SERMON: “A Calvinistic Baptist? Our Heritage” (Rom. 8:29–30, Various)

“A Calvinistic Baptist? Our Heritage”
(Rom. 8:29–30, Various)

Series:               “Reformation Day Sermons” #8        Text:                 Romans 8:29–30, Various

By:                    Shaun Marksbury                         Date:                October 26, 2025

Venue:              Living Water Baptist Church            Occasion:          PM Service

 

I.                    Introduction

What is the most hated word among Baptists?  One might be “sprinkle” — we like them on our doughnuts, but we don’t sprinkle people at baptism!  There are several more that qualify, but the word Calvinism seems to be the worst at times.

It seemed like Calvinism was a boogie man growing up in Baptist circles.  Preachers made sure to disparage it from pulpits.  I remember the largest Southern Baptist church in Jacksonville, Florida holding conferences to address the “Calvinist” problem in the convention.  Before my wife and I moved to California so I could attend the Master’s University and Seminary, a well-meaning brother sat me down to warn me that John MacArthur was a Calvinist; he was surprised when I said I was one, as well!

That seems to be the general experience of many people who have grown up in Baptist churches.  I heard once of a dear older lady who was invited to our church, but she heard of my theological leanings, and she said she could never come because she’s an actual Baptist.  I chuckle about stories like that, but some have felt targeted and slandered.

We noted this morning that the Baptists have come from English Reformation.  And, in the defense of some of our anti-Calvinistic Baptist brethren, some of the earliest Baptists did embrace an Arminian viewpoint — the General Baptists.  Still, others (known as the Particular Baptists) embraced a Calvinistic perspective.

We’re going to consider the strong Calvinistic heritage in Baptist churches.  We want to see how this has shaped confessions from London straight to our pews through three points.  First, we’ll briefly consider the documents that shape us.  Then, we’ll take a good portion of our time considering the doctrines that shape us.  Finally, we’ll take just a few minutes to note the direction that shapes us. 

Let’s see that we are in line with Baptist history by considering the first point:

II.                 First, the Documents that Shape Us (Rom. 8:29–30)

Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers; and those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified.

You’ve probably done a family tree assignment for school or done some ancestry work through some service.  There was an assignment I had in seminary where I had to do a spiritual “family tree,” tracking the history of our current churches back as far as we could.  It was fascinating to see how our traditions came to be.

As we trace the tree of Baptist history, we find some of its roots in confessional documents articulating a robust Calvinistic theology.  These confessions weren't mere opinions.  Rather, they were documents that clarified and unified Particular Baptists amid persecution and theological turmoil.

Let’s start with the First London Baptist Confession of 1644, revised in 1646.  Drafted by seven churches in London, this document was issued to defend Particular Baptist beliefs against charges of Anabaptist radicalism.  It also affirmed a Calvinistic soteriology, stating, “Christ died especially for His elect.”  This phrase underscores the that Christ’s atonement was for particular people — those chosen by God — hence, they were “Particular Baptists.”

Two years later, in 1646, the same churches issued a revised version.  They received drafts of the Westminster Confession that was nearly completed and decided to restructure their confession to better mirror that confession.  Baptists wanted to demonstrate that their beliefs were not that different, especially in regards to salvation.  They merely adapted the Westminster’s to affirm believer’s baptism and a congregational polity.  The Particular Baptists, unlike their General counterparts, saw salvation as God's initiative from start to finish, not contingent on human will.

Building on this, the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 stands as a pinnacle of Baptist confessionalism.  Adopted by over a hundred churches, it closely mirrored the Westminster and Savoy Confessions while clarifying Baptist views on baptism and church polity.  We’ll note in a few minutes the Calvinistic doctrines of grace.  For instance, Chapter 3 on God's Decree states: “ Those of mankind that are predestinated to life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of His mere free grace and love, without any other thing in the creature as a condition or cause moving Him thereunto.”  This was drawn from Scriptures like Romans 8:30, which in the LSB reads, “and those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified.”

