Redeeming Grace is a confessional church. As such, we adhere to a written confession of faith that we believe to be a good and accurate summary of the Bible’s teaching. Our confessional standards consist of the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) and A Firm Foundation: A Reformed Baptist Catechism (updated and slightly adapted from The Baptist Catechism). We believe these standards contain carefully worded summaries of the contents of sacred Scripture. Moreover, these standards adopt a theology that may be defined as catholic, evangelical, and reformed.
Catholic
The theology found in our standards is catholic in that it reaffirms the doctrines of historic Christian orthodoxy such as those defined by the Apostles’ Creed and the great ecumenical councils of the first millennium of Christian history (e.g., Nicene Creed, Constantinopolitan Creed, Chalcedonian Definition, Athanasian Creed). These catholic doctrines include such affirmations as the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, and other doctrines that are integral to historic Christianity.
Evangelical
This theology is also evangelical in that it affirms with historic Protestantism such vital doctrines as sola Scriptura and sola fide. Sola Scriptura refers to the article that the Bible, as the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God, is the sole written revelation that rules the faith and practice of the Christian community and alone can bind the conscience. Sola fide refers to the doctrine of justification by faith alone whereby the believer is justified before God (made right in God’s sight) by the free grace of God by which He imputes the righteousness of Christ to the believer. The sole ground of our justification is the merit of Jesus Christ, which is imputed to all who put their trust in Him. Though good works flow necessarily and immediately from all justified persons, these works are not the meritorious grounds of our justification.
Reformed
The theology is reformed in that, in addition to catholic and evangelical doctrine, the distinctive doctrines of the Reformers such as Luther, Calvin, and Knox are also embraced in a way that distinguishes the Reformed tradition from other Protestant bodies. Reformed theology, for example, places great emphasis upon the doctrine of God, which doctrine is central to the whole of its theology. In a word, Reformed theology is God-centered. Related, we see the structure of redemption to be revealed in a covenantal framework. This means we affirm the covenant of redemption, the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace as foundational to understanding God’s eternal purpose and His saving work in history. Furthermore, we affirm that God’s moral law reflects His holy character and remains binding upon all people, while salvation is received entirely by grace through faith apart from works. Thus, law and grace are not enemies but friends, each serving God’s purpose in revealing sin, magnifying Christ, and guiding believers in thankful obedience.