Reformed Baptist

QIn order to understand the Reformed Baptist Church, we need to answer two preliminary questions: 1) What does it mean to be Baptist? 2) What does it mean to be Reformed?

To be Baptist is to be part of a church or denomination that, broadly speaking, holds to adult believer baptism (typically by full immersion) following a credible statement of faith as the only biblically acceptable way to administer the ordinance of baptism as commanded by our Lord in his Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20). This is the view called credobaptism (“believer” baptism), which is held over against the view of paedobaptism (“infant” baptism) that is commonly practiced by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and many continental Reformed churches.

Baptists also generally believe in the autonomy of the local congregation over the more hierarchically structured denominations such as Roman Catholicism (which is based on an episcopal model of church government) and Presbyterianism (which is based on a presbyterian model of church government).

Within this broad category there are many different types of Baptists who hold various views on soteriology (doctrine of salvation) and ecclesiology (church structure and governance). Some fundamentalist Baptist groups hold that the King James Version of the Bible is the only true, inspired version of the Bible in the English language. Other Baptist groups are so theologically liberal that they fall outside the boundaries of what is generally accepted as orthodox. All this to say that Baptists come in many different shapes and sizes, but nominally they are all unified on the doctrine of adult believer baptism.

Baptist history is also a bit difficult to trace. There are some Baptist groups that claim the Baptist tradition can be traced in an unbroken line back to New Testament times, somewhat akin to the Roman Catholic tradition of papal succession. Others claim that, while there was not an unbroken chain of Baptist churches going all the way back to New Testament times, there was a continuity of Baptist forms of faith going all the way back to the earliest beginnings of the church. The most commonly accepted view holds that Baptist tradition is traced back to the English Separatist movement of the early 17th century. The English Separatists were a group of individuals who were unsatisfied with the changes made during the English Reformation, which was part of the larger Reformation movement sweeping the Continent, and hence they separated from the Church of England. From this Separatist movement, two strains of Baptists emerged—General Baptists and Particular Baptists. This leads us to our second question, noted above: What does it mean to be Reformed?

Generally speaking, to be Reformed means to have one’s roots in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Reformers were those who protested against certain abuses within the Roman Catholic Church. It is often said that the Protestant Reformation had both a formal cause and a material cause. The material cause of the Reformation (i.e., the particulars of the dispute) was over what became the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. In other words, the debate centered on the question of how a man is made right before God. Rome’s basic answer to that question is that grace, faith, and Christ are all necessary, but they are, in and of themselves, not sufficient. The Reformers argued that grace, faith, and Christ are both necessary and sufficient.

The formal cause of the Reformation was the question of authority. What is the ultimate authority for the Christian in matters of faith and practice? For Rome, the answer is both Scripture and tradition. However, since, according to its dogma, the Roman Catholic Church is the source of both Scripture and tradition, as well as the infallible interpreter of both, the matter of authority essentially boils down to the Catholic Church alone. The Reformers believed that the Scriptures alone were the sole infallible rule for Christian faith and practice; hence the Bible is the ultimate authority in these matters. All other lesser authorities—church councils, synods, and church declarations—are only authoritative insofar as they conform to Scripture.

Inasmuch as Baptists are Protestant, they are Reformed in this general sense. However, there is a more specific sense of the word Reformed, and this is more germane to our discussion. Reformed in the more narrow sense refers to those groups that follow in the theological footsteps of John Calvin—in particular his doctrine of salvation. This is what separates the General Baptists from the Particular Baptists. The General Baptists are so called because they hold to a belief of general atonement—Jesus died to make all men, in a universal sense, savable. Particular Baptists hold to the Calvinistic understanding that Jesus died only for the elect, and He died to actually secure their salvation, i.e., particular atonement. Reformed Baptists flow out of this Particular Baptist stream.

Today there is no official Reformed Baptist denomination, but there are several federations of Reformed Baptist churches, such as the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches in America (ARBCA). Most Reformed Baptist churches subscribe to the London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) as their doctrinal standards; the 1689 LBCF is essentially the Westminster Confession of Faith reworded as it pertains to baptism. Some notable Reformed Baptists in history are John Bunyan, William Carey, and Charles Spurgeon.

Reference
https://www.gotquestions.org/

The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

The Charact er of God

The Holiness of God

Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor. Habakkuk 1:13

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. Isaiah 59:2

The Justice of God

For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face. Psalm 11:7

But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness. Isaiah 5:16

God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. Psalm 7:11-12

The Depravity & Condemnation of Man

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment Isaiah 64:6

For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.’ Galatians 3:10

The Great Dilemma

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD. Proverbs 17:15

Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You!

Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly? Genesis 18:25

God’s Act ion

While maintaining His holiness and justice, the Bible also affirms that God is love, and that in love He has responded to the plight of man.

Motivated by Love

God is love. By this the love of God is manifested in us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:8-10

The Cross of Christ

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26

The Resurrection

He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4:25

Man’s Response

Repentance begins with a recognition and confession that what God says about us is true that -we have sinned.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.

Psalm 51:3-4

A genuine recognition of our sinfulness and guilt will also lead to genuine sorrow, shame and even hatred for what we have done.

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. Romans 7:15

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death? Romans 7:24

Apparent sincerity of confession alone is never definite evidence of genuine repentance. It must be accompanied by a turning away from sin.

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil. Isaiah 1:16

. . . therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:10

Faith Defined

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 . . . and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Romans 4:21

Faith Based on The Promises of God

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved . . . ‘ Acts 16:31

Examp le of a Believer

… worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . . Philippians 3:3

The Basis of Genuine Assurance

True conversion: A true Christian is a new creation and will live a life that reflects God’s radical work of re-creation in his/her life.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? Matthew 7:16

Assurance is based upon self-examination in the light of Scripture.

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you- unless indeed you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13

Test of Biblical Assurance

1 John 1:5-7 (Walking in the Light), 1 John 1:8-10 (Confession of Sin), 1 John 2:3-4 (Obedience), 1 John 2:9-11 (Love for the Brethren), 1 John 2:15-17 (Hatred for the World), 1 John 2:24-25 (Perseverance in Doctrine), 1 John 3:10 (Righteousness), 1 John 4:13 (Spirit’s Testimony), Hebrews 12:5-8 (Discipline)

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining us!

Dodoma Reformed Baptist Church is a mission station of Lusaka Baptist Church with endeavor of propagating the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Tanzania and Dodoma in particular. This mission station is in it’s initial stages of exploring the possibilities of a Church plant in Tanzania. We are a located in Chang’ombe area on the north west Dodoma.
Lusaka Baptist was established in 1960. We are located on Lubu Road, in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia, Southern Africa and we celebrated our 50th anniversary in July 2010.

LBC is a reformed fellowship emphasizing the worship of the Triune God through prayer and the consistent, in-depth proclamation of His truth from the Holy Scriptures (holding to the 1689 London Baptist Confession).

The church itself includes members from all walks of life, and diverse ethnic and national origins. It’s difficult to summarize the culture and essence of a church, but you can learn more about us by reading through what we believeour history, and our ministries.