Are Reformed Baptists Truly "Reformed"? A Charitable Conversation with Dr. Timothy Decker

[@petrapublications]

Great conversation, guys! I am a Reformed Baptist. It is good hearing stuff like this. Thank you! EDIT: Since the time of making this comment, I have transitioned from Reformed Baptist to Presbyterian.

[@SpotterVideo]

Why does the 1689 LBCF leave out the term "New Covenant", which is what is found in the Bible? Should this confession be updated to reflect what is found below? New Covenant Whole Gospel: Let us now share the Old Testament Gospel found below with the whole world. On the road to Emmaus He said the Old Testament is about Him. He is the very Word of God in John 1:1, 14. Awaken Church to this truth. Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by husband unto them, saith the LORD: Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Is the most important genealogy in the Bible found in Matthew 1:1 (Gal. 3:16)? Is God's Son the ultimate fulfillment of Israel (John 1:49)? Why has the modern Church done a pitiful job of sharing the Gospel with modern Orthodox Jews? Why would someone tell them they are God's chosen people and then fail to share the Gospel with them? Who is the seed of the woman promised in Genesis 3:15? Who is the "son" in Psalm 2? Who is the "suffering servant" of Isaiah 53? Who would fulfill the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34? Who would fulfill the timeline of Daniel chapter 9 before the second temple was destroyed? Why have we not heard this simple Old Testament Gospel preached on Christian television in the United States on a regular basis? Once a person comes to understand the New Covenant promised to Israel and Judah in Jeremiah 31:31-34, which is found fulfilled by Christ during the first century in Hebrews 8:6-13, and Hebrews 10:16-18, and specifically applied to the Church in 2 Corinthians 3:6-8, and Hebrews 12:22-24, man-made Bible doctrines fall apart. Let us now learn to preach the whole Gospel until He comes back. The King of Israel is risen from the dead! (John 1:49, Acts 2:36) Watch the KZbin videos “The New Covenant” by Bob George, and David H.J. Gay.

[@michealferrell1677]

It’s ok , yiu didn’t go far

[@churchhymnsandpsalms]

Great conversation. Thanks for this from a reformed Baptist.

[@petrapublications]

Same!

[@chrisjohnson9542]

Thank you for the charitable and fruitful conversation. God bless you both. As someone who would identify as a reformed baptist I am so grateful for the puritan and reformed brothers and sisters who have come before us. Who have greatly helped me to arrive at many of the important biblical convictions that I hold. I still have so much to learn. Matt thank you for your gentle and gracious heart. Thank you for holding fast the faith in a gracious and loving way. All glory be to God.

[@salvadaXgracia]

Great conversation, Pastor Matt. Thanks for this interview!

[@peterdsharris]

Wonderful conversation with much humility. Great to see this

[@vichanson50]

Forgot to add that I appreciated the video. I'm a Reformed Baptist, have been a career missionary with the Conservative Baptists and as a volunteer with the Southern Baptists. I'm a big fan of Founder's Ministry, a Reformed movement that started among the Southern Baptists.

[@michealferrell1677]

This was a great interview!

[@scottcoard1486]

very interesting. thanks for putting that together.

[@PastorCleveland]

Learned a lot I didn't know about the Baptist confessions. Thanks, Timothy!

[@delboyfp]

Excellent from a reformed Baptist 1689

[@petrapublications]

Same!

[@antoniopalma2768]

Hey Pastor Matt, could you do a video on theonomy? I’m curious to know your thoughts. Blessings to you!

[@christopherchoa]

Great discussion

[@redknightsr69]

The church plant I go to comes out of Roanoke, VA. If you guys are ever in Richmond, VA, Church of the Incarnation ACNA.

[@michealferrell1677]

I’d like to see more interviews with 1689 Baptists

[@roaddawgbowser1689]

Not only would Thomas Goodwin and John Owen be excluded as reformed based on the connectionalism but so would Johnathan Edwards no?

