THE 1689 BAPTIST CONFESSION OF FAITH
CHAPTER 1
OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
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The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience,1 although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet they are not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and His will which is necessary unto salvation.2 Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in diversified manners to reveal Himself, and to declare (that) His will unto His church;3 and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which makes the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God’s revealing His will unto His people being now ceased.4
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2 Tim. 3:15-17 | … from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
.. The sacred writings – (Gk. ta hiera grammata) i.e., the – divine, holy, scared – literally: what is written.
. Able to make you wise for salvation through faith … in Christ
.. All Scripture is inspired by God (Gk. pasa graphe theopneustos) i.e., all writings breathed out by God
.. Profitable – (Gk. ophelimos) i.e., useful, profitable
. Teaching – (Gk. didaskalian) i.e., that which is taught, doctrine
. Reproof – (Gk. elegmon) i.e., denotes a proof, proving test
. Correction – (Gk. epanorthosin) i.e., lit. restoration to an upright state
. Training in Righteousness – (Gk. paideian en ten dikaiosyne) i.e., education by disciplinary correction, chastening
. That the man of God
. Adequate – (Gk. artios) i.e., fitted, complete, perfect
. Equipped – (Gk. exertismenos) i.e., to finish out (time); fig. to equip fully (a teacher), to accomplish
Isa. 8:20 | To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn – [there is no light in them – NKJ].
.. Law – (Hb. torah) i.e., a precept or statue, espec. The Decalogue or Pentateuch
.. Testimony – (Hb. The-oo-daw) i.e., attestation, i.e. a precept, usage
Luke 16:29,31 | … Abraham said, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them. … If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.
Eph. 2:20 | having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone
.. Having been built – refers to back to v. 19 | So then you [v. 13 - to those now in Christ] are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.
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Sundry – means: many parts; portions | Hebrews 11:1 – in many portions and in many ways.
Rom. 1:19-21 | because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
.. Evident – (Gk. phaneron) i.e., of sensory perception | visible, clearly seen, apparent
.. Became Futile [foolish – NKJ] – (Gk.emataiothesa) i.e., being given over to deceptive and meaningless thinking [1 aorist passive (not the one of action) indicative (a continuous or undefined action) verb].
.. Speculations [thoughts – NKJ] – (Gk. dialogismois) i.e., thought process, reasoning, design
.. Heart – (Gk. kardia) i.e., heart; used in the NT – inner self; (1) seat of physical vitality – (2) the innermost self, the source and seat of functions of soul and spirit in the emotional life, the volitional life, the rational life …
.. Darkened – (Gk. eskstisthe) i.e., literally be or become dark, be unable to give light; figuratively [here] the lack of religious and moral perception, be unable to understand.
Rom. 2:14-15 | For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them
.. Instinctively [nature NKJ] – (Gk. physei) i.e., as the naturally regulated order of things natural
.. Conscience – (Gk. syneideseos) i.e. as a perceptive awareness within oneself … as the faculty of moral consciousness or awareness by which moral judgments relating to right and wrong are made conscience.
Psalm 19:1-3 | The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, their voice is not heard.
.. Heavens are telling – The heavens declare – ESV | NKJ.
.. Expanse – firmament – NKJ; heavens – ESV.
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Heb. 1:1 | God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, [2] – has in these last days spoken to us by His Son … [NKJ]
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Prov. 22:19-21 | So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have taught you today, even you. Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge, to make you know the certainty of the words of truth that you may correctly answer him who sent you?
Rom. 15:4 | For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
.. Instruction – (Gk. didaskalian) i.e., learning, teaching
.. Perseverance – (Gk. hypomones) i.e., literally an abiding under; often rendered patience [Vine]. Steadfast adherence to a course of action in spite of difficulties and testings – perseverance, endurance, fortitude [Friberg].
.. Encouragement – (Gk. parakleseos) i.e. to call to one’s side … either as an exhortation [here], or consolation, comfort.
.. Exhortation – to urge by earnest appeal or argument …
2 Pet. 1:19-20 | So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation.
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Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testaments, which are these:
66 Books – i.e., 39 OT and 27 NT
OF THE OLD TESTAMENT:
| Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel |
1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job Psalms Proverbs |
Ecclesiastes The Song of Solomon Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel |
Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi |
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT:
| Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians |
Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon |
Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation |
All of which are given by the inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.5
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2 Tim. 3:16 | All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness
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The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon or rule of the Scripture, and, therefore, are of no authority to the church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved or made use of than other human writings.6
.. Canon – Bible derives from the Greek term books [biblos] and refers to the OT and NT. The 39 OT books and 27 NT books form the canon of Holy Scripture. Canon originally meant reed and came to signify a ruler or measuring stick. In this sense the Bible is the rule or standard of authority for Christians. The concept of canon and process of canonization refers to when the books gained the status of Holy Scripture, authoritative standards for faith and practice.
