Reformed Baptist

It would be a Baptist who held to reformed beliefs. Or, using the word that causes so much debate upon these boards, a CALVINIST.

 

Here is a pretty decent overview of what a reformed baptist is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformed_Baptist

 

The Alliance of Reformed Baptist Churches merged into the Wesleyan Church in the 1960s.

 

There is a good article on this at: http://www.reformedbaptist.co.uk/Article2.htm

 

One person once described a reformed baptist as a Presbyterian who practiced credo baptism.

Things that are common among reformed baptist church are:
Holding to the London Baptist confession of Faith.
Calvinist
Often believe in plurality of elders
Often hold the regulative principle of worship

 

Jon-Marc,

Maybe you need to read up on the subject of "reformed theology".
That's just a suggestion.

 

This is what our church has to explain "reformed" and what it means to us..

The term "Reformed" refers to the great revival that swept through Europe five hundred years ago that is known as the Protestant Reformation. This movement was a protest against the abuses of the Roman Catholic church, abuses which arose from two principle tap roots. The first was Rome's denial of the sole Headship of Jesus Christ over His church. The second was the leaven of the false gospel of Roman Catholicism, a "gospel" which taught (and still teaches) that men are justified before God by their own merits, and not by the free and Sovereign grace of God in Christ alone.
The Protestant recovery of the gospel of Christ and His Apostles finds its best summation in the five "sola" statements of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria.

I. Sola Scriptura ("Scripture Alone"). The Lord Jesus Christ alone is the unrivaled Head of His church, and He shares His throne with no man; even if that man is a pastor, priest, or pope. King Jesus exercises His rule over His church by His Holy Spirit through His Holy Word. Therefore the Protestant Reformers insisted upon the sole authority of Holy Scripture to bind the consciences of men. Although God does empower a plurality of men known as "elders" to shepherd each local church, their authority must always be exercised under the authority of Christ and His Word, to which nothing may be added or taken away.

II. Sola Gratia ("Grace Alone"). With the recovery of the sufficiency of Holy Scripture came the recovery of Scripture's message: the gospel of Christ and Him crucified. The Reformers learned and then preached that the only hope anyone has of being saved from his sin and from the wrath that is to come is in the free grace (the unmerited favor) of God alone. The Triune God alone saves sinners, and He is absolutely Sovereign over when and to whom He dispenses His effectual saving grace. Fallen man is powerless and helpless to save himself or to contribute anything to his own salvation.

III. Sola Fide ("Faith Alone"). The saving grace of Almighty God is received by sinners as they exercise faith in the Living Christ alone for their salvation. Yet even this faith is a gift of God's grace to sinful men, so that they have no room to boast. By affirming this truth the Reformers were denying that men are justified before God by their own merits or by an infusion of Christ's righteousness that enabled them to keep God's Law unto salvation. Instead, the Protestants taught that whenever a lost sinner ceases from his works and simply believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted to him for righteousness. From the moment a lost sinner truly believes the righteousness of Jesus Christ Himself is imputed to him because his sin was imputed to Christ upon the cross. Therefore, from that time onward, the believing sinner is eternally justified before God on the basis of Christ's perfect righteousness and finished work on the cross.

IV. Solus Christus ("Christ Alone"). The Reformers affirmed that the only object of saving faith has always been and evermore shall be the Lord Jesus Christ alone. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life; no man can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). The saints of the Old Testament were saved by faith in the Messiah who was to come, and the saints of the New Testament are saved by faith in the Messiah who has come and who is soon coming again. There is no other Mediator between God and men, and there is no other name given under heaven by which men must be saved, than the man whose name is the Lord Jesus Christ.

V. Soli Deo Gloria ("To God Alone Be the Glory"). Because the Triune God alone is the Creator of all things, and because the salvation of sinners is a loving work of His free grace alone; all honor, praise, and glory is His alone. "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-that, as it is written, 'He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.'" (I Corinthians 1:30-31)

 

Reformed Baptist just listed the five Solas of the Reformation which his Church holds to as being Reformed , others have said something similar . And then you say "that's not something that interests me." My response is ??!!

 

I don't think Christ said anything about being a Baptist either.

 

A question then:

Doesn't the word "reformed" imply to follow the teachings of the Reformation, specifically the Protestant Reformation?

And if that is so, then if I call myself reformed, don't I need to know what was being protested, and reformed?

I know these are simple questions, but some of these doctrines are very new to me.

 

Sounds more like it is something that "turns you off." You DID start this thread, right?

skypair

 

I think he started it as a way to say Calvinism isn't right. With the internet, it is very very easy to find out what reformed means.

 

1) Where did the baptizing of babies fit into those five points listed above?
2) Where did Kingdom Building fit into those five points listed above?

Two strong and factual issues that plague the Reformers and can never be reconciled as being Baptist Distinctives.

Bartimaeus

 

So.........you really started this thread to talk about what is wrong with Calvinism, not to learn about what the definition of reformed is? There have been a couple of links posted to find out about "reformed." Your question has been answered I think.