the effectual call, and The perseverance and preservation of the saints. It should also be noted that Baptist were in existence, and identified by various names throughout the ages since the time of Christ, but were not Protestant or protesting against   Rome  , as did Luther and others. True Baptist with their faith and practice have always carried forth their identity as true believers in the written Word of God, since Christ established His church upon this earth. Amen!   

What is a Reformed Baptist… Foundational Truths. The Reformed faith touches on far more than these foundational truths regarding God’s glory in salvation. It is also concerned with God’s glory in the church, in society, in the family, and in the holiness of each believer’s life. The Reformed faith has a high and God-centered view of worship, regulated by the Word of God alone. The Reformed faith embraces a high view of God’s law, and of His church. In short, the Reformed faith is no less than a comprehensive world and life view, as well as a distinctive body of doctrine. Out of this theological understanding came a great stream of confessions and creeds: the Synod of Dort, The Savoy Declaration, The Westminster Confession of Faith, and The Heidelberg Catechism. Similarly our Reformed tradition produced some of the great names of Church history such as:  John Calvin, John Knox, John Bunyan, John Newton, the famous Bible commentator such as: Matthew Henry, the great American theologian Jonathan Edwards, Adoniram Judson, William Carey, Charles H Spurgeon, A. W. Pink, the great evangelist George Whitefield, and a host of others all held tenaciously to the Reformed faith. We must underscore that Reformed Baptists do not hold these truths because of blind allegiance to historic creeds. Nor, do Reformed Baptists hold them merely because great men of church history stood in this tradition. Why then do Reformed Baptists hold these truths? It is because Jesus and all the apostles clearly taught and followed these authoritative and scriptural principals of doctrine. Our confession of faith is embraced by Reformed Baptist churches, and it takes its place among, and is deeply rooted in, these historic Reformed documents. In most places the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith is an exact word for word copy of the   Westminster  and the Savoy Declaration.  Consequently, the term ‘Reformed’ Baptist is not a misnomer.  Reformed Baptists stand firmly on the solid ground of the Reformation heritage from its ancient past unto this present day.  Amen!

What is a Reformed Baptist…   What are Baptist? The name ‘Baptist’ summarizes the biblical truths concerning both the subjects and the mode of baptism. To speak of the ‘subjects’ of baptism, we refer to the truth that baptism is for disciples only, that have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Reformed Baptists owe a great debt to the Reformed Paedo Baptists because their writings have shaped, challenged, warmed, and guided them again and again. Yet, the Bible is not silent about the issue of baptism. The fact that baptism is for disciples only is the clear and indisputable teaching of the Word of God. Roman 6:4. The subjects of baptism are not to be discovered in Genesis, but in the Gospels and in the Epistles of the New Testament. Baptism is an ordinance of the New Covenant which must be understood in the light of New Covenant revelation. There is not one single shred of evidence in the pages of the Old or New Testament to support the notion that the infants of believers are to be baptized. Every biblical command to baptize, and every biblical example of baptism, as well as every doctrinal statement regarding the symbolic nature of baptism, proves that it is for regenerated disciples only. The Bible is equally clear concerning the mode of baptism. The term ‘mode’ refers to the fact that baptism is properly and biblically administered by immersion in water. The common Greek word for ‘immersion or dipping’ is the word used in the New Testament. The argument that the word has an occasional historic example meaning ‘to pour’ or ‘to sprinkle’ is surely a special pleading. There are perfectly good Greek words which mean ‘to sprinkle’ and ‘to pour.’ Yet, the New Testament only employs the word for ‘immersion’. The name Baptist is also meant to convey that only those who are converted and baptized have a right to membership into Christ’s church. This is often referred to as a ‘regenerate church membership’. A careful reading of the New Testament epistles shows that the Apostles assumed that all the members of Christ’s churches were cleansed by Christ’s blood, and were called ‘saints,’ and ‘faithful brethren.’ Sadly today, many Baptist churches are more concerned with having a ‘decisional membership’ and/or a ‘baptized membership’ rather than a ‘regenerate membership’. It is the duty of all pastors and congregations of true churches to ensure, according to the best of their ability, that no unconverted person makes his or her way into the membership of their church. Amen!  

What is a Reformed Baptist…  Sufficiency and Authority of the Word of God.  Reformed Baptists are distinguished by their conviction regarding the sufficiency and authority of the Word of God. While all true Christians believe in the inspiration and infallibility of the Word of God, all do not believe in the sufficiency of the Bible. All true Christians believe that the Bible was ‘breathed out’ by God, and that it is infallible and without error in all of its parts  Please take heed to what is to follow: To deny what has been stated above is to call God a liar, and hence, to lose your soul. But while all true Christians believe this, all do not seek to regulate the life of the church in every area by the Word of God. There is a common belief, whether it is clearly stated or not, that the Bible is not a sufficient guide to tell us ‘how to manage the church and her life.’ This condition is behind much of what we see in the modern church growth movement, and it is founded largely upon a belief that the Bible is silent regarding the nature and purpose of the church. It is for this cause that many feel the freedom to ‘reinvent the church.’ For some reason, many alleged believers seem to argue that God has no principles in His Word concerning the corporate life of His people!  Ah! What error many alleged church leader presume, that they have the authority or the ability to revise, change and/or delete the portions of God’s Word, that does not fit into their vain imaginations to worship, or not worship God as He has commanded of all His people. In these days, the clarion cry of all Christ-appointed Shepherds of His sheep needs to be that of the prophet Isaiah: “To the law and to the testimony! If they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them.” Amen!  

