What is a Confession of Faith?
A confession of faith is just a church's "statement of beliefs" or a summary of the key points in the Bible that they think are important. It’s a way of saying, "Here’s what we believe about God, Jesus, and other important teachings in the Bible."
Almost every church has something like this, often called a "statement of faith." It highlights the specific beliefs that make that church unique, kind of like what makes them different from other churches down the street.
At Grace Bible Church, we follow the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith, which goes way back to 1689. We stick with this historic confession because it's tried and true—like the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" This confession has been a solid guide for churches for centuries, and we believe it clearly and accurately reflects the teachings of the Bible. So, rather than trying to come up with something new, we trust in this rich and time-tested statement to keep us grounded in our faith.
How did the London Baptist Confession come about?
The 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith has a cool story. It was put together in 1689 by a group of Baptist pastors and churches in London. At the time, there were a lot of debates and discussions going on about what different Christians believed, and these Baptists wanted to make sure everyone knew what they stood for.
But here’s the interesting part: instead of desiring to stir up trouble or create divisions, the men behind the 2nd London Confession actually wanted to find common ground with other Christians, especially the Presbyterians who followed the Westminster Confession. The two confessions are very similar in many areas, which shows that the Baptists weren’t looking to be different just for the sake of it. They recognized the shared truths in both confessions and focused on those, while still highlighting the distinct beliefs that make Baptists, well, Baptists!
So, the 2nd London Confession was less about saying, “We’re different!” and more about saying, “Here’s where we stand together, and here’s what we believe.” It was an effort to promote unity among Christians, while still being true to Baptist convictions.