Our Confession
The 1689 Baptist Confession
of Faith
The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith was first published in 1677 and adopted at the General Assembly of Particular Baptist churches in London in 1689 — from which it takes its common name. Written largely in the wake of fierce persecution, it is one of the most thorough and warmly pastoral confessions of the Reformed tradition. Pray’s Mill Baptist Church holds without reservation to its doctrine.
Below is the historical structure of the Confession in its 32 chapters. Where space permits, we have provided brief summaries; for the full text of each chapter, follow the canonical links at the foot of this page.
A Word from the Authors
From the Letter to the Reader (1677).
“It is now many years since divers of us (with other sober Christians then living and walking in the way of the Lord that we profess) did conceive ourselves to be under a necessity of publishing a Confession of our Faith… that hereby the world may know what our Faith and Practice is in such matters of moment as are now in question.”
The 32 Chapters
The structure of the Confession.
- Of the Holy Scriptures — Scripture as the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.
- Of God and of the Holy Trinity — The one true God in three coeternal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- Of God's Decree — God’s eternal, unchangeable purpose, ordaining whatsoever comes to pass for his own glory.
- Of Creation — The work of God in creating all things in six days, "in the space of six days."
- Of Divine Providence — God’s powerful, wise, and holy preserving and governing of all his creatures.
- Of the Fall of Man, Of Sin, and Of the Punishment Thereof — Original sin and its imputation to all Adam’s posterity.
- Of God's Covenant — The covenant of works and the covenant of grace — 1689 federalism.
- Of Christ the Mediator — The eternal Son taking to himself man’s nature, two natures inseparably joined in one person.
- Of Free Will — Man’s natural liberty, the freedom and bondage of the will after the Fall, and the renewing work of grace.
- Of Effectual Calling — God’s sovereign calling of his elect from death in sin to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ.
- Of Justification — The free justification of sinners by the imputed righteousness of Christ alone, received by faith alone.
- Of Adoption — The grace by which the justified are received into the household of God as his children.
- Of Sanctification — The progressive renewal of the believer in the image of Christ through Word and Spirit.
- Of Saving Faith — Faith as a gift, its objects, its degrees, and its perseverance.
- Of Repentance unto Life and Salvation — Repentance as an evangelical grace, the gift of God to the regenerate.
- Of Good Works — Works as the fruit and evidence of true faith, not the ground of justification.
- Of the Perseverance of the Saints — Those whom God has accepted in the Beloved cannot finally fall from grace.
- Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation — The believer’s confidence in God’s promises, founded on the blood of Christ.
- Of the Law of God — The moral law as the eternal rule of righteousness for all, summarized in the Ten Commandments.
- Of the Gospel and of the Extent of the Grace Thereof — The free offer of the gospel to all who hear, and its effectual reach in the elect.
- Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience — The freedom Christ has purchased and the conscience bound by Scripture alone.
- Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day — The regulative principle of worship and the Lord’s Day as the Christian Sabbath.
- Of Lawful Oaths and Vows — The right use of oaths and vows in proper occasions, by warrant of the Word of God.
- Of the Civil Magistrate — The ordained authority of civil rulers, and the Christian’s duty under them.
- Of Marriage — Marriage as the covenant of one man and one woman, for life.
- Of the Church — The universal church (the body and Bride of Christ) and the visible local church.
- Of the Communion of Saints — The union of all believers with Christ and with one another.
- Of Baptism and the Lord's Supper — The two ordinances Christ instituted for his church.
- Of Baptism — The immersion of believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- Of the Lord's Supper — The memorial of Christ’s death and the spiritual feeding of believers upon him.
- Of the State of Man after Death and Of the Resurrection of the Dead — The immortality of the soul and the bodily resurrection.
- Of the Last Judgment — Christ’s return to judge the world in righteousness, and the eternal states of the saved and the lost.
Read the Full Text
Authoritative full-text sources.
The full text of the 1689 is in the public domain and freely available from several authoritative sources. We commend any of the following:
- the1689confession.com — the cleanest online presentation, chapter by chapter with proof texts.
- Founders Ministries — with annotations and proof texts in expanded form.
Print copies of the Confession (often with proof texts) are typically available in the church foyer or in Hall’s Living Library. Ask a pastor or elder and we will be glad to put one in your hand.
Read Further
- What is 1689 federalism? — the covenantal core of the Confession
- Believer’s baptism vs. infant baptism — the distinctive of chapters 28–29
- How often should we take the Lord’s Supper? — chapter 30 in practice
- Plurality of elders — the church order of chapter 26
- Why we practice church discipline — chapter 26 in practice
- What is the Lord’s Day? — chapter 22 in practice