What it means to be Reformed Baptist​?

Twelve 5 is a Reformed Baptist church. That name describes our understanding of Scripture and the kind of church we seek to be. It connects us to a historic Christian tradition with convictions about how God saves,

how the Bible fits together, and how Christ governs His church.

Being Reformed Baptist means more than believing in God’s sovereignty and baptizing believers.

Those convictions belong within a larger understanding of the Christian faith.

 

Reformed in our roots​

The word “Reformed” connects us to the Protestant Reformation, which called the church to submit its beliefs and practices to Scripture. Our particular heritage comes through the English Particular Baptists of the seventeenth century. They shared much of the theology of their Reformed neighbors while reaching different conclusions about baptism and the membership of the church.

We receive this heritage because we believe it faithfully explains Scripture.

We also recognize that Christ’s church is larger than our own tradition.

 

Confessional in our beliefs

We express our convictions through the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689. This is what we mean when we call ourselves “confessional.” The confession gives a public, substantial account of what we believe the Bible teaches and provides a standard by which our teaching can be examined.

It helps keep a church from being shaped by the preferences of its current pastor or the pressures of the moment. Scripture remains the final authority. The confession serves the church by summarizing its teaching.

 

Convinced that salvation belongs to the Lord

Reformed Baptists affirm the doctrines of grace, often called Calvinism. We believe that fallen sinners cannot bring themselves to spiritual life. God chooses His people by grace, Christ secures their salvation, and the Spirit brings them willingly to repentance and faith. The God who saves them also preserves them.

This conviction should make us humble, prayerful, and eager to proclaim Christ. We call everyone to believe the gospel, trusting God to accomplish what we cannot do: change the human heart.

 

Covenantal in our reading of Scripture

We understand the Bible through God’s covenants, the solemn commitments that unfold His purposes throughout Scripture. Adam’s disobedience brought condemnation. Christ, the obedient Savior, fulfills God’s promises and establishes the new covenant through His blood.

This helps explain why we are Baptist. We believe that all who truly belong to the new covenant know the Lord and have their sins forgiven. Therefore, we baptize those who credibly profess faith in Christ, rather than infants on the basis of a parent’s faith. Our view of baptism grows out of our understanding of the whole Bible.

 

Committed to a church of professing believers

A local church should be made up of people who credibly profess that they have been born again. Membership involves being baptized, joining a particular congregation,

and accepting responsibility to love and care for one another.

Christ rules His church through His Word. Elders shepherd the congregation, and the congregation has responsibility in receiving members, recognizing its officers, and exercising church discipline. These responsibilities belong to the local church under Christ’s authority.

 

Directed by Scripture in our worship

Reformed Baptists believe that God determines how His church should worship Him. This is often called the “regulative principle of worship.” We look to Scripture for what God has commanded the church to do when it gathers.

That conviction shapes our emphasis on the Word, prayer, congregational singing, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. We trust God to strengthen His people through the means He has given.

 

Serious about holiness and Christian freedom

We distinguish God’s law from His gospel. The law reveals our sin and our need for Christ. The gospel announces His finished work for sinners. Once saved, we look to God’s moral law as a guide for grateful obedience,

never as a way to earn His acceptance.

At the same time, God alone is Lord of the conscience.

We have no authority to turn personal preferences into commands from God.

We want to take His commands seriously and give one another freedom where His Word gives freedom.

 

What this means at Twelve 5

These convictions shape our preaching, our worship, and the way we care for one another. We want to understand the whole counsel of God and put it into practice as a church. You are welcome to visit, ask questions,

and learn alongside us as we grow in the knowledge of Christ.

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Further reading: Tom Hicks, What Is a Reformed Baptist? An Overview of Doctrinal Distinctives (Founders Press, 2024).