When you follow the trail of Baptist confessions, the continuity is stunning. The 1689 London Baptist Confession gave Particular Baptists their theological backbone; the 1742 Philadelphia Confession carried it into colonial America; the 1833 New Hampshire Confession simplified but still reflected Reformed convictions; and in 1925, Southern Baptists formally adopted the Baptist Faith and Message, which was revised in 1963, 2000, and remains our doctrinal standard today. In other words, from 1689 to the present, our confessional lineage has consistently flowed out of the Reformed tradition. For many Southern Baptists, realizing this lineage—stretching from London to Philadelphia to New Hampshire and finally into the Southern Baptist Convention—should be nothing short of eye-opening.

Contrary to what many purport, the doctrines of grace do not and should not lead to pride; instead, they should comfort us with assurance. Since we did not save ourselves through works, but through the Spirit’s regenerating act, it removes us from any notion of patting ourselves on the back. Irresistible grace isn’t a doctrine to be used as a debating tool; it comforts those who recognize their own sinful state. The perseverance of the saints provides us with comfort and hope that this world is not our own and that we are pressing forward in this life with an expectant reality awaiting us in heaven. When rightly taught, God’s people can then see the glory of God in salvation and recognize that we do nothing to earn or merit our salvation; instead, it is out of the sheer mercy and grace of God that any of us are saved.

I must mention that when people wrestle with the doctrine of election, their struggle is more than simply an intellectual one; it is emotional, experiential, and even spiritual. For some, it feels like a direct challenge to everything they were taught growing up; for others, it seems to make God unfair or unloving. Still others may have only encountered this doctrine in harsh or arrogant tones, leaving them wounded rather than helped. If that is you, I want to encourage you to wrestle with this. Honest questions and even discomfort can be part of the path towards a deeper trust in God’s Word. What matters most is that we bring those questions back to Scripture itself, trusting that God’s truth is never meant to crush us but to comfort us.

One of the most pressing questions we all wrestle with is the nature of salvation. How does it work? How can I know if I am truly saved? Sadly, many within the broader evangelical world have come to believe, whether consciously or not, that salvation is something we do or accomplish.

We may nod our heads when we hear the words of Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Yet when it comes to personal assurance, we often deny the reality of that very truth. We affirm, “by grace through faith,” but when we read “not of works,” we assume Paul is only excluding some physical checklist of religious duties. In practice, however, many still base their assurance of salvation on something they have done.

This shows up in statements such as:

• “I accepted Jesus into my heart.”

• “I prayed the sinner’s prayer.”

• “I walked the aisle at church.”