Journal: Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
Volume: JBTM 20:2 (Fall 2023)
Article: The Doctrine Of Scripture In The First London Baptist Confessions Of 1644/1646
Author: David H. Wenkel

The Doctrine Of Scripture In The First London Baptist Confessions Of 1644/1646

David H. Wenkel

David H. Wenkel is Research Fellow and Affiliate Faculty in New Testament at LCC International University, Klaipeda, Lithuania.

This study uses a social-scientific approach to describe the implicit and explicit doctrine of scripture as found in the First London Baptist Confession of 1644 and 1646.1 The First London Baptist Confession of Faith came out in two editions, one in 1644 and the other in 1646 (hereafter referred to as LBC 1644 and 1646).2 The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 drew largely from the Westminster Confession of 1647 and gained even wider popularity. These were an expression of the post-1570 era of Protestant confessionalization.3 Surprisingly, the two editions of the First London Baptist Confession have few references that explicitly address the doctrine of scripture. The articles that do address the doctrine of scripture are focused on how scripture should be used in the church, how it binds the conscience, and how it should be used to determine what is required for the worship of God. The First London Baptist Confession of 1644 has two articles dedicated to the topic of scripture and worship (7 and 8). But these two articles were combined in the 1646 edition in article 8.

These articles demonstrate that the First London Baptist Confession focused on how to use the scriptures but did not identify what

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scriptures are. The reference to the “Canonicall Scriptures” in article 7 in the 1644 was left out of the 1646, which never explicitly mentions the “canon,” but only refers to it in concept when referencing “the holy Scriptures.” But what is the canon and what is its extent? Does the canon include the apocrypha? The salient point is that the doctrine of scripture is not so much stated in one single article as it is woven throughout, requiring a comprehensive analysis that draws all of the information together. This study focuses on internal data, rather than comparisons with external sources in order to offer a comprehensive analysis.

The social-scientific method utilized in this study uses qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate the doctrine of scripture throughout the First London Baptist Confession.4 Using this method moves between the objectification of human action and the freedom that is inherently unique to human expression. There is a sense in which these confessions of faith have their own voice in distinction from individuals or other groups.