Confession - Preface
For a pdf version of this document, click here.
The design of the revision
As the well-known date (1689) in the official title of the Confession indicates, this document, and necessarily its language, is more than three-hundred years old. While the truths acknowledged are, in the main, timeless, language changes. Thus, a main purpose for this revision is an updating of the language used. Frequently occurring words with archaic spelling were updated and are not otherwise noted. Such would include:
hath - has
doth - does
Verbs ending in 'eth' (i.e. believeth)
hereupon
howbeit
notwithstanding
thereunto
thereto
therein
thereof
unto
whilst
whence
Other words which reflected either an archaic or English spelling were updated with a more modern or Americanized spelling, i.e.:
wilfully - willfully
innocency - innocence
fulfil - fulfill
intrusts - entrusts
In some cases, phrases were identified as direct biblical quotes from the King James Version. These were also updated with a quote from a modern translation (New American Standard Version, 1995).
Other archaic words which occurred less frequently are end-noted, identified with lower-case Roman numerals, for example:
'... translated into the common iii language of every nation ...'
iii Originally, 'vulgar.'
Another primary purpose in this revision was the formatting. Because of the frequent and lengthy compound sentence structure of the Confession, it can be difficult to follow and understand. Thus, we have formatted each paragraph into a 'block diagram.' The purpose of block diagramming is to graphically illustrate the syntax of a paragraph (Syntax refers to the interrelationships of paragraphs, sentences, phrases, clauses, and words). The block diagramming process involves the laying out of a paragraph by indenting subordinate linguistic units while maintaining the given word order. This allows the reader to more easily grasp the structure of the paragraph, its key features, and main points, so as to enhance the understanding of it.
The Confession's place in our Church
Providence Bible Church maintains that the Holy Scriptures are accepted as the only final authority and statement of absolute truth. We also regard the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 as a good, though not inspired, expression of the teachings of the Word of God. Thus, we hold to the Confession as our secondary doctrinal standard under Charles Spurgeon's following disclaimer:
This little volume is not issued as an authoritative rule, or code of faith, whereby you are to be fettered, but as an assistance to you in controversy, a confirmation in faith, and a means of edification in righteousness. Here the younger members of our church will have a body of divinity in small compass, and by means of the Scriptural proofs, will be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in them.
Doctrinal 'exceptions' are noted by an asterisk (*) with an explanatory comment, bracket and indented, immediately following the paragraph.
Finally, the diligent reader is commended to these additional resources:
For an excellent history of the Confession see William J. McGlothin's Baptist Confessions of Faith .
For a briefer history, the Elders of Grace Baptist Church in Carlisle, PA have compiled a very helpful background. It can be found in the FOREWORD of their edition of the Confession which is available through Trinity Book Service (800 722-3584).
For a more detailed commentary on the Confession itself, see the tremendously helpful work by Samuel E. Waldron titled A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. Robert Martin's introduction titled The Legitimacy and use of Confessions is particularly instructive.
Chapter One >
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