The 1689 Confession was adopted by the Philadelphia Association in 1742, becoming a foundational document for American Baptists.  This influenced Southern churches profoundly.  We’ll talk more about the American churches in a little while.

Across the pond, though, key figures like Benjamin Keach, a London pastor and 1689 signatory, embodied this heritage.  Keach, a hymn-singing Calvinist, defended believer's baptism while preaching sovereign grace.  His The Marrow of True Justification echoes Romans 8:30, emphasizing that justification flows from God's eternal plan.  His catechism is the basis for the catechism that we use in our worship services.

Fast forwarding a bit, we get to Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892), who amplified this voice.  Preaching from the 1689 weekly at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Spurgeon reprinted it in 1855 and sent thousands of copies to America.  His influence is so great that non-Calvinist Baptist pastors quote him regularly, some unaware of his staunch particular views.   His pulpit thundered: “Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.”

Why is this such an important point in these documents?  Romans 8:29–30 form what theologians call the “golden chain of redemption.”  Again, we read, “Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers; and those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified.”  This passage is a crescendo in Paul's argument about the believer’s security in Christ. 

After declaring in verse 28 that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose,” Paul explains the basis: God’s eternal plan.  Verse 29 links it with “because,” and then talks about “those whom He foreknew.”  The term “foreknew” is a verb indicating intimate, relational knowledge, as in Amos 3:2 where God “knows” Israel uniquely.  God sets His love on specific individuals before time.

We read that God “also predestined” them.  This term means mark out boundaries beforehand.  The goal is “to become conformed to the image of His Son,” to become more Christlike.  We should be like Him, “so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.”  Christ is preeminent (Col. 1:18), the elder brother in God's family.

Verse 30 continues the chain: “Those whom He predestined, He also called.”  This call isn't a general invitation but that effectual summons, as in Romans 1:6–7.  Note how the called are treated — they are “justified,” declared righteous through faith, and finally “glorified” — a prophetic promise of future security. 

This chain is unbreakable; no link fails.  For us, this means assurance: If God foreknew you, He’ll glorify you.

These documents have shaped us.  They anchor our faith in God’s unchanging Word.  They remind us that our Baptist heritage isn't a rejection of Reformation theology but its faithful extension.  In our church, we are part of this tree — not as slaves to tradition, but as heirs of biblical truth.

III.               Second, the Doctrines that Shape Us (Eph. 1:4–6, 11–12)

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love, by predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved. … In Him, we also have been made an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, to the end that we who first have hoped in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

Here’s the hated doctrine.  I started down a path of study because I remember a pastor confidently proclaiming that election wasn’t in the Bible, and I was reading Ephesians at the time.  I began digging into this concept more and finding the truth of the Scripture.  As we’ve already noted, God is in control of our salvation!

At the time, I wasn’t sure what to call it, but some this is most commonly summed up by the acronym TULIP.  This may be familiar to some of you, but we want to ensure that we all understand these points.  We’ll walk through each.

A.                  Total Depravity: Dead… until God makes us alive (Eph. 2:1–5).

The word “depravity” refers to our fallen condition before Christ, and “total” means every part of us is touched by sin.  As such, our intellect, emotions, and even will is corrupted by sin.  Some think we might have some island of righteousness and goodness within each of us, but that’s not the picture that Scripture paints.

We considered Ephesians 2 briefly this morning, but let’s consider this again in this context.  The first verse describes us as “dead;” the term is nekros, spiritually lifeless, unresponsive to God.  Some think this means really sick, but we’re really spiritual corpses. In v. 2, we read that we “walked” in conformity to the world, Satan (“ruler of the power of the air”), and disobedience.  This is true of all humanity (v. 3) — “we all” lived in fleshly lusts and were “by nature children of wrath.” This comes together to paint a picture of our condition. 

Our condition required divine interruption, which we see in v. 4.  Rich in mercy and great in love, God “made us alive” with Christ.  Thus, v. 5 says, “By grace you have been saved.”  This was God’s doing, not our own.  This crushes our self-reliance as we realize dead men don't save themselves. 