What is a Reformed Baptist… Bible Convictions  Reformed Baptists have a conviction that the Bible and the Bible alone defines what a church is. A Church is a called out assembly of regenerated persons, for the purpose of worshipping God, and reverencing His Word in faith and practice. The Bible and the scriptures alone define the offices of the church. The Bible speaks of their number. There are two church offices which are elders and deacons. The Bible clearly defines their qualifications, their function and their responsibilities. The Bible is a sufficient guide regarding what worship is and how it is to be given, as well as who can be a church-member, and what is required of those members. The Bible is also sufficient to instruct us about what the church ought to do, how to cooperate with other churches, how to send out missionaries, how to train men for the ministry and a host of other matters related to God’s will for His people. Reformed Baptists are distinguished by an unshakable conviction that the church exists for the glory of God. Because the church exists for the glory of God, the worship of God and the Word of God are all essential elements, central to its life. The church is God’s house and not man’s. It is the place where the triune God meets with His people in a special way. However, this place of worship does not mean that it is to be a: dull, grim, unfeeling, insensitive place. The place where God dwells is the most glorious place on earth to the saint, and it is an oasis to the thirsty soul of a sinner and saint alike, seeking the grace of God. However, the place of God’s dwelling is also solemn and holy. “How awesome is this place, it is none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven,” was Jacob’s exclamation in Genesis 28. It is this conviction that explains the reverence and seriousness of the Reformed Baptist worship of God. Amen!  

What is a Reformed Baptist… The Local Church. Reformed Baptists are distinguished by their conviction that the local church is central to the purposes of God on the earth. During this present age, the church has become many types of Para-church organizations, that are not recognized by the dictates of scripture. It is the time that many independently-minded Christians float from place to place without ever committing themselves to the true   church of  God  . This attitude is not only spiritually dangerous, but it is thoroughly contrary to the revealed mind of God. While many have rightly diagnosed the failure of the church to do its mission, the answer is not to abandon the church, but rather to seek its reformation and its biblical restoration. The church alone is the special dwelling place of God upon the earth. The great commission of the church is fulfilled as preachers of the gospel are sent out by local churches to plant new churches by means of conversion, baptism, and discipleship. Many well-meaning organizations are seeking to take upon themselves the task that the living God entrusted only to His church. To whom has God entrusted the missionary mandate? To whom did God give instructions for the discipleship, encouragement and shaping of believers? To whom did God entrust the equipping of the saints and the training of men to lead the next generation? Our all-sufficient Bible answers all these questions, that it is the responsibilities of the local church, and we are not free to ignore it in light of the status quo. Reformed Baptists are distinguished by their conviction that preaching is foundational to the life of the church. How is God most often pleased to save sinners? How is God most often pleased to exhort, challenge, and build up His saints? How is our Lord Jesus Christ most powerfully displayed to the mind and heart of His people? It is through the preaching of the Word of God! Therefore, Reformed Baptists reject the trends of the day toward shallow teaching, canceled preaching services, the giving of the services of worship over to: testimonies, movies, drama, dance, singing or other amusements. Many emails, with flowery messages and cute images, are sent to misdirect our attention. There is too much sentimentality given to things that are and should remain Holy. The Word of God is to be central in the worship of God. Paul warned of the day that would come when professed churchmen would no longer tolerate sound doctrine. He stated that according to their own desires they would heap up for themselves teachers who would tickle their itching ears. The apostolic command thundered forth to Timothy, that in the midst of such mindless drivel he should ‘Preach the Word!’ Therefore Reformed Baptist take on the challenges set before us in Holy Scripture. Amen!

