Second London Baptist Confession on Natural / general revelation
Objectively clear and sufficient to leave everyone without excuse; the failure is moral suppression, not insufficient evidence — though it cannot itself save
Although the light of Nature, and the works of Creation and Providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and His will, which is necessary unto Salvation.
THE POSITION
Chapter 1.1 grants that creation and providence genuinely manifest God's goodness, wisdom and power, and that they do so far enough to leave every person inexcusable — but not far enough to save. Chapter 20, which has no Westminster counterpart and is taken over from the Savoy Declaration of 1658, then closes the remaining door: nature does not disclose Christ even obscurely, so no one outside the gospel is put in a position to believe. The proof text behind 20.3's claim that no one has ever made good use of common light is Romans 1:18, which locates the failure in suppression rather than in a shortage of evidence.
19 For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.
8 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
The confessional standard of the Particular Baptists, first printed 1677 and adopted by the London General Assembly of 1689. It takes over the Westminster Confession chapter by chapter and rewrites it at four points that matter: the covenant (ch. 7), the gospel and the extent of its grace (ch. 20, which Westminster has no counterpart to), the church (ch. 26), and baptism (ch. 29). This entry rests on the 1677/1689 printing with its own Scripture proofs, read against the Westminster text clause by clause.
Cite this page
"Second London Baptist Confession on Natural / general revelation", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/lbc1689/natural-revelation (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/lbc1689/natural-revelation).