As Baptists, this doctrine humbles us, pointing to God’s initiating grace in regeneration.  He makes us alive so we can believe.  And He doesn’t do this based on what we do, bringing us to the next point.

B.                  Unconditional Election – Chosen in Him before creation (Eph. 1:4).

Again, Ephesians 1:4 says that “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love.” This refers to God’s selection out of many.  The choice was “in Him” (in Christ), meaning that He doesn’t choose people for salvation outside of their being in Christ.

In case you thought this choice was based on what you do, noted that it is “before the foundation of the world.”  This is before we do anything bad or good (cf. Rom. 9:11).  God’s eternal choice stands before He created anything.

Note that He has purposes.  First, it’s “that we would be holy and blameless.”  We can be holy and blameless — all believers, not just a few — and the choice makes us so.  It’s not based on foreseen merit.

Second, God’s purpose was also one of love.  We read that it is “in love.”  We may not contribute to election, but God has a motive, and it’s His compassion for us. 

Election fuels worship, not pride!  As Particular Baptists confessed, this is grace undeserved.  He simply chose to love us, and that means He will save us to the uttermost.  That brings us to the next point.

C.                  Limited Atonement – Purchased “with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).

This is the one that people really don't like.  But what does Paul say?  He says, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,” and the part important for us, “to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”  He purchased us with his blood.

Now, this is during Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders.  He was urging vigilance there, telling the elders to be on guard, to watch out.  He says that overseers will need to oversee, because ravenous wolves will rise up from among the flock and seek to devour them.  

Paul says they must be watchful because this isn’t their church.  He would say the same to pastors today: “This is God’s church, which He purchased with his blood.”  Is there anything more precious than that?

Consider that: If God purchased it with his blood, that means that Christ’s atonement was specifically for the church, for those who would believe within it.  In other words, this isn’t a potential atonement.  No, it’s an actual atonement, where in John 10 He as the shepherd lays down His life for His sheep (not for some other flock, and not for the goats).  Christ’s blood wasn't spilled in vain; He died in particular for the elect (and hence, the term “particular” Baptist).  

What about John 3:16?  Some might note that it says “whosoever believeth in Him” in the English, perhaps meaning that Christ’s atonement extends to everybody.  However, it doesn’t say that in the Greek; it says “the believing ones” will not perish.  That means John 3:16 is evidence of this limited atonement — the believing ones will not perish and have everlasting life, because Christ came into the world to save them.

This should assure you!  If you’re in Christ, Christ’s death avails for you fully.  When we sing “surveying the cross” around Easter time, you can know that these songs are about you, as well.  When Jesus died on the cross, He died for you.  He foreknew you before the foundation of the world, predestined you, and at the right time, came and died for you.  This is all part of the plan of God.

You might wonder how you got into all this.  That brings us to the I of TULIP:

D.                 Irresistible Grace – “All the Father gives Me will come” (John 6:37).

We read Jesus here saying, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out.”  We considered Romans 8 and saw that the ones who come to Christ, those who are justified, will be glorified.  This follows with Jesus’s promise here that He “will never cast out” the one who comes to Him.  

Jesus also says here that the one who comes is the one that the Father sends.  Who does the Father send?  That goes back to His divine election.  And the sending is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.  It’s experienced within the individual as understanding a need that we have.

Of course, this is not coercion.  Our problem with depravity is that it has bent us away from God.  He wrote eternity in our hearts and created us to worship Him, but because of sin, we desire worldly things more than we desire God.  

Well, the Holy Spirit, by God’s grace, turns that desire a little bit.  At that point, we suddenly realize our need for Him, suddenly finding ourselves responding to message of good news.  That is the effectual call of the Holy Spirit.

As we go through each of these points, they are logically connected.  We are understanding how salvation works within the economy of salvation that God has designed.  If we’re totally depraved, we need the Holy Spirit to act.  Yet, He acts on those He chose before the foundation of the world, the ones that God the Son came to save.