[@rsm1161]

The only thing that bugs me is we reformed folk in general are supposed to be "always reforming". It seems that reformed prebys and baptists alike are starting to get stagnate and legalistic of their own rules instead of treading new ground with research like our heritage was so great at doing.

[@randomdad1234]

Hey, that’s my professor! Great job Dr.Decker 👍 and thank you Pastor Matt for the content.

[@levimercedes6029]

Seems to me like Timothy needs to start a KZbin channel to fill the void of Reformed Baptist voices on the platform 👀

[@SpotterVideo]

Why do the man-made confessions of "Reformed Covenant" Theology leave out the term "New Covenant", which is found in the Bible? Should these confessions be updated to agree with the Bible? New Covenant Whole Gospel: Let us now share the Old Testament Gospel found below with the whole world. On the road to Emmaus He said the Old Testament is about Him. He is the very Word of God in John 1:1, 14. Awaken Church to this truth. Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by husband unto them, saith the LORD: Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Is the most important genealogy in the Bible found in Matthew 1:1 (Gal. 3:16)? Is God's Son the ultimate fulfillment of Israel (John 1:49)? Why has the modern Church done a pitiful job of sharing the Gospel with modern Orthodox Jews? Why would someone tell them they are God's chosen people and then fail to share the Gospel with them? Who is the seed of the woman promised in Genesis 3:15? Who is the "son" in Psalm 2? Who is the "suffering servant" of Isaiah 53? Who would fulfill the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34? Who would fulfill the timeline of Daniel chapter 9 before the second temple was destroyed? Why have we not heard this simple Old Testament Gospel preached on Christian television in the United States on a regular basis? Once a person comes to understand the New Covenant promised to Israel and Judah in Jeremiah 31:31-34, which is found fulfilled by Christ during the first century in Hebrews 8:6-13, and Hebrews 10:16-18, and specifically applied to the Church in 2 Corinthians 3:6-8, and Hebrews 12:22-24, man-made Bible doctrines fall apart. Let us now learn to preach the whole Gospel until He comes back. The King of Israel is risen from the dead! (John 1:49, Acts 2:36) Watch the KZbin videos “The New Covenant” by Bob George, and David H.J. Gay.

[@ChiSoter_2024]

How about the non-reformed baptist?

[@makarov138]

The thing that is most common among Baptists is that after the historical book of Acts ends, they no nothing else about the history of first century Israel.

[@vichanson50]

You said that GARB was the General Association of Reformed Baptists but actually it is Regular Baptists, not reformed. There is nothing about being Reformed on their website, however this showed up on a Google search for their website, under the heading Are the GARB Reformed? "Regular Baptists are "a moderately Calvinistic Baptist sect that is found chiefly in the southern U.S., represents the original English Baptists before the division into Particular and General Baptists, and observes closed communion and foot washing", according to Merriam Webster." There wasn't anything about foot washing on their website either.

[@PresbyterianPaladin]

Hey Pastor Matt, I was wondering if you could do a video on whether or not someone could be either an elder (teaching or ruling)or deacon in the PCA while being a Molinist? I am a member of a PCA church and can affirm the whole Westminster Confession/Catechisms and even the 5 points of Tulip, but the way I parse those things out utilizes God's middle knowledge as articulated by Luis De Molina. I feel called to become a pastor myself and I love and want to serve the PCA, but wonder if my holding to Molinism would prevent me from doing so?

[@darrenlee1480]

no you can't, you need strictly hold onto a monergistic rather than synergistic view, the WCF does not affirm a synergistic view at all.

[@squrpion]

I don't know if I'm Baptist or Presbyterian yet. After discovering Reformed theology, I've been questioning everything. I'm still a baby when it comes to Covenant theology. What I don't understand is why a Reformed Baptist would think someone needs rebaptized? I haven't found one example in Scripture where a person is baptized into the name of Jesus more than once. Baptists like to hammer Presbyterians with a lack of examples when it comes to paedobaptism, but I don't see any examples of rebaptism with our Lord's baptism. I would assume they don't believe the baptism is valid?

