The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith

Chapter 2: God and the Holy Trinity

2.1 The Lord our God is the one and only living and true God. [1]

His substance is in and of himself, he is infinite in being and perfection. [2] His essence cannot be understood by any but himself. [3] He is an absolutely pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts or passions. He alone has immortality, living in light which no one can approach. [4] He is immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, in every way infinite, perfectly holy, perfectly wise, absolutely free, completely absolute. [5] He works all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and entirely righteous will for his own glory. [6]

He is perfectly loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth; he forgives iniquity, transgression and sin. [7] He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him, yet at the same time he is entirely just and terrible in his judgements, hating all sin, and he will by no means clear the guilty. [8]

  1. Deuteronomy 6:4    Jeremiah 10:10    1 Corinthians 8:4,6    1 Thessalonians 1:9   
  2. Isaiah 48:12   
  3. Exodus 3:14    Job 11:7-8    Job 26:14    Psalms 145:3    Romans 11:33-34   
  4. John 4:24    1 Timothy 1:17    Deuteronomy 4:15-16    Luke 24:39    Acts 14:11,15    James 5:17   
  5. Malachi 3:6    James 1:17    1 Kings 8:27    Jeremiah 23:23-24    Psalms 90:2    1 Timothy 1:17    Genesis 17:1    Revelation 4:8    Isaiah 6:3    Romans 16:27    Psalms 115:3    Exodus 3:14   
  6. Ephesians 1:11    Isaiah 46:10    Proverbs 16:4    Romans 11:36   
  7. Exodus 34:6-7    1 John 4:8   
  8. Hebrews 11:6    Nehemiah 9:32-33    Psalms 5:4-6    Nahum 1:2-3    Exodus 34:7   

2.2 God has all life, glory, goodness, blessedness in and of himself; he is unique in being, all-sufficient in and to himself, not standing in need of any creature which he has made, nor deriving any glory from them, but rather demonstrating his own glory in them, through them, to them, and upon them. [1]

He alone is the source of all being, from whom, through whom, and to whom are all things;

He has absolute sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do through them, for them, or to them whatever he pleases. [2]

In his sight all things are open and plain, his knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent of created beings, so for him nothing is contingent or uncertain. [3]

He is perfectly holy in all his plans, in all his works, and in all his commands. [4]

Angels and human beings owe him, as creatures to the Creator, worship, service, and obedience, and whatever else he is pleased to require of them. [5]

  1. John 5:26    Acts 7:2    Psalms 148:13    Psalms 119:68    1 Timothy 6:15    Job 22:2-3    Acts 17:24-25   
  2. Revelation 4:11    1 Timothy 6:15    Romans 11:34-36    Daniel 4:25,34-35   
  3. Hebrews 4:13    Romans 11:33-34    Psalms 147:5    Acts 15:18    Ezekiel 11:5   
  4. Psalms 145:17    Romans 7:12   
  5. Revelation 5:12-14   

2.3 In this divine and infinite Being there are three persons, the Father, the Son (or the Word) and the Holy Spirit. [1] They are one in substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet this essence is undivided. [2]

The Father is not derived from anyone, he is neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. [3] All three are infinite, without beginning, and therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being. Yet they are distinguished by several distinctive characteristics and personal relations.

This doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our fellowship with God, and of the comfort of our dependence on him.

  1. Matthew 3:16-17    Matthew 28:19    2 Corinthians 13:14   
  2. Exodus 3:14    John 14:11    1 Corinthians 8:4-6   
  3. Proverbs 8:22-31    John 1:1-3,14,18    John 3:16    John 10:36    John 15:26    John 16:28    Hebrews 1:2    1 John 4:14    Galatians 4:4-6   

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Acknowledgements

The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith was rewritten in modern English by Andrew Kerkham. It is reproduced here with his permission and under a Creative Commons license. Mr. Kerkham's original version can be found here.

Extended footnotes are from Sam Waldron's book A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith and are used here by permission.

Scripture from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2000, Crossway Bibles, www.crossway.com. Used by permission.