Review: A Modern Exposition of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, Part 2a: The Holy Scriptures

Last time I began a discussion on the book A Modern Exposition of the London Baptist Confession of Faith by Dr. Samuel Waldron. The introduction was discussed, and that can be read, here. I recommend reading that before proceeding here.

Today we turn to the first chapter of the confession, 'Of the Holy Scriptures'. To expound on the confession itself would be redundant to Waldron's work, so I will assume that you have read the relevant chapter of the confession and proceed with interacting with Waldron's commentary. (You may read the first chapter of the confession at http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/creeds/bcof.htm )

The necessity of compatibilism for the authority of Scripture.

Underlying everything said in the confession about the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God is something that in the modern context we call 'inerrancy'. I've referenced it before, and I will reference it again, but a definition of inerrancy in much detail can be found here. The Bible was written by men in such a way that, though it maintains their distinct styles and personalities, it says exactly what God intended and furthermore, it is literally his word. This conjunction of both ideas is important, because as reformed thinkers we would say that everything is as he intended, but not everything is directly his word. As a consequence of this, Waldron brings up an extremely compelling point that I had never actually considered before when he says:

"Organic inspiration assumes the reformed and biblical view that the same activity can be and is both divinely ordained and the product of free, human agency. Thus, the Bible can be the product of human beings writing acting freely, while at the same time it is divinely inspired and inerrant.

The implication is that those who reject reformed views of divine sovereignty and yet understand the pervasive humanity of the Bible must logically reject the complete inerrancy of the Bible."

For the incompatibilist, the person who thinks that divine determination and human freedom cannot coexist in the same free act of the individual, the Word of God as a man written document with divine inspiration does not work. If the incompatibilist believes that all acts of mankind must be free in their acts, then the Bible cannot be literally the Word of God, it can only be something that is somewhat influenced by God. God cannot actually control what is in the text. On the other hand, if the incompatibilist holds that some events are not free, but others are, then the Bible becomes a determined event, not a free human act. This account fails to explain the distinct writing styles of each Biblical author. The Biblical understanding of inspiration requires that both man's style and God's precise message exist, simultaneously. This can only happen if compatibilism, the reformed view of sovereignty, holds. In compatibilism, what can occur is that man is his creaturely freedom decides to write in a certain way, and it happens precisely because God has decreed that these words are his words.

Continuationism and the Confession

The first point of the chapter on the Scriptures contains with the following statement:

"Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal Himself, and to declare His will to His church;

- and afterward, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church, protecting it against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and the world,

- it pleased the Lord to commit His revealed Truth wholly to writing. Therefore the Holy Scriptures are most necessary, those former ways by which God revealed His will unto His people having now ceased."

Waldron, and many other Reformed Baptists interpret this section to mean that the position of the confession is necessarily one of cessationism, or, in other words, that many of the spiritual gifts listed in Scriptures no longer occur in the church. The language here is a direct reference to Hebrews 1:1-2. In addition the textual proofs also include Acts 1:21-22, I Corinthians 9:1, I Corinthians 15:7-8, and Ephesians 2:20. Conspicuously absent are the staple verses interpreted by cessationists to support their position, I Corinthians 13:10, and 2 Corinthians 12:11-12. Instead what we see in the context of the confession, along with the proof texts, is three primary concerns: the sufficiency of Scripture, the completeness of Scripture, and the guiding rule for the interpretation of Scripture.

The Scriptures are sufficient for their redemptive purpose; they are complete in what they contain as the Word of God, and the primary guiding rule for the interpretation of Scripture is Scripture itself. So long as a continuationist position does not violate those concerns, it does not violate the confession.

Now, to be clear, there is no argument that the majority of the writers of the confession, and of the Westminster Confession of Faith which this article of faith was taken from, did not believe that the gifts had continued. However, let us look at their context. First, they had to deal with the Roman Catholic Church, who believed that the continued use of these gifts validated the authority of their church tradition alongside and equal to that of the Bible. Second, they had to deal with Anabaptist sects who believed that leadings of the Holy Spirit could be of equal authority and guidance in the lives of the individual as were the Scriptures. It is as obvious why the Reformers rejected these notions of gifts as it is unfortunate that they extended this rejection to any use of the gifts in any way at all. As Waldron points out:"Both the Catholics, with their infallible pope and church, and some of the radical Reformers, with their claim to present revelations from the Spirit, denied or downgraded the necessity of Scriptures." He goes on further to say that "claims to continuing revelation conflict with the clear and fundamental statements of the Confession and the reformed and Puritan Christianity which it epitomizes". The continuing revelation, here , is that which adds to the Scriptures in any way, and it is this that Waldron insists is rejected by the confession. Since the continuationist position also rejects this sort of revelation, even by Waldron's strict cessationist position they are not in conflict with the confession. 

With this context, we understand clearly that the Reformers were rejecting authorities outside of Scripture and not explicitly rejecting the notion of gifts itself within their confession. (After all, the confession is a statement of what these men considered essential points of agreement, and is not intended to share everything they believe.)

As we have said, as long as a continuationist position does not violate the authority of the Word of God as laid out by this first article of the confession, it cannot be rightly said that confession teaches against continuationism, instead it is more properly stated that it teaches against adding to the Scripture in any way at all. The type of revelation that gave us Scripture, called verbal plenary inspiration, is done. The continuationist position would agree with this completely.

For an example of how the continuationist position works, I recommend the following article by Dr. Wayne Grudem: http://www.waynegrudem.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Why-Christians-Can-Still-Prophesy3.pdf

Conclusion

As Waldron points out, books upon books can be written on the first chapter of this confession, because the importance of the Scriptures and everything about them are beautiful and vital to the Christian faith. I will be composing one more section on the Scriptures, where the discussion will center on how the authority of Scripture is proved and ideas and implications for the revision of the confession, including the revision offered by Waldron.