[@jamesskinner1902]

Baptists believe the Bible teaches believers baptism only. Perhaps one example of a rebaptism is in acts 19:1-4.

[@squrpion]

@@jamesskinner1902 Acts 19 is the reason I specified "into the name of Jesus". These people were baptized into John's baptism, then into our Lord's. But nowhere in Scripture is someone baptized into the name of Jesus more than once.

[@jamesskinner1902]

@@squrpion your assumption that baptists believe one who has never come to faith but is baptised is invalid is correct. It's not just about being baptised in the name of the Lord, if the person never believed in the first place it means nothing.

[@JosephsCoat]

The 1689 mentions nothing of rebaptism. As a result, many Reformed Baptists actually do not require a believer’s baptism for new members/believers who were already baptized. As far as answering your Baptist VS Presbyterianism question, you have to look completely beyond baptism itself and more at the covenant in which it represents. The disagreement is over Covenant Theology, not baptism. Read Calvin and Sproul for the Presbyterian perspective. Best to read Owen/Coxe, Pink, Renihan, and Barcellos for the Baptist perspective. Denault’s book comparing and contrasting the historic credobaptist and pedobaptiat views is going to be a fantastic source to help you with this question. And even still, if you’re like me, you might quietly admit the other side may be right!

[@jamesskinner1902]

@@JosephsCoat Yes I've read Denault's book a few weeks ago which was well done. Presbyterian's try to argue children are under the covenant of grace but the Bible teaches only believers are under the covenant of grace. It is a blessing that children have believing parents but they are not under the covenant of grace given many never come to believe in christ. I find the Presbyterian arguments rather weak and appears to be a constructional argument and instead appears to be a hangover from Roman Catholicism that they tried to read back into the Bible to defend their position.

[@Amilton5Solas]

There is no reformed churches in my city it’s frustrating. I go to a regular Baptist church.

[@russellhenckel2887]

Same here. It is indeed frustrating

[@jcpg9592]

Excellent conversion. While Timothy makes a valid point in that in the 17th century there were non Presbyterians who we should consider Reformed, I think it is safe to say that in the 21st century the congregational model has been a complete and abject failure (just look at Mark Driscoll). I would say that today in order to be considered Reformed, one must also be part of a presbytery/synod

[@StudioEnergizerMV]

Reformed baptists are reformed in the category of salvation primarily. Sometimes eschatology comes in but normally not.

[@jcpg9592]

@@StudioEnergizerMV good point and very true. I love my 1689 brothers on soteriology and much more!

[@1lebero]

This is how broken the modern church is in America, wasting time discussing some nonsense about whether Reformed Baptist are truly "reformed" with some random men on a youtube channel making the decision.

[@paulbaysa9133]

BAPTWIST 😲

[@truth7416]

