1689 London Baptist Confession
1. The Lord our God is but one only living and true God; whose
subsistence is in and of himself, infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot
be comprehended by any but himself; a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or
passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto;
who is immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, every way infinite, most
holy, most wise, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of
his own immutable and most righteous will for his own glory; most loving, gracious,
merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity,
transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him, and withal most
just and terrible in his judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the
guilty.
( 1
Corinthians 8:4, 6; Deuteronomy
6:4; Jeremiah
10:10; Isaiah
48:12; Exodus
3:14; John
4:24; 1
Timothy 1:17; Deuteronomy
4:15, 16; Malachi
3:6; 1
Kings 8:27; Jeremiah
23:23; Psalms
90:2; Genesis
17:1; Isaiah
6:3; Psalms
115:3; Isaiah
46:10; Proverbs
16:4; Romans
11:36; Exodus
34:6, 7; Hebrews
11:6; Nehemiah
9:32, 33; Psalms
5:5, 6; Exodus
34:7; Nahum
1:2, 3 )
2. God, having all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself, is alone in and
unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creature which he hath made, nor
deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon
them; he is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all
things, and he hath most sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do by them, for them,
or upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth; in his sight all things are open and manifest,
his knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is
to him contingent or uncertain; he is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and
in all his commands; to him is due from angels and men, whatsoever worship, service, or
obedience, as creatures they owe unto the Creator, and whatever he is further pleased to
require of them.
( John
5:26; Psalms
148:13; Psalms
119:68; Job
22:2, 3; Romans
11:34-36; Daniel
4:25, 34, 35; Hebrews
4:13; Ezekiel
11:5; Acts
15:18; Psalms
145:17; Revelation
5:12-14 )
3. In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or
Son, and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine
essence, yet the essence undivided: the Father is of none, neither begotten nor
proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from
the Father and the Son; all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not
to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative
properties and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all
our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on him.
( 1
John 5:7; Matthew
28:19; 2
Corinthians 13:14; Exodus
3:14; John
14:11; 1
Corinthians 8:6; John
1:14,18; John
15:26; Galatians
4:6 )
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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