.. Apocrypha – A group of sacred books written about [200 B.C. and 100 A.D.] and included in the Bibles of some religious groups. These books are generally not considered authoritative in the same sense as the universally recognized [canon] books of the Bible.
. Unfortunately these Apocrypha apocalyptic writings are viewed today as just as authoritative as the Scriptures concerning eschatological teachings.
.. Gnostic Writings – Non-canonical writings promoting Gnostic school of thoughts that emerged within the church in the early second century and soon established itself as a way of understanding Christianity in all of the church’s principal centers. The church was torn by heated debates over the issues, and by the end of the second century many of the Gnostics belonged to separate, alternative churches or belief systems viewed by the church as heretical. The term Gnosticism is derived from the Greek word gnosis (knowledge) because secret knowledge was such a crucial doctrine in Gnosticism.
. Unfortunately these Gnostic writings are often held with being just as authoritative as the Scriptures to prove their doctrine is on an equal footing of the canonical writings. However, most are written by pseudo-authors name long after the alleged writer has died in the first century.
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Luke 24:27,44 | Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. … Now He said to them, These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.
Rom. 3:2 | [v. 1 – What advantage has the Jew?] … First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.
.. Entrusted – (Gk. episteuthesan) i.e., signifies to commit to, delivering or entrusting something to a person.
.. Oracles – (Gk. logion) i.e., a divine response or utterance
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The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, depends not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God.7
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2 Pet. 1:19-21 | So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
2 Tim. 3:16 | All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness
2 Thess. 2:13 | But we should always give thanks to God for you brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
1 John 5:9 | If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son.
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We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the church of God to a high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scriptures; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, and the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, and many other incomparable excellencies, and entire perfections thereof, are arguments whereby it does abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God; yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth, and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.8
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John 16:13-14 | But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
1 Cor. 2:10-12 | For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God
1 John 2:20, 27 | But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. … As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.
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The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men.9 Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word,10 and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.11
.. Counsel of God – The eternally God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit counseled together concerning all things whether visible or invisible according to His sovereign divine will and pleasure – cf. Romans 8:28-30.
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2 Tim. 3:15-17 | and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Gal. 1:8-9 | But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
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John 6:45 | It is written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
1 Cor. 2:9-12 | but just as it is written, things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God
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1 Cor. 11:13-14 | Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him,
1 Cor. 14:26,40 | What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. … But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.
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All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all;12 yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them.13
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2 Pet. 3:16 | as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
.. Untaught – (Gk. amatheis) i.e., unlearned, ignorant, uneducated … untaught people
.. Unstable – (Gk. asteriktoi) i.e., having a tendency to change one’s view and attitudes … of someone not settled in his thinking | unstable person
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Ps. 19:7 | The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
.. Perfect – (Hb. taw-meem) i.e., without blemish, complete, full
.. Restoring [converting – KJV] – (Hb. shoob) i.e., to turn back (hence, away) [*seems to imply the same thought as that of repentance in the NT – bea.}
Psalm 119:130 | The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
.. Unfolding [entrance – KJV] – (Hb. pay’-thaleh) i.e., opening (fig.) i.e., disclosure
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The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old),14 and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by His singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentic; so as in all controversies of religion, the church is finally to appeal to them.15 But because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God, who have a right unto, and interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded in the fear of God to read,16 and search them,17 therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation unto which they come,18 that the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship Him in an acceptable manner, and through patience and comfort of the Scriptures may have hope.19
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Rom. 3:2 | Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.
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Isa. 8:20 | To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
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Acts 15:15 | With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written,
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John 5:39 |You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;
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1 Cor. 14:6, 9, 11-12, 24, 28 | But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophecy or of teaching? … So also you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. … If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me. So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church. … But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all … but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God.
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Col. 3:16 | Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
.. Admonishing – (Gk. nouthetountes) i.e., to put in mind, to warn.
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The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which are not many, but one), it must be searched by other places that speak more clearly.20
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2 Pet. 1:20-21 | But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
Acts 15:15-16 | With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, after these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it
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The supreme judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Scripture delivered by the Spirit, into which Scripture so delivered, our faith is finally resolved.21
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Matt. 22:29, 31 | But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God:
Eph. 2:20 | having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
Acts 28:23 | When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.
