Are you Reformed Baptists?

We appreciate and respect some of the beliefs and practices of Reformed Baptists, but we are not Reformed Baptists by name or denominational connection. We are Baptists like John the Baptist; we are reformed in the sense of strongly preaching God’s sovereign grace in saving souls; but we are not Reformed Baptists.

We do teach and practice some things dear to Reformed Baptists. We vigorously defend and preach believer’s baptism by immersion, election, predestination, limited atonement, regeneration by the work of the Holy Spirit, the priesthood of the believer, independent local church government, and so forth.

Baptists have existed outside Rome since the apostles, so we do not look to the Reformation for authority or our origin. Baptists are not Protestants, because they were not part of Rome to protest her. The reformation we appreciate is the one of Hebrews 9:10, when God reformed Old Testament worship to its New Testament form.

The name Reformed Baptist did not exist before the mid-1900’s, and it includes churches today that range considerably in doctrine, practice, and zeal. The formal use of the word Baptist also has its associations we wish to avoid, so our church is named, as were the churches of the New Testament, by its location.

We jealously guard our independence as a church to follow the New Testament as the Holy Spirit directs us without regard for bondage or rules set up by a denomination or association, no matter how loosely structured. We reject such manmade organizations over the local church, since there is no scriptural authority for them or in them.

If you want to know more about our differences with the Reformed Baptists, please see this detailed sermon outline carefully defining and documenting our differences, which was preached in September, 2011: Why We Are Not Reformed Baptists.