When a Good Thing Goes Wrong: The Danger of Confessionalism

As Baptists, and particularly as Reformed Baptists, we are heirs of a rich confessional heritage. The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1677/1689) remains one of the finest summaries of biblical doctrine ever produced. It was written not to replace Scripture but to summarize what its authors believed Scripture teaches. The confession itself begins by affirming that Holy Scripture is the "only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience" (The 1689 Baptist Confession, n.d.). 

In a day marked by theological confusion, confessions provide valuable doctrinal boundaries. They help churches identify truth, preserve orthodoxy, train leaders, and promote unity around shared biblical convictions. Reformed Baptists should not apologize for being confessional. Historically, Baptists have repeatedly used confessions as public declarations of faith and as safeguards against theological drift (Second London Baptist Confession, 1689/1989; Steffaniak, 2024). 

Yet every good gift can be misused. 

One of the recurring dangers in confessional churches is confessionalism—an unhealthy elevation of a confession beyond the purpose for which it was intended. Confessionalism occurs when a church begins to treat a human doctrinal standard as practically untouchable, giving it an authority that belongs only to Scripture. 

A confession possesses real authority, but it is a derived authority, not an ultimate authority. The confession is authoritative only because it faithfully summarizes biblical teaching. Scripture itself remains in the final court of appeal. The framers of the 1689 Confession never intended for later generations to substitute the confession for the Bible. Rather, they viewed the confession as a public testimony to biblical truth (Second London Baptist Confession, 1689/1989). 

Confessionalism often reveals itself in subtle ways. A church member may raise a sincere biblical question regarding a confessional formulation and be treated as though he has questioned Scripture itself. Ministers may be judged not by the faithfulness of their exposition of the Word but by whether they perfectly reproduce every historical interpretation held by the confession's original authors. In some circles, subscription to a confession becomes a greater test of fellowship than faithfulness to Christ and His gospel. Recent discussions among Reformed Baptists have noted the danger of forms of subscription that effectively require agreement not only with the confession itself but also with every philosophical or theological assumption behind it (Whisonant, 2023). 

History provides several examples of this danger. 

One example emerged in some eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Baptist contexts where rigid confessional subscription became so strict that ministers were expected to affirm every phrase and implication of a confession without qualification. While confessions were intended to foster unity, overly rigid subscriptions sometimes created unnecessary divisions among otherwise orthodox believers. The history of subscription debates demonstrates that churches have long wrestled with balancing doctrinal accountability and Christian liberty (Foreman, 2022; Steffaniak, 2024). 

Another example can be seen in certain strands of modern Reformed Baptist life where confessional identity can become a badge of spiritual superiority. Some observers within confessional Baptist circles have warned against "hyper-confessionalism," where adherence to a confession promotes sectarianism, suspicion, judgmentalism, or a cold orthodoxy detached from humility and charity (Foreman, 2022). 

Ironically, confessionalism may undermine the very doctrine of sola Scriptura that the confession was written to defend. The Reformers and Particular Baptists insisted that all human formulations remain subject to correction by God's Word. Once a confession becomes practically immune from examination, it begins functioning in ways its authors never intended (Second London Baptist Confession, 1689/1989). 

Confessionalism can also discourage careful Bible study. Instead of searching the Scriptures like the Bereans, believers may be tempted to settle theological questions merely by appealing to a confessional paragraph. The confession becomes the destination rather than a guide pointing us back to God's Word. Healthy confessionalism encourages Christians to know both the confession and the biblical texts upon which it is built. 

The solution is not less confessionalism in the historic Baptist sense, but more biblical confessionalism. We should gladly affirm our doctrinal standards while maintaining the distinction between the inspired Word of God and uninspired human summaries of biblical doctrine. We should love our confessions, teach our confessions, and use our confessions. But we must never place them beside Scripture. 

A helpful question for every confessional church is this: Would we be more concerned if someone challenged our confession or if someone challenged Scripture? The answer reveals where our ultimate authority lies. 

The churches of the Spurgeon Baptist Association should strive to be deeply biblical and joyfully confessional. We need neither doctrinal minimalism nor confessional absolutism. Rather, we need the balance embodied by our Baptist forefathers—firm convictions, humble hearts, and an unwavering commitment to the supreme authority of God's Word. 

As Charles Spurgeon wrote in his endorsement of the Baptist Confession, such documents are valuable aids for instruction and unity, but they remain subordinate to Scripture. That is precisely where every confession belongs: respected, valued, and faithfully used—but always standing beneath the authority of Scripture. 

“To the law and to the testimony!” (Isaiah 8:20). Every confession must ultimately bow before the Word of God. 

References 

Foreman, M. (2022). Subscription among Reformed Baptist churches: The proper use of the confession. Academia.edu. 

Second London Baptist Confession. (1689/1989). The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. Various editions. 

Steffaniak, J. (2024, July 29). Baptists and confessions: In defense of subscription. The London Lyceum. 

The 1689 Baptist Confession. (n.d.). The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith. https://baptistconfession.org/ 

Whisonant, C. (2023). The descent of Christ and confessional subscription. Alpha and Omega Ministries.