Confessional Commitment

Our Confessional Commitment
(The 1689 London Baptist Confession)

A historic summary of biblical faith that guides our theology, shapes our worship, and anchors our teaching.

📜 "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter." — 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (ESV)

📜 "O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called 'knowledge.'" — 1 Timothy 6:20 (ESV)

What We Believe

At Teaching Bridge Fellowship, we hold to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith as our confessional standard. This historic document is not equal to Scripture—Scripture alone is our final authority—but it is a faithful, time-tested summary of what we believe the Bible teaches.

The 1689 Confession stands in a long line of Reformed confessions, including the Westminster Confession (1646) and the Savoy Declaration (1658), but with distinctively Baptist convictions on the nature of the church, baptism, and church-state relations. It represents the theological maturity of English Particular Baptists who sought to articulate biblical truth with clarity, precision, and pastoral warmth.

Why We Need Confessions

Some say, "No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible." It sounds humble, but it's actually naïve. Everyone has a theology—the question is whether that theology has been tested, refined, and held accountable to the wisdom of the church across the ages.

A confession of faith serves several vital purposes:

First, it guards against error. Heresies don't usually announce themselves. They creep in slowly, subtly, through half-truths and vague language. A clear, detailed confession helps the church identify and reject false teaching before it takes root.

Second, it promotes unity. When a church or ministry adopts a confession, everyone knows what is believed and taught. There's no ambiguity, no "agree to disagree" on foundational doctrines. Unity is built on shared conviction, and confessions make those convictions explicit.

Third, it connects us to history. We are not the first generation to wrestle with Scripture, to face opposition, or to need clarity. A confession roots us in the tested, biblical theology of those who have gone before us—Reformers, Puritans, martyrs who bled for these truths.

Fourth, it helps us teach. The 1689 is a teaching tool—a systematic, comprehensive, Scripture-saturated summary of Christian doctrine. It helps pastors disciple, parents catechize, and believers grow in theological understanding.

What the 1689 Covers

The 1689 London Baptist Confession consists of 32 chapters covering the entire scope of Christian theology:

• Scripture (Chapter 1) — The Bible's inspiration, authority, sufficiency, and clarity

• God and the Trinity (Chapter 2) — The one true God in three persons

• God's Decree (Chapter 3) — Divine sovereignty and predestination

• Creation (Chapter 4) — God's work in making all things

• Providence (Chapter 5) — God's sustaining and governing of all things

• The Fall, Sin, and Punishment (Chapter 6) — Humanity's rebellion and corruption

• God's Covenant (Chapter 7) — The covenant of works and the covenant of grace

• Christ the Mediator (Chapter 8) — The person and work of Jesus Christ

• Free Will (Chapter 9) — Human responsibility and the bondage of the will

• Effectual Calling (Chapter 10) — Regeneration and conversion

• Justification (Chapter 11) — Declared righteous by faith alone

• Adoption (Chapter 12) — Made sons and daughters of God

• Sanctification (Chapter 13) — Progressive growth in holiness

• Saving Faith (Chapter 14) — The nature and necessity of faith

• Repentance and Salvation (Chapter 15) — Turning from sin to God

• Good Works (Chapter 16) — The fruit of salvation

• Perseverance of the Saints (Chapter 17) — The security of believers

• Assurance of Salvation (Chapter 18) — Certainty grounded in God's promises

• The Law of God (Chapter 19) — Moral, civil, and ceremonial distinctions

• The Gospel and Christian Liberty (Chapter 20) — Freedom in Christ

• Worship and the Sabbath (Chapter 21-22) — How God is to be worshiped

• Oaths and Vows (Chapter 23) — Speaking truth solemnly

• The Civil Magistrate (Chapter 24) — Church and state relations

• Marriage (Chapter 25) — God's design for marriage

• The Church (Chapter 26) — The nature, government, and mission of the church

• Communion of Saints (Chapter 27) — The fellowship of believers

• Baptism and the Lord's Supper (Chapter 28-30) — The two ordinances of the church

• Death, Resurrection, and Judgment (Chapter 31-32) — The last things

Each chapter is carefully worded, biblically grounded, and pastorally applied. This is not dry theology—it is living, breathing, worshipful doctrine.

Why the 1689 Specifically?

We hold to the 1689 because it faithfully reflects what Scripture teaches and because it represents the mature, tested convictions of our theological forefathers. It is:

• Biblical — Every statement is grounded in Scripture

• Christ-centered — Jesus is the Mediator, fulfillment, and substance of all theology

• Balanced — It avoids extremes and holds tensions in biblical proportion

• Historically tested — Believers have lived, suffered, and died holding to these truths

• Distinctively Baptist — It affirms believer's baptism, regenerate church membership, and congregational governance

The 1689 is not a denominational rulebook. It is a theological compass—a guide that keeps us tethered to biblical truth while navigating the winds of culture, opinion, and error.