Galatians 1: 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! If you talk to a MORMON about their founder Joseph Smith who invented the movement in 1820. If you were to say that it is heresy for Joseph Smith to say that Jesus was just an ordinary man like any man, that then evolved into a god who then created this universe. And he also teaches that all men will evolve to god hood and then create their own universes. They and their wives will then create and populate that universe by their off spring. The first thing they do is...... DEFEND THE FOUNDER!! DEFEND HIS DISCIPLES !! If you talk to a JEHOVAH WITNESS about their founder Charles Taze Russell who invented the movement in 1870. If you were to say that it is heresy for Charles Russell to say that Jesus was really Michael the Arch Angel that came to earth and became Jesus for a period of time and is now back being an Angel. The first thing they do is..... DEFEND THE FOUNDER!! DEFEND HIS DISCIPLES!! If you talk to a MUSLIM about their founder Muhammad who invented the movement in 570 AD. If you were to say that it is heresy Muhammad to say that Jesus was just a minor prophet and not God in the flesh. The first thing they do is.... DEFEND THE FOUNDER!! DEFEND THE HIS DISCIPLES!! If you talk to a CALVINIST about their founder John Calvin who invented the movement in 1536. If you were to say that it is heresy for John Calvin to say Quote "God arranges all things by his sovereign counsel, in such a way that individuals are born, who are doomed from the womb to certain death and are to glorify him by their destruction.( John Calvin Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 23, Paragraph 6) and “The devil, and the whole train of the ungodly, are in all directions, held in by the hand of God as with a bridle, so that they can neither conceive any mischief, nor plan what they have conceived, nor how muchsoever they may have planned, move a single finger to perpetrate, unless in so far as he permits, nay unless in so far as he commands, that they are not only bound by his fetters but are even forced to do him service” (John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter 17, Paragraph 11) The first thing they do is .... DEFEND THE FOUNDER!! DEFEND HIS DISCIPLES!! Lets look at the greatest living disciple of Calvinism living today John Piper and what he has to say. QUOTE from is website... "God . . . brings about all things in accordance with his will. In other words, it isn’t just that God manages to turn the evil aspects of our world to good for those who love him; it is rather that he himself brings about these evil aspects for his glory (see Ex. 9:13-16; John 9:3) and his people’s good (see Heb. 12:3-11; James 1:2-4). This includes-as incredible and as unacceptable as it may currently seem-God’s having even brought about the Nazis’ brutality at Birkenau and Auschwitz as well as the terrible killings of Dennis Rader and even the sexual abuse of a young child . . . If you talk to a Christian about their founder The LORD JESUS CHRIST who started the movement before the Universe began. If you were to say that it is heresy to say that Jesus is the Son of God! The Messiah! The saviour of the World! God in the Flesh! The only true God! The Creator! Love! The first thing the Christian would do is.... DEFEND THE CREATOR!! DEFEND HIS DISCIPLES!! They would turn to Gods Word, like: TRUTH IN LOVE

[@darwinnewman6147]

Love your video! !!! Easy video ranking = Promo'SM!!!

[@philagon]

In my opinion, no, but more importantly they are Christians.

[@truth7416]

THIS IS YOUR REALITY OF REFORMED CALVINISM SHAME ON YOU ! “We call predestination God’s eternal decree, by which he compacted with himself what he willed to become of each man. For all are not created in equal condition; rather, eternal life is fore-ordained for some, eternal damnation for others.” (John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 21, Paragraph 5) “…we say that God once established by his eternal and unchangeable plan those whom he long before determined once for all to receive into salvation, and those whom, on the other hand, he would devote to destruction…he has barred the door of life to those whom he has given over to damnation.” (John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 21, Paragraph 7) God arranges all things by his sovereign counsel, in such a way that individuals are born, who are doomed from the womb to certain death and are to glorify him by their destruction.( John Calvin Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 23, Paragraph 6 John Piper: "God . . . brings about all things in accordance with his will. In other words, it isn’t just that God manages to turn the evil aspects of our world to good for those who love him; it is rather that he himself brings about these evil aspects for his glory (see Ex. 9:13-16; John 9:3) and his people’s good (see Heb. 12:3-11; James 1:2-4). This includes-as incredible and as unacceptable as it may currently seem-God’s having even brought about the Nazis’ brutality at Birkenau and Auschwitz as well as the terrible killings of Dennis Rader and even the sexual abuse of a young child . . . Quote from Luthers own writings: “Burn their synagogues. Forbid them all that I have mentioned above. Force them to work and treat them with every kind of severity, as Moses did in the desert and slew three thousand… If that is no use, we must drive them away like mad dogs, in order that we may not be partakers of their abominable blasphemy and of all their vices, and in order that we may not deserve the anger of God and be damned with them. I have done my duty. Let everyone see how he does his. I am excused.” (About the Jews and Their Lies,’ quoted by O’Hare, in ‘The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, p. 290.) “ If I had to baptize a Jew, I would take him to the bridge of the Elbe, hang a stone round his neck and push him over with the words I baptize thee in the name of Abraham” (Grisar, “Luther”, Vol. V. pg. 413.) “The Jews deserve to be hanged on gallows seven times higher than ordinary thieves.”(Weimar, Vol. 53, Pg. 502.) Luther was a Calvinist before Calvin. Luther teaches: “…with regard to God, and in all that bears on salvation or damnation, (man) has no ‘free-will’, but is a captive, prisoner and bond slave, either to the will of God, or to the will of Satan.” (From the essay, ‘Bondage of the Will,’ ‘Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings, ed. by Dillenberger, Anchor Books, 1962 p. 190.) “…we do everything of necessity and nothing by ‘free-will’; for the power of ‘free-will’ is nil…” (Ibid., p. 188.) “Man is like a horse. Does God leap into the saddle? The horse is obedient and accommodates itself to every movement of the rider and goes whither he wills it. Does God throw down the reins? Then Satan leaps upon the back of the animal, which bends, goes and submits to the spurs and caprices of its new rider… Therefore, necessity, not free will, is the controlling principle of our conduct. God is the author of what is evil as well as of what is good, and, as He bestows happiness on those who merit it not, so also does He damn others who deserve not their fate.” (‘De Servo Arbitrio’, 7, 113 seq., quoted by O’Hare, in ‘The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, pp. 266-267.) “His (Judas) will was the work of God; God by His almighty power moved his will as He does all that is in this world.” (De servo Arbitrio, against man’s free will.) LET THE READER DECIDE WHAT IS TRUTH The above is the unvarnished truth of what the Cult of Calvinism stands for! Gods Word says to the false teachers of Calvinism and all other false religions: Matthew 23: 15-16 15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. 16Woe to you, blind guides! “If anyone causes one of these little ones-those who believe in me-to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! Matthew 18 6-7 Your Calvinist arguments have made you an enemy to the grace of God to His created human beings. You unknowingly have become an agent of Satan's kingdom. Wake up and give your head a shake. You are guilty by association with these Calvinist ant-gospel players. TRUTH IN LOVE

