January 23, 2025

What is a Reformed Baptist?

WeAreReformed.com

A Reformed Baptist is a Christian who adheres to Reformed theology within a Baptist framework. They hold firmly to the doctrines of grace, often summarized by the acronym TULIP—total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints—showing their alignment with Reformed theology. This theological foundation is grounded in their confession of faith, particularly the 1689 Baptist Confession, which encapsulates their beliefs and reflects the historic Reformed tradition, while emphasizing believer’s baptism by immersion as a key distinctive.

Reformed Baptists affirm covenant theology, seeing the covenant of grace as spanning both the Old and New Testaments, with Christ as the ultimate fulfillment. This theological perspective shapes their view of Scripture as the ultimate authority for faith and practice, consistent with the Reformed principle of sola Scriptura. They also emphasize the importance of a regenerate church membership, meaning that the local church is composed solely of individuals who profess faith in Christ and have been baptized upon that profession. In terms of salvation, Reformed Baptists firmly reject Arminianism, upholding the sovereignty of God in all aspects of salvation and denying that human free will is the decisive factor in determining salvation. This underscores their belief in the primacy of God’s grace and His initiative in the salvation of sinners.

The question of whether a Baptist can truly be considered Reformed often arises from historical and theological debates over the definition of “Reformed.” Historically, the term has been closely tied to the theological framework of the Protestant Reformation, particularly through the work of John Calvin and others. This framework includes not only doctrines of grace but also covenantal theology, the use of confessions, and particular views of the sacraments, often tied to infant baptism. The Baptist emphasis on believer’s baptism places them in contrast with paedobaptist traditions like Presbyterianism, leading some to question whether Baptists can properly claim the Reformed label.

In current times, this debate has been renewed by the resurgence of Reformed theology among Baptists, especially through movements like the “Young, Restless, and Reformed” group and theologians like Al Mohler, Paul Washer, Voddie Baucham, Tom Ascol and many others. These Baptists embrace the core theological distinctives of Reformed theology but maintain a Baptist ecclesiology and view of baptism. Some argue that being “Reformed” must include adherence to historic paedobaptism, while others suggest that the term is broader, encompassing the doctrines of grace and covenantal thought, even with differences in ecclesiology.

Altogether, Reformed Baptists represent a unique synthesis of Reformed theology and Baptist distinctives, demonstrating how these traditions can coexist in a way that is biblically and confessionally robust.

If you want to dive deeper into this question/topic, we recommend this article by Tom Hicks on the Founders Ministry website: What is a Reformed Baptist.

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