12-week syllabus

Here is a 12-week syllabus for a classroom-style study of believer baptism from a Reformed Baptist perspective. It begins with the 1689 Confession, moves through biblical theology, and then brings in the major historical and contemporary voices that shape the discussion.[1][2][3]

Course Title

Believer Baptism: A 1689 Reformed Baptist Study

Course Purpose

This course aims to ground students in the 1689 Confession’s doctrine of baptism and then expand into biblical, historical, covenantal, and pastoral arguments for believer baptism. The course is designed to move from confession to exegesis to theology to church practice. It is especially suited for Reformed Baptist or Reformed Baptist-friendly students who want a serious and ordered study.[3][4][5][6][1]

Course Goals

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

Explain the 1689 Confession’s doctrine of baptism clearly.[1][3]
Defend believer baptism from Scripture.
Distinguish believer baptism from infant baptism at the covenantal level.[7][8]
Describe how baptism functions in local church life.[2][9]
Engage major historical and contemporary Reformed Baptist authors responsibly.[6][10][11]

Weekly Schedule

Week	Topic	Primary Texts	Recommended Voices
1	Introduction to the 1689 and chapter 29	1689 ch. 29; Matthew 28:18–20	1689 Confession, Waldron [1][12][13]
2	Baptism as New Testament ordinance	Romans 6:3–5; Colossians 2:12	1689, Spurgeon [1][14][15]
3	Who should be baptized?	Acts 2:37–41; Acts 8:12, 36–38	1689, Keach [1][16][17]
4	The mode of baptism	Matthew 3:13–17; John 3:23; Acts 8:38–39	1689, Spurgeon [1][14][3]
5	Baptism and repentance	Mark 1:4; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16	1689, Renihan [1][7][6]
6	Baptism and union with Christ	Romans 6:1–11	Schreiner and Wright [10][18][19]
7	Baptism and the New Covenant	Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hebrews 8	Renihan, Barcellos [7][8][11]
8	Baptism and covenant membership	Genesis 17; Colossians 2; Acts	Barcellos, Waldron [8][11][20]
9	Baptism in Particular Baptist history	1644/1689 developments	Keach, Renihan [17][21][5]
10	Spurgeon and the pastoral meaning of baptism	Selected sermons	Spurgeon [14][15][22]
11	Contemporary defenses of credobaptism	Selected chapters from Believer’s Baptism	Schreiner, Wright, Waldron [10][18][13]
12	Baptism, the church, and final synthesis	1689 ch. 26–30	1689, Waldron, Renihan [2][23][5]

Weekly Lesson Notes

Week 1: Introduction to the 1689

Focus on the confession as the course’s doctrinal backbone. Show that the 1689 defines baptism as Christ’s ordinance and ties it to fellowship with Christ in death and resurrection. Use this week to explain how the confession frames the whole debate.[3][1]

Week 2: Baptism as New Testament ordinance

This week should emphasize that baptism is not a human invention or a church tradition detached from Scripture. Romans 6 and Colossians 2 should be treated as the central theological texts. The key issue is what baptism signifies, not simply what it looks like externally.[24][2][1]