1689 London Baptist Confession
1. Marriage is to be between one man and one woman; neither is it
lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one
husband at the same time.
( Genesis
2:24; Malachi
2:15; Matthew
19:5,6 )
2. Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife, for the increase of
mankind with a legitimate issue, and the preventing of uncleanness.
( Genesis
2:18; Genesis
1:28; 1
Corinthians 7:2, 9 )
3. It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry, who are able with judgment to give their
consent; yet it is the duty of Christians to marry in the Lord; and therefore such as
profess the true religion, should not marry with infidels, or idolaters; neither should
such as are godly, be unequally yoked, by marrying with such as are wicked in their life,
or maintain damnable heresy.
( Hebrews
13:4; 1
Timothy 4:3; 1
Corinthians 7:39; Nehemiah
13:25-27 )
4. Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity, forbidden in
the Word; nor can such incestuous marriages ever be made lawful, by any law of man or
consent of parties, so as those persons may live together as man and wife.
( Leviticus
18; Mark
6:18; 1
Corinthians 5:1 )
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
This website is
designed for "frames". If you are not in the frames
version, please click here for the frames version home page