Second London Baptist Confession on the nature of saving faith
Knowledge + assent + trust; all three required
By this Faith, a Christian believeth to be true, whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the Authority of God himself ... and so is enabled to cast his Soul upon the truth thus beleived ... But the principal acts of Saving Faith, have immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, and resting upon him alone, for Justification, Sanctification, and Eternal Life.
THE POSITION
Chapter 14.2 runs the three elements in order: the believer holds true whatever is revealed in the Word on God's own authority (knowledge and assent), perceives an excellency in it, and is thereby enabled to cast his soul upon the truth believed (trust). The paragraph then names the principal acts of saving faith as accepting, receiving and resting upon Christ alone. Paragraph 14.3 adds that the weakest true faith differs in kind, not merely in degree, from the faith of temporary believers.
14 I do confess to you, however, that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,
4 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 the nature of saving faith", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/lbc1689/saving-faith (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/lbc1689/saving-faith).