Why It Matters

If you don't know what you believe, you'll believe anything. If you don't have a theological framework, you'll be tossed around by every new idea, every popular preacher, every emotional experience. But when you're grounded in a tested, biblical confession, you have stability, clarity, and confidence.

The 1689 isn't about being old-fashioned or traditionalist. It's about being faithful. It's about standing on the shoulders of giants—men and women who studied Scripture deeply, suffered greatly, and passed down to us a treasure of sound doctrine.

When you say, "I hold to the 1689," you're saying:

• I believe what the Bible teaches about God, man, sin, and salvation

• I'm accountable to a standard beyond my own opinion

• I'm part of a historic, confessional Reformed Baptist tradition

• I'm willing to be corrected if I stray from biblical truth

This is what confessional integrity looks like. And it matters—because truth matters, clarity matters, and guarding the gospel matters.

What Scripture Says

2 Timothy 1:13-14

"Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."

Paul calls Timothy to guard the deposit of sound teaching. Confessions help us do exactly that—preserve, protect, and pass on the truths once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

1 Timothy 4:16

"Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers."

Paul commands Timothy to watch his teaching closely. A confession provides a standard by which teaching can be measured and guarded.

Titus 1:9

"He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it."

Elders are to hold firm to sound doctrine and rebuke error. A confession gives clarity to what "sound doctrine" is and makes accountability possible.

Hebrews 13:7

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith."

We're called to remember and imitate the faith of those who have gone before us. The 1689 represents the tested faith of godly men and women who held fast to Scripture under persecution and pressure.

Jude 3

"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."

There is a definable, deliverable, defensible faith. Confessions help us identify, articulate, and defend that faith.

Historical & Confessional Grounding

The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith was written and adopted by Particular Baptist churches in England in the aftermath of persecution under King Charles II. It was a bold declaration: "This is what we believe, and we will not be moved."

It was not written in a vacuum. It drew heavily from the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) and the Savoy Declaration (1658), making necessary Baptist revisions on ecclesiology, baptism, and church-state relations. It stands as the most comprehensive and mature confession of Reformed Baptist theology ever written.

The 1689 has been affirmed, preached, and lived out by generations of faithful believers—from the Particular Baptists of 17th-century England to the Reformed Baptist resurgence of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is a living tradition, not a dead letter.

To hold to the 1689 is to say: We stand with the faithful who have gone before us. We believe what they believed. We teach what they taught. And by God's grace, we will pass this faith to the next generation.

Common Misunderstandings

"Isn't holding to a confession just man-made tradition?"

No. The 1689 is a summary of biblical teaching, not a replacement for Scripture. It points to Scripture, is tested by Scripture, and submits to Scripture. It's not tradition for tradition's sake—it's faithfulness to what the Bible actually teaches.

"Doesn't a confession bind your conscience and limit your freedom?"

No. Scripture alone binds the conscience. A confession is a voluntary commitment to teach and believe what we are convinced the Bible teaches. If someone disagrees with the confession, they're free to disagree—but they should be honest about it and not claim to hold the same theological standard.

"Can't confessions become idols?"

Yes—if they're elevated above Scripture. But the same could be said of anything. The solution is not to reject confessions, but to use them rightly: as servants of Scripture, not masters over it.

"Isn't it legalistic to require people to affirm a confession?"

No. It's clarity. When a church or ministry adopts a confession, it's simply being honest about what it believes and teaches. Would you rather have ambiguity and confusion, or clarity and accountability?

A Word of Application

If you've never read the 1689, read it. Don't just take our word for it—see for yourself what it teaches. Compare it to Scripture. Test it. And if you find it faithful, embrace it as a gift from God's people to help you grow in theological understanding.

If you're part of TBF, know that everything we teach is filtered through the 1689. This isn't about being exclusive or narrow—it's about being clear and consistent. You deserve to know what we believe and why we believe it.

And if you hold to the 1689, hold it with humility and joy. We're not better than others because we have a confession. We're simply grateful to stand on the shoulders of giants and to have a clear, biblical framework to guide our faith.

Prayer

Father, thank You for the faithful men and women who have gone before us, who suffered and bled to preserve sound doctrine. Thank You for the 1689 Confession—a treasure of biblical truth passed down through the generations. Help us to hold fast to sound teaching, to guard the deposit entrusted to us, and to pass on this faith to those who come after. In Jesus' name, amen. 🙏

Related Resources:

📖 Read the Full 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith
📘 Scripture Alone (TBF Page 1)
📘 Covenant Theology (1689 Federalism) (TBF Page 7)
🎙️ Recommended Playlist: Tom Ascol – "The 1689 Confession"
📚 Recommended Book: To the Judicious and Impartial Reader: Baptist Symbolics Volume 2 An Exposition of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith by Dr James Renihan
📚 Recommended Book: A Confession of Faith Put Forth by the Elders and Brethren (1689 with commentary)

Next: Covenant Theology (1689 Federalism) →

In Sum:

TBF holds to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith as a faithful summary of biblical teaching. Learn why confessions matter and what the 1689 teaches.