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What Is A Reformed Baptist?
According to the Founders Ministries, Tom Hicks serves as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Clinton, LA. He also serves on the board of directors for Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary and is an adjunct professor of historical theology for the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies. I was recently asked to give a response to his article entitled “What is a Reformed Baptist”. I submit the following, believing it may be of help to others who are examining the differences between the Reformed and Particular Baptists. Tom Hicks writes:
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A Comparison Between The Covenantalism Of Moderate And High (Hyper) Calvinism
Based on the chart presented in R. C. Sproul's book, "What Is Reformed Theology", Jared Smith demonstrates the difference between the covenantalism of Moderate and High (Hyper) Calvinists.
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Covenant Theology And The Particular Baptists
The Reformed Baptist denomination, a section of which has amped up its claims to be the modern day representatives of the English Particular Baptists (PB's), subscribe to a seventeenth century covenantal framework reflective of the Westminster Confession and that of Presbyterianism. In their view, (1) the covenant of redemption is relegated to the backdrop of an ‘eternity past’ with (2) a conditional covenant of works God made with Adam before the Fall (requiring of him perfect obedience to the heart-law) and (3) a conditional covenant of grace God made (or promised to make) with sinners after the Fall (requiring of them saving faith in Christ). Because they have adopted the 1689 Baptist Confession as their denominational statement of faith, they believe this entitles them to…
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The Gracious Invitations Of Our Lord
“Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”—Isaiah 55:3 In this chapter we have set forth God's call to Gentile nations, as is evident from the fifth verse. In opening our text, may the Lord grant us His manifest presence and aid, while we consider— I. THE CHARACTER ADDRESSED.—All Scripture invitations are to character. It is not everybody indiscriminately who is invited to partake of Gospel privileges; but certain individuals are, whose characters are described in the invitation. Thus, when the Saviour says, "Come unto Me,'' He addresses the weary and heavy laden; and, when He describes those He came to call, He says, "Not…
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The Everlasting Covenant
The things of the "everlasting covenant'' are stable things, for they are eternal; and these everlasting things are, to the people of God, precious things, because they are things connected with their salvation. They are loved with the everlasting love of God. They inherit the everlasting blessing; and, as they are interested in the everlasting covenant, they also have an everlasting inheritance, for their inheritance is the everlasting God. When these things are felt in the heart, they are found to be comfortable things in the case of all, the foundation of whose hope is the Lord Jesus, who is, as the promise runs, "A Stone, a tried Stone, a precious Corner-Stone, a sure Foundation," against which the gates of hell cannot prevail. And the…
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Study 10: Review Of The First Three Chapters
I began the series with a general overview of the structure and framework of the book. The letter may be divided into four main sections: Sandwiched between an introduction (1:1-17) and a conclusion (15:14-16:27), there are two central questions the Apostle answers. First, why are sinners under the condemnation of God? This is answered in (1:18-3:18), with Paul explaining how the human race comes into the world under the authority of the covenant of works, and therefore made subject to the law inscribed upon their hearts, which was a blessing to Adam and Eve before the Fall, but is now a curse to all transgressors. He shows how the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who stand…
