1689 London Baptist Confession
1. The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible
rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the
works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of
God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of
God and his will which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord at
sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto
his church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for
the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh,
and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which
maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God's revealing his
will unto his people being now ceased.
( 2
Timothy 3:15-17; Isaiah
8:20; Luke
16:29, 31; Ephesians
2:20; Romans
1:19-21; Romans
2:14,15; Psalms
19:1-3; Hebrews
1:1; Proverbs
22:19-21; Romans
15:4; 2
Peter 1:19,20 )
2. Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained
all the books of the Old and New Testaments, which are these:
OF THE OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua,
Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, II Samuel, I Kings, II Kings, I Chronicles, II Chronicles, Ezra,
Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomen, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Lamentations,Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum,
Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, The Acts of the Apostles, Paul's
Epistle to the Romans, I Corinthians, II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, II Timothy, To Titus, To
Philemon, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Epistle of James, The first and second Epistles of
Peter, The first, second, and third Epistles of John, The Epistle of Jude, The Revelation
All of which are given by the inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
( 2
Timothy 3:16)
3. The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no
part of the canon or rule of the Scripture, and, therefore, are of no authority to the
church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved or made use of than other human writings.
( Luke
24:27, 44; Romans
3:2 )
4. The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed,
dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth
itself), the author thereof; therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God.
( 2
Peter 1:19-21; 2
Timothy 3:16; 2
Thessalonians 2:13; 1
John 5:9 )
5. We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the church of God to an high and
reverent esteem of the Holy Scriptures; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy
of the doctrine, and the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of
the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way
of man's salvation, and many other incomparable excellencies, and entire perfections
thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God;
yet not withstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth, and
divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by
and with the Word in our hearts.
( John
16:13,14; 1
Corinthians 2:10-12; 1
John 2:20, 27)
6. The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory,
man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in
the Holy Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new
revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward
illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such
things as are revealed in the Word, and that there are some circumstances concerning the
worship of God, and government of the church, common to human actions and societies, which
are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general
rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.
( 2
Timothy 3:15-17; Galatians
1:8,9; John
6:45; 1
Corinthians 2:9-12; 1
Corinthians 11:13, 14; 1
Corinthians 14:26,40)
7. All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto
all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for
salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that
not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a
sufficient understanding of them.
( 2
Peter 3:16; Psalms
19:7; Psalms
119:130)
8. The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God
of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most
generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by his singular
care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentic; so as in all
controversies of religion, the church is finally to appeal to them. But because these
original tongues are not known to all the people of God, who have a right unto, and
interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded in the fear of God to read and search them,
therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation unto which
they come, that the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship him in an
acceptable manner, and through patience and comfort of the Scriptures may have hope.
( Romans
3:2; Isaiah
8:20; Acts
15:15; John
5:39; 1
Corinthians 14:6, 9, 11, 12, 24, 28; Colossians
3:16 )
9. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and
therefore when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which
is not manifold, but one), it must be searched by other places that speak more clearly.
( 2
Peter 1:20, 21; Acts
15:15, 16 )
10. The supreme judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined,
and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private
spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the
Holy Scripture delivered by the Spirit, into which Scripture so delivered, our faith is
finally resolved.
( Matthew
22:29, 31, 32; Ephesians
2:20; Acts
28:23)
For further study:
"Baptist Roots in America: The Historical Background of Reformed Baptists in America", Samuel E. Waldron, Simpson Publishing Co. (1991)
"A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith", Samuel E. Waldron, Evangelical Press, 1989
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