Particular Baptists are so-called because they believe in "particular," or limited, atonement. Since they hold a Reformed theological, or Calvinistic, view of the atonement, Particular Baptists are also sometimes called "Reformed Baptists."
Particular Baptists are a historic branch of Protestant Christianity defined by their conviction that Christ’s atonement was purposeful and effective for God’s chosen people, which is why they are often called Reformed Baptists. Particular Baptists are rooted in the Reformation and shaped by figures like John Bunyan and Charles Spurgeon. They hold a Calvinistic view of salvation that emphasizes God’s sovereign grace, human sinfulness, and the certainty that those truly saved will persevere. Their theology is paired with clear practices: believer’s baptism by immersion, congregational church governance, and a strong commitment to religious liberty and church–state separation. Their statement of faith is summarized in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. They seek to order both belief and church life according to what they understand the Bible to teach. Like all Christian traditions, their claims ultimately call for careful biblical evaluation, reminding us that faithfulness to Christ—not labels—remains central.
Prior to the Protestant Reformation, there were groups that rejected infant baptism in favor of credobaptism for adults; they came to be known as "Baptists." In England in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there were Separatist Baptists, who thought the Church of England was apostate and wanted to fully separate, and non-Separatists, who wanted to form their own congregations yet maintain friendly relations with the Church of England. The Particular Baptists were non-Separatists and included figures such as John Gill, William Carey, John Bunyan, and Charles Spurgeon.
In Colonial America, the Particular Baptist church grew