Some wonder here why we would evangelize if salvation is all of God.  The reason, of course, is because He commanded us to do so!  God is a God of means, and He works through people as they tell the lost about the good news of the gospel.  We give the general call and pray for people not to reject it, and we know that those who accept the message do so because God is working in their hearts.  In other words, we're just allowing ourselves to be vessels of God.  

God draws through the gospel.  And if you have been someone who has been drawn by the gospel, even if you don’t understand about Calvinism or Particular Baptists, you can know that it’s because of God’s grace.  You can also know that your faith will persevere to the end, bringing us to the P of TULIP:

E.                  Perseverance – “Sealed… for the day” (Eph. 1:13).

In Ephesians 1:13, we read, “In Him, you also, after listening to the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.”  A seal in the ancient world was important, which we will see in at the end of Daniel 6 (when we will get to next week, Lord willing).  Daniel is locked in the lion’s den, and on the stone over the opening, the chain is sealed with the seal of the king and all of the nobles.  If that seal had been broken, they know that someone had gotten in (or out), but no one would dare break it because that would invoke a penalty of death.  It would be seen as rebellion against the kingdom.

We have a certain seal with God, and no one is going to break the seal of God.  He gave us the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a pledge, as a seal of promise.  This is so that we will know that we are His, and that we are His forever.  Our seal is the Holy Spirit, not something that could fall or break or fade!

Now, as we consider that, this is a seal of salvation.  We are going to persevere until the end, and God is going to make it so we do.  There are a number of Scripture references we could look to for that, but for the sake of time, we will not do so tonight. 

Just because we sum up biblical doctrine in some clever way, it doesn't make it any less true.  For instance, some learned to evangelize by getting people to understand the “ABCs” — admit you’re a sinner, believe in the work of Christ, and confess to the Lord.  Is it any less true because it’s written in a memorable way?  Was the Synod of Dort wrong because it understood what we call “Calvinism” by codifying these truths into five points? 

We must evaluate everything based on Scripture.  And, this is what Scripture has taught us!  That’s why this doctrine is part of our spiritual DNA, our family tree.  And, in confessing these points, we are extensions of Baptist history.

So, what does that mean for us?  What direction are we going?  That brings us to the final point:

IV.               Third, the Direction that Shapes Us (Titus 2:11–14)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.

We were originally planted in 1976 as a Southern Baptist church.  We remained that until just a few years ago.  That means we have a strong SBC heritage here.

The SBC (1845) was founded by 1689 Calvinists.  These were men such as James P. Boyce, John A. Broadus, Basil Manly Sr.  They penned the Abstract of Principles (1859) as the 1689 in Southern dress, a document to guide Southern Seminary.  They also saw missions as flowing from God’s sovereign grace.

Now, we are independent today, but not orphaned from this history.  We have taken great exception to the direction entity heads are taking the convention.  For any curious about the problems, Megan Basham outlined some helpful points concerning the SBC in her book, Shepherds for Sale.  This church grew frustrated with the unrelenting woke and social justice ideologies being pushed there, and so, we voted to leave.  If there is a sure change in direction in the convention, we’ll consider our options then, but we are moving forward with the same convictions other Baptists have enjoyed.

As the newer senior pastor here, I’m continuing the general direction that the previous pastor began.  He led the church to independence, and he was Calvinistic.  He wasn’t strange for establishing this direction, and as I apply more of these principles, I’m likewise following in the footsteps of those who came before.  I understand that some have not liked that I’m more vocal or open about these teachings, but I don’t want you to be unaware of the truth.

Scripture says (Titus 2:11–14),

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.”

This grace trains us for holy living and missions.  It redeems a people zealous for good.  So, our direction is to move forward in grace, independent yet confessional.

V.                  Conclusion:

So what are we?  We are Baptists of God’s glorious grace!  We find our backing in the London Confessions as well as the American ones.  We rest in the doctrines of sovereign grace.  We strive to reach the nations with the same gospel Spurgeon thundered.

Has God’s grace drawn you?  Then repent and live by it.  May we all follow His lordship over His church.