1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith

The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith (originally published in 1677 and formally adopted by Particular Baptists in 1689) is the classic confession of Reformed Baptist Christianity. Structurally and textually it follows the Westminster Confession and the Savoy Declaration of the Congregationalists very closely — often word-for-word — marking the confessional solidarity of Calvinistic Baptists with their Presbyterian and Congregationalist contemporaries.

It diverges principally on three points: the doctrine of the covenants (a Baptistic recasting of the covenant of grace), the subjects and mode of baptism (believers only, by immersion), and the polity of the local church (independent, congregational). The confession was a theological defense against Anabaptist caricatures and an affirmation that Particular Baptists held to historic Reformed orthodoxy. It remains the confessional standard across Reformed Baptist, Grace Baptist, Founders-friendly Southern Baptist, and many independent Calvinistic Baptist churches. AskCredo cites the 1689 LBCF on questions where Reformed Baptists distinguish themselves from Presbyterians — especially on baptism, church membership, and covenant theology.

Questions on AskCredo that cite the 1689 London Baptist Confession, organized by chapter and section.