A gospel coalition in northern Europe—the Nordic countries—is a unique effort in the landscape of Christendom in our region. The pragmatic efforts of intra-denominational groups (ie; the evangelical alliance in Denmark, or free church network) as well as the liberalizing ecumenical efforts of mainline churches contrast greatly with a Nordic recreation of The Gospel Coalition (TGC) in the US. This unified effort is distinct in our commitment to reformational gospel truths and by our theological vision for how the gospel can shape and reform our region of the world. This is the fourth of a series of five short articles devoted to naming and explicating this distinctiveness. Here are all the articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession. (1 Tim. 6:12–13)
The first time TGC Norden met in Copenhagen, we tagged on some informal leaders’ meetings afterwards. Those who expressed interest in coming were asked to read and affirm the TGC 2005 confession statement written by Don Carson in Chicago (now translated into the Nordic languages!). During the two days of meetings, two brothers made known their inability to affirm all of article 13 because of their conviction regarding eternal punishment of sin. As an informal body, we voted that we could not make an exception on article 13, and thus these brothers could not serve on the council. By God’s grace, they received the news well, even joining us as non-voting participants for the next day of meetings.
These days, it is trendy in some circles to be confessional: getting tattoos of the 1689, writing songs based on the Heidelberg, even conversing casually about where to take exception with the Westminster statements. By being confessional, people tend to refer to having a summary statement of their beliefs written down to which they can point and be held accountable. But what exactly is the value in being confessional, and are there ways in which this trend can be unhelpful?
Open and closed confessionalism
Open confessionalism describes an approach to a confession used by some that is generally pointed to as their group’s position, but which can and should be consistently corrected by Scripture. This is what most evangelicals mean by confessional and do in practice. An example of this is the Belgic Confession, which in the Reformed tradition is considered the subordinate standard for doctrine in the Reformed church. Subordinate to what? To Scripture.
In TGC Norden, we put forward ‘principal confessionalism;’ as a principle, we agree that being confessional is good and desirable, while at the same time we desire to avoid the tendency to equate our preferred denominational standard with Scripture.
The challenge of open confessionalism though is that it often becomes more of a cooperative-oriented confession than a confession meant to ensure true alignment. An example of this is the American doctrinal statement for Southern Baptist churches, the Baptism Faith and Message: it is a good statement, but in practice SB churches are not asked to specifically affirm or deny its contents and confession.
Closed confessionalism is something more commonly used in the Nordics. This could be defined as having a confession meant to curb and even stand alongside Scripture as an authoritative source of truth. One example of this is the use of the Augsburg Confession in Lutheran circles in the Nordics. Practices vary in different circles, but most would agree that the Augsburg Confession itself polarizes those who disagree with it, calling many disagreements “anathema” and thus creating an authoritative ethos that should probably be reserved for Scripture.
Principal confessionalism
So, what is the best way to be confessional? In TGC Norden, we put forward “principal confessionalism;” as a principle, we agree that being confessional is good and desirable, while at the same time we desire to avoid the tendency to equate our preferred denominational standard with Scripture. Being principally confessional is commendable in two regards:
- It calls us to sacrifice—Martin Luther famously stood at the Diet of Worms facing martyrdom and because of his great conviction of the gospel’s truth and power said, “Here I stand, I can do no other!” It is this spirit of Luther that confessionalism brings with it, beckoning us to articulate what we believe to be true, and to then stand by that articulation, come what may! This resonates with Christ’s call to take up our cross and follow him, standing firm and steadfast in the faith.
- It calls us to forget about ourselves in humility—the willingness to find a confession statement, written by others smarter and godlier than ourselves, from an era unentangled by the spirit of our times—is a humble exercise. In our day and age of illiteracy and constant screen-driven entertainment, the call to take up a confession, study it carefully, and make exceptions where we see Scripture teaching something else, is a godly and humbling practice, and we champion it.
Christ Centered Confessionalism
In his first letter, Paul instructs Timothy to “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Tim. 6:12). Of course, it is unlikely Paul is referring to a historic statement like the Apostle’s Creed with the words ‘good confession.’ More likely Paul is calling Timothy to remember his ordination time, where he stood before others and testified to his belief in the gospel. However, principial confessionalism is still seen in this passage: Paul is calling Timothy to remember the truths of the gospel in which he believes and to stand steadfast upon that foundation. Why? So that he has a proper place to anchor his spear against the charging enemy chariots! “Fight the good fight!” he says. One cannot fight, sacrifice, and forget about oneself, if one does not have a confession that one’s conscience and courage rests upon. Paul doesn’t leave it there though; in verse 13 he reminds Timothy that the decisive victory is not up to him. That had already been won by Christ when he made the good confession before Pontius Pilate. Christ showed Timothy not only how to be principally confessional, but also was so for him, in his place, as an ultimate sacrifice for sinners and to propitiate the wrath of God. Let us follow in the wake of Christ’s ultimate confession before Pontius Pilate, holding fast to our convictions under the headship of our Heavenly Father.