What is a Reformed Baptist… Salvation Changes The Life.  Reformed Baptists are distinguished by the conviction that salvation radically alters the life of the converted person. It is tragic that such a thing needs to be mentioned. During this age, we see the day of ‘decisionism’. The idea is that ‘a person prays a certain formula prayer,’ and is therefore declared to be ‘saved’. It matters not whether one breaks with sin or pursues holiness in their lives. “A person can live like hell and go to heaven!” What a bargain! Many popular Bible teachers claim this as a great defense of the grace of God. However, this is a “turning of the grace of God into licentiousness” as it is so clearly stated in scripture. When Paul describes the conversion of the Ephesians he uses the greatest antonyms in the human language: “you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” And in 2 Corinthians 6:14 Paul asks the rhetorical question: “What fellowship has light with darkness?” John answers, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”. Yes Jesus is that Light that came into the world, and He is a great Savior. He does not leave His people in their lifeless condition. Jesus came to save His people from their sins, not continuing in them. If anyone is in Christ he is a new creature. Jesus came to make a people zealous for good works. It is an unbiblical notion that a man can embrace Christ as Savior and reject His Lordship. There is a Carnal Christian heresy that many persons can be saved by the grace of God, by receiving Jesus as their Savior, but they are not required to receive Jesus as their Lord until and unless they are willing to do so. There is no teaching in the Word of God, that identifies a person who lives in a continual state of sinful activities, and is yet saved and living in the fear of God. The word of God nowhere teaches that Christ can be divided, however 1 John clearly reveals there are only two types of persons; the saved and the lost!. If a person has Christ living in them at all, that person has received a whole Christ, as their Prophet, Priest, and King, over their whole life. Amen!  

What is a Reformed Baptist… The Law Of God.  Reformed Baptists have a conviction that the Law of God, as clearly expressed in the Ten Commandments, is God’s Moral and Holy Law. And it is regulative in the life of each New Covenant believer. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:19 that, “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.” The present age is an antinomian [lawless age of Christianity], which makes no demands on its ‘alleged converts,’ but God’s way of holiness has not changed. The law written on the heart in creation [Romans 2:14, 15] is the same law codified in the Ten Commandments on  Mt. Sinai, and the same law written on the hearts of those who enter into the New Covenant [Jeremiah 31:33 and 2 Corinthians 3:3]. The Apostle John wrote “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” Jesus told His disciples that the way in which they would demonstrate that they truly loved Him was by obeying His commandments. Jesus said in Matthew 7 that many professing Christians will find themselves cast out on the last day because they were “practicers of lawlessness” who did not do the Father’s will. Among the laws of God none is so hated as the thought that God requires believers to give of their time to worship Him, and to turn from worldly pursuits. In recent years many have leveled an unrelenting attack upon the Fourth Commandment, ‘To Keep the Sabbath Holy’. The Presbyterian Pastor and Bible Commentator Albert Barnes once wrote, “There is a state of things in this land that is tending to obliterate the Sabbath altogether. The Sabbath has more enemies in this land than all the other institutions of religion put together. At the same time it is more difficult to meet the enemy here than anywhere else: for we come into conflict not with argument, but with interest and pleasure and the love of indulgence and of gain.” John Bunyan wrote, “A man shall show his heart and life, what they are, more by one Lord’s Day than by all the days of the week besides. To delight ourselves in God’s service upon His Holy Day gives a better proof of a sanctified nature than to grudge at the coming of such days. “Modern man is so addicted to his pleasures, his games and his entertainment that the thought that he must give them up for twenty-four hours to worship and to delight in God is seen as legalistic bondage. It is a particular grief to see those who profess to love Jesus Christ, and shrink from turning away from their own pleasures. To God’s people, who love His law and meditate upon it to the delight of their blood-bought souls, such a commandment is not bondage, but a precious gift. Amen!  

What is a Reformed Baptist… Conclusion.  Reformed Baptists are distinguished by a conviction regarding male leadership in the church. This age has witnessed the feminization of Christianity. God created two sexes and gave to each a different distinctive role. While the sexes are equal in: Creation, the Fall and Redemption, God has nonetheless sovereignly ordained that leadership of the church, leadership in the home, and in state affairs is to be male. Those whose minds have been unduly influenced by this generation find Reformed Baptist worship, leadership and family structure to be out-of-touch with society’s standards. When the Bible speaks of husbands and fathers leading the home it is not culturally acceptable by many. When the Bible speaks of men leading in prayer, teaching, preaching and serving as elders and deacons, Christians must bow with submissive and dutiful hearts. Culture must not carry the day in the   church of  Jesus Christ  ! Reformed Baptists are distinguished by a conviction regarding the serious nature of church membership. Reformed Baptists take seriously the admonition of Hebrews 10:24-25 to “stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” Reformed Baptists take seriously the duties and responsibilities of church membership. In other words, membership actually means something in Reformed Baptist churches. There ought not to be a great disparity of attendance for any scheduled worship services. The same membership is expected to be at all the services of the church. It is impossible for one to share in the life of the church in the manner which God intended and yet be willingly absent from its public gatherings. Few churches would make such a demand, but biblical churchmanship presupposes such a commitment to God, their pastors and to their brothers and sisters. The exhortations and admonishments from scripture clearly tell all who will heed: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25  "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power. When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe."  2 Thessalonians 1: 7-10. Amen!

We thanks

Pastor Jim Savastio

The Reformed   Baptist  Church   

 Louisville ,  KY.

for this enlightening expositional teaching on 

What is a Reformed Baptist?

 

I beseech you therefore,

brethren, by the mercies of God,

that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,

acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,

that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1-2.