“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
— 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
To promote the love of God and the truth about Jesus Christ,
it is necessary to articulate what the Bible teaches and what that teaching means.
From the time of the Apostles, Christians have laid out their beliefs in brief, definitive statements called “creeds” and “confessions.”
In following this same pattern, it is necessary to lay out the foundational truths of Scripture organized in helpful summaries and clear statements.
Our Confession of Faith summarizes essential Christian beliefs, showing our unity in Christ with other Christians, and guards the church against error. We are convinced that the most helpful and historical expression of what the Bible teaches is found in the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (2LCF).
The full text of this confession of faith is found in its original text here.
We aim for a “cheerful confessionalism,” holding our beliefs in charity and catholicity.
As a local church,
we joyfully seek fellowship with all Christians committed to the same historical, evangelical gospel of Jesus Christ that has marked biblical orthodoxy throughout church history.
As members of Christ’s body,
we recognize that it would be a tremendous blemish upon the honor of Christ if we sought to be theologically precise while fostering a reputation of cynicism, tribalism, and arrogance.
As those who stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us,
we aim to be students of God’s word and servants of one another. “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7, ESV)
Why do we hold to this confession?
The 2LCF anchors our belief in historic Christianity, reformed (Protestant) Christianity, believer’s baptism, and congregational polity.
Thus, you could summarize our beliefs as Christian, Reformed, Puritan, and Baptist.
CHRISTIAN
We affirm what orthodox Christians have confessed throughout the history of the church. Chapters 1-8 and 31-32 summarize these beliefs within the 2LCF.
REFORMED
We hold to the foundational conviction of the Protestant Reformation that the Scriptures alone are the final authority for faith and practice as they proclaim that our salvation is in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, and to God’s glory alone. These convictions are summarized in chapters 9-20 of the 2LCF.
PURITAN
We identify with the Puritans in their aim to apply all of Scripture to all of life under the lordship of Jesus Christ. These beliefs are summarized in chapters 21-25 of the 2LCF.
BAPTIST
We aim to be loving and humble in communicating God’s truth, yet we are convinced that the Scriptures teach what are called “Baptist” doctrines. These are not doctrines that determine what one must believe to be an orthodox Christian. Still, they are nevertheless significant in that they are directions given by God in Scripture for ordering his church here on earth. These baptistic teachings are outlined in chapters 26-30 in the 2LCF.