Monday 19 December 2011

Baptists' distorted view of Scripture

Thanks to this chart showing the differences between the Westminster Confession of Faith and the London Baptist Confession of Faith, I'm beginning to understand where Baptists (in their current mutation) come from. One of the key differences, relates to the alternative views of Scripture (specifically sufficiency) in the 2 confessions. The pertinent section is presented below with the WCF on the left and the Baptist Confession on the right. The significant bits are highlighted in blue, showing that while Baptists (wrongly) want everything laid out in black and white, the Reformed are (rightly) happy to join the dots.


 The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations 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 the 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.
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.

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