[@jordyE..]

We are not enemies of the grace of God, we believe in it! We believe salvation is open to all who WANT it. (John 6v37,7v37)

[@truth7416]

@@jordyE.. If you are a Calvinist Reformed Theology follower you are lying. The above texts show that to the Calvinist religion God forces you to be saved and forces you to stay saved no matter what you want. Calvinist always pretend to be Christians and follow Christ. They do not! They are in the CULT of John Calvin. Plain and simple. TRUTH IN LOVE 1 Timothy 2 : 3-6 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. Acts 2 :21And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off-.... John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. If you are really interested in learning more about God, I highly recommend these teachers you can find on youtube. Dr Flowers Soteriology 101

[@jordyE..]

@@truth7416 Calvinists don’t follow John Calvin, we follow Jesus Christ just like provisionists I watch Leighton regularly, and I’m pretty sure I’ve talked with you before on his page. I appreciate Leighton as a brother in Christ and I also appreciate Matthew Everhard as a brother in Christ, to get the order of salvation mixed up is not a salvation issue and you shouldn’t make it into one.

[@truth7416]

@@jordyE.. So lets see if I get this straight. You just stated that quote. "Calvinists don’t follow John Calvin," That is like a Nazi saying he does not follow Hitler! If you had anything to say you would denounce John Calvin as a heretic and call yourself a Christian. The reason you call yourself a Calvinist is because you don't follow the real Jesus! You follow John Calvin's jesus. Do you even see what you said? "Calvinists don’t follow John Calvin," This is no couch game. You are hindering the Holy Spirit and those who seek him. TRUTH IN LOVE

[@jordyE..]

@@truth7416 I am a Christian first and foremost, and John Calvin was also a Christian. He got things wrong just like everybody else, but that doesn’t make him a heretic.. I fully anticipate John Calvin to be in heaven - saved by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ

[@procop4063]

I can't believe at the nit-picking between two professing Bible Believing Christians. I'm a born again Christian who attends an independent Baptist Church. The Bible is the final authority. You guys are arguing over church polity....human opinions. That is pathetic and wrong. It leads to all kinds of arguments over infant baptism over believers baptism. I am a Born Again Christian who attends an Independent Baptist Church. What do you guys worship.