LBCF 1689 Reflections. Part 217

Reflections on the Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689

23 Aug 14 began a perhaps unbroken, orderly, and personal journey through my favorite written confession of faith. These are my personal reflections on this beloved historic Particular Baptist confession of the Christian Faith.

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Chapter 26. Of the Church. Paragraph 4: “The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner; neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof, but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”

Some talk of these more historic Protestant confessions as if they’re outdated. I say no for points just as what’s addressed here. We need polemics. Many modern confessions omit them because more men are far too aware of their softer side today. A fact of more recent history is that without the whet stone of Satan’s sacerdotal seductions, the church as a whole today would not be as precise on imputation from Scripture. Every good confession will propose what it’s for in the most important ideas on God, the word, and on man, but we need also what we’re against, especially if that which we’re against is in the minds of those we work with or comes to our home for Thanksgiving dinner with our aunt. The Romish group still exists today. It just keeps multiplying its errors. It still teaches its less than one thousand-year-old salvation by sacrament scheme. Every Christian does well to be reminded of this. They learn by it more what they’re for. Christ is the head of his church. The papacy is unbiblical and unwise.

“And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:22-23. What we infer from the whole of the foundation is that there’s only one head. Not just in heaven, but just as there’s one body both on earth and in heaven there’s only one head over that one body. The saints who’ve gone on already no more need another head where they are than the sinners here need another intercessor.

The pope is an antichrist. All Protestants should confirm this in their worship.