What have Baptist Christians historically believed since they began as a distinct sect of Christianity? Today, you’ll get many diverse and competing answers to this question. Yet, found among the annals of history, there are a few documents written by Baptists that have long served as the landmark ones to define what most Baptists have believed throughout the centuries. These “confessions of faith,” from the beginning of their use, have guided Baptist Christians in their understanding of Scripture, and have stood as a witnesses to non-Baptists of what it means to rightly and reverently understand and apply Scripture to Christian living. In spite of many believers’ ignorance and lack of interest in these confessions, they are excellent resources for our study, understanding, and application of Scripture today. They show us what our Christian forefathers believed, preached, taught, and lived to defend, even to the death.

The first widespread and popularized Baptist confession of faith is the 1644 London Baptist Confession. It was published to distinguish Calvinistic Baptists from the Anabaptists, since these congregations were wrongly associated with them, risking their ostracization and criticism as political troublemakers and insurrectionists. In order to counter these concerns the Calvinistic Baptist churches of London decided to agree upon their major doctrines, compile them into a coherent document, and publish it to the English world. Two years later, they slightly revised it in the 1646 London Baptist Confession.

Arguably, this is the most comprehensive, concise, clear, and biblical historical Baptist confession of faith. So in this episode, Casey and Chris do a survey of its highlights, and how it can be applied in our Christian lives today. We trust it will encourage, challenge, and instruct you in studying, understanding, and applying God’s Word, to the glory of the Lord Jesus.

Here's a free version of the confession for your reading and study:

1646 London Baptist Confession of Faith | The Reformed Reader