Can a whole church really subscribe to a detailed confession of faith?

There has been a good deal of debate about whether the Second London Baptist Confession of 1677/1689 (2LCF) is a serviceable confession for Baptist churches. Some have argued it’s far too detailed for a whole congregation to affirm, and they suggest that a shorter confession like the New Hampshire Confession or the Abstract of Principles would work better. They argue that only the most theologically unified congregations could possibly hold to such a robust confession as the Second London Baptist Confession, and that its detail is an obstacle in church planting situations.


People have insisted that an encyclopedic confession like the Second London Baptist Confession would prohibit new converts and immature Christians from joining a local church that holds to it. But I would argue that a local church can faithfully hold to a robust confession like the Second London Confession without stumbling into any of the problems mentioned above.


I recommend the following manner of subscribing to the Second London Baptist Confession, though I also recognize that some faithful Reformed Baptists will disagree with me on some of these things.


1. Any believer should be allowed to join a local church, provided he does not have a divisive spirit.


A local church should be a “Professors Church.” That is, all who have a credible profession of faith are fit candidates for church membership (Rom 10:9-10). Credible profession involves (1) a true articulation of the gospel along with (2) a testimony of sincere faith and repentance of sin, and (3) evidence of a holy life. The Second London Baptist Confession teaches that a credible profession of sound conversion is prerequisite to membership. Chapter 26, paragraph 2 says:


“All persons throughout the world, professing the faith of the gospel, and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it, not destroying their own profession by any errors everting the foundation, or unholiness of conversation, are and may be called visible saints; and of such ought all particular congregations to be constituted.”


Most historic Baptists have also held that those who give a credible profession of faith should be biblically baptized before they join a local church. Scripture says, “We were all baptized into one body” (1 Cor 12:13). That is my personal view, but it is not a requirement of the Second London Baptist Confession, which leaves the question open. Baptists were divided on whether baptism by immersion upon a person’s credible profession must precede membership at the time the confession was written.


But beyond the two universal requirements of (1) a credible profession of faith and (2) biblical baptism (my own position), there may be a great deal of disagreement about many doctrines among the members of a local church, even on the doctrines in their confession. Yet the church can still enjoy great unity in the gospel of Christ.
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2. Churches that subscribe to a detailed confession should use a “subscription of unity” among church members.
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Can a whole church really subscribe to a detailed confession of faith? – Ask the Pastor (pastortomhicks.com)
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