Being Reformed: Confessions and Identity

I am sick and tired of people coming onto my Facebook timeline and berating, denigrating, and condescending to me because I am a Reformed Baptist who is dispensational in my eschatology.

I follow the 1689 LBCF (London Baptist Confession of Faith), yet I disagree with its amillennial eschatology (End Times). I adhere to over 90% of the confession. It’s like telling someone who is over 90% black ancestry that they are “not black” or “not really black”! IT IS RUDE AND INSULTING!

Saying you follow a confession doesn’t mean you have to disregard your conscience and follow some points of the confession you disagree with! I follow Scripture, not a confession. A confession is just a collection of various theological opinions. Many people in the modern church turn off their minds, and the urging of the Holy Spirit because their confession does all the work for them and tells them exactly what to think. They are theologically lazy and unthinking. Far too many Reformed want to fit you into neat little theological premade boxes, and if you don’t march in lockstep with them they say you aren’t Reformed, or that you aren’t a Reformed Baptist. This is outright discrimination! It is no way to treat a fellow brother in Christ! Shame on these people! I will pray God enlightens their minds and softens their hearts toward me. IT IS BIGOTRY AND HATE AND I WON’T STAND FOR IT!

This horrible treatment I’ve received reminds me of the Catholic church which demanded 100% doctrinal conformity of its members with the Magisterium. Now we have a Reformed Magisterium predicated on confessions that can’t be challenged lest one is excommunicated! I follow Scripture alone as my authority, the Holy Spirit guides me into all truth. I take serious the clarion call of the Reformation to be semper reformanda (always reforming). I AM TRULY REFORMED! AND I AM TRULY A REFORMED BAPTIST! By the way, I am a full 5-point Calvinist, additionally, I agree with the Canons of Dort. I also affirm all 5 Solas of the Reformation. A certain Presbyterian Facebook friend insulted me, saying I confused OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) with the perseverance of the saints. He is dead wrong. He also was highly dismissive of me being Reformed and claimed I knew only a “little” about Calvinism. Which is a ludicrous assertion. Anyone who reads my daily posts on Facebook or my numerous blog posts on Reformed theology would realize that I have a solid grasp of Reformed theology!

Sadly, the Reformers didn’t reform far enough and inherited the Catholic church’s errant amillennial eschatology, as well as the false doctrine of paedobaptism (infant baptism)! Premillennialism was the majority position of the Church until Augustine finished his book The City of God in 426 AD. It was very popular and influential and quickly became the de facto teaching of the Catholic church. This ended a nearly 400-year dominance of premillennialism.

Please read, watch, or listen to this fantastic sermon series by Dr. John MacArthur “Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist”.

Also, you may enjoy my blog post below on why you don’t need to embrace covenant theology to be truly Reformed!

Reformed without Covenant Theology