The 1689 London Baptist Confession Of Faith; Read by Eric Kahure

Chapter 19: Of the Law of God

PARAGRAPH 1

God gave to Adam a law of universal obedience written in his heart, and a particular precept of not eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil;1 by which he bound him and all his posterity to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience;2 promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it, and endued him with power and ability to keep it.3

1 Gen. 1:27; Eccles. 7:29
2 Rom. 10:5
3 Gal. 3:10,12

Chapter 18: Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation

PARAGRAPH 4

True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as by negligence in preserving of it,13 by falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience and grieves the Spirit;14 by some sudden or vehement temptation,15 by God's withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light,16 yet are they never destitute of the seed of God17 and life of faith,18 that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived,19 and by the which, in the meantime, they are preserved from utter despair.20

13 Cant. 5:2–3,6
14 Ps. 51:8,12,14
15 Ps. 116:11; 77:7–8, 31:22
16 Ps. 30:7
17 1 John 3:9
18 Luke 22:32
19 Ps. 42:5,11
20 Lam. 3:26–31

Chapter 18: Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation

PARAGRAPH 3

This infallible assurance does not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and struggle with many difficulties before he be partaker of it;9 yet being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of means, attain thereunto:10 and therefore it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance;11—so far is it from inclining men to looseness.12

9 Isa. 50:10; Ps. 88; Ps. 77:1–12
10 1 John 4:13; Heb. 6:11–12
11 Rom. 5:1–2,5, 14:17; Ps. 119:32
12 Rom. 6:1–2; Titus 2:11–12,14

Chapter 18: Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation

PARAGRAPH 2

This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope, but an infallible assurance of faith,4 founded on the blood and righteousness of Christ revealed in the Gospel;5 and also upon the inward evidence of those graces of the Spirit unto which promises are made,6 and on the testimony of the Spirit of adoption, witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God;7 and, as a fruit thereof, keeping the heart both humble and holy.8

4 Heb. 6:11,19
5 Heb. 6:17–18
6 2 Pet. 1:4–5,10–11
7 Rom. 8:15–16
8 1 John 3:1–3

Chapter 18: Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation

PARAGRAPH 1

Although temporary believers and other unregenerate men, may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God and in a state of salvation, which hope of theirs shall perish;1 yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God,2 which hope shall never make them ashamed.3

1 Job 8:13–14; Matt. 7:22–23
2 1 John 2:3, 3:14,18–19,21,24, 5:13
3 Rom. 5:2,5

Chapter 17: Of the Perseverance of the Saints

PARAGRAPH 3

And though they may, through the temptation of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins, and for a time continue therein,9 whereby they incur God's displeasure and grieve his Holy Spirit,10 come to have their graces and comforts impaired,11 have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded,12 hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves,13 yet shall they renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end.14

9 Matt. 26:70,72,74
10 Isa. 64:5,9; Eph. 4:30
11 Ps. 51:10,12
12 Ps. 32:3–4
13 2 Sam. 12:14
14 Luke 22:32,61–62

Chapter 17: Of the Perseverance of the Saints

PARAGRAPH 2

This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election,4 flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father, upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ and union with Him,5 the oath of God,6 the abiding of His Spirit, and the seed of God within them,7 and the nature of the covenant of grace;8 from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.

4 Rom. 8:30, 9:11,16
5 Rom. 5:9, 10; John 14:19
6 Heb. 6:17–18
7 1 John 3:9
8 Jer. 32:40

Chapter 17: Of the Perseverance of the Saints

PARAGRAPH 1

Those whom God has accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, and given the precious faith of his elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved, seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, from which source he still begets and nourishes in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality;1 and though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened upon; notwithstanding, through unbelief and the temptations of Satan, the sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded and obscured from them,2 yet he is still the same, and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraved upon the palm of his hands, and their names having been written in the book of life from all eternity.3

1 John 10:28,29; Phil. 1:6; 2 Tim. 2:19; 1 John 2:19
2 Ps. 89:31–32; 1 Cor. 11:32
3 Mal. 3:6

Chapter 16: Of Good Works

PARAGRAPH 7

Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and to others;19 yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith,20 nor are done in a right manner according to the Word,21 nor to a right end, the glory of God,22 they are therfore sinful, and cannot please God, nor make a man meet to receive the grace from God,23 and yet their neglect for them is more sinful and displeasing to God.24

19 2 Kings 10:30; 1 Kings 21:27,29
20 Gen. 4:5; Heb. 11:4,6
21 1 Cor. 13:1
22 Matt. 6:2,5
23 Amos 5:21–22; Rom. 9:16; Titus 3:5
24 Job 21:14–15; Matt. 25:41–43

Chapter 16: Of Good Works

PARAGRAPH 6

Yet notwithstanding the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him;17 not as though they were in this life wholly unblamable and unreprovable in God’s sight, but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.18

17 Eph. 1:5; 1 Pet. 1:5
18 Matt. 25:21,23; Heb. 6:10