Only recently have I come to appreciate the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. The Pastor of a Reformed Congregational Church in a nearby town (where my wife and I attend a Bible study on Monday evenings) has been mailing us a publication every week called The Continuing Witness for quite some time. Aside from the many other wonderful articles and excerpts pertaining to the Reformed tradition of faith, there is an excerpt from that confession in each issue. I have come to embrace it as a good guide for what we should believe as God’s Elect. (For those who might be interested in reading it, but struggle with the old style of English it is written in, there is at least one modernized version I know of that is true to the original in form and content).

The longer I study the Bible and follow those who preach correct doctrine, the more I lean toward Reformed theology in many aspects. In my arrogance, as a younger believer, I discounted the sovereignty of God and relegated it to paying occasional homage in prayers and worship on Sundays. I cannot help but be humbled by the fact that an all-powerful Creator of the universe would elect, call, regenerate and convert me so that I would be justified and adopted by Him! By the way, the term for the Order of Salvation I just partly described is taken from Ordo Salutis.

Now on to the Confession…

From Chapter 7, Paragraph 1:

The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience to Him as their creator, yet they could never have attained the reward of life but by some voluntary condescension on God’s part, which He hath been pleased to express by way of covenant.

Please consider the following supporting Scriptures:

So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ” -Luke 17:10 (ESV)

If you are righteous, what do you give to him? Or what does he receive from your hand Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself, and your righteousness a son of man. -Job 35:7-8 (ESV)

More to follow in future posts…