Of the Holy Scriptures

The 1689 Confession opens where every Reformed confession opens: with the doctrine of Scripture. Chapter 1 affirms that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired, inerrant, sufficient, and supreme rule of all saving faith and obedience. Apocryphal books are excluded. Tradition, conscience, and human reason are subordinated to the Word.

This chapter establishes the methodological foundation for everything else in the confession. To deny Scripture’s authority is to undo the whole. The Reformed Baptist tradition insists that God’s Word — read, preached, sung, and prayed — is the sole authority for the faith and practice of the church.

At Pray’s Mill, this conviction shapes our worship (we read and preach the Bible at length each Lord’s Day), our doctrine (every position is grounded in Scripture and tested by Scripture), and our pastoral counsel (the Word is sufficient for every spiritual need).

Read the Chapter

For the full text of this chapter with scripture proofs, see the1689confession.com or Founders Ministries.