Labels can be somewhat confusing at times, but if we get to define it, (and we do!) our church is what is known as a “Reformed Baptist Church.” You can read more about what a Reformed Baptist is over at Founders, but a quick definition is this:
- We believe in the 5 Solas of the Reformation. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in the finished work of Christ alone, unto the glory of God alone. All of this is derived from our ultimate authority which is the Scriptures alone. The Scriptures are the infallible, inerrant, God-breathed, necessary, sufficient, clear, and authoritative Word from the living God that we are obligated to know, trust, and obey.
- We are confessional. That is, we do not believe the 1689 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith is inerrant or infallible. We do, however, unapologetically understand its teaching as a helpful summation of what God teaches us in His Word. Click here for more.
- We believe the Bible’s teaching on the doctrine of election and predestination. Though this can be a hot-button word, this belief is often referred to as “Calvinism.” What we mean by that word is that before the foundation of the world, God elected an undeserving people for salvation out of the fallen mass of humanity (Eph. 1:3-14, Matthew 1:21). The Son of God left the glories of heaven above to ransom His Bride (cf. Phil 2:5-11, Eph. 5:25). All those who call upon the name of the Lord in saving faith and repentance will be forgiven, justified, adopted, sanctified, and eventually glorified, even as only God Himself in His sovereign grace is the very reason for their trust in Him as He has first drawn them to Himself and given them life (John 6:44, 6:63) – salvation from beginning to end belongs to the Lord! (Jonah 2:9)
Historically, we believe in the truths confessed by men such as Charles Spurgeon, William Carey, Benjamin Keach, Adoniram Judson, John Bunyan, Andrew Fuller, etc. We share these convictions with present-day Reformed Baptists such as Tom Ascol, Voddie Baucham, James White, Sam Waldron, James and Sam Renihan, etc. These men share our passion for rightly dividing the truth of God, intentionally evangelizing lost souls, and placing an extremely high priority on the local church. When the label “Reformed Baptist” is used in reference to these beliefs, we gladly embrace it. Historically, this has also been referred to as being a “Particular Baptist.”
A Reformed Baptist Church, then, is a church committed to these truths that takes seriously God’s calling upon our lives as Christians to regularly assemble each Lord’s Day as a body of believers under the leadership of qualified elders to worship God as He has prescribed with a high emphasis on the preaching of God’s Word. We also take seriously the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) given by Christ to His churches. Christ is worthy to be proclaimed in Perryville and beyond. He is worthy of a healthy church in our area. He is worthy of all the praise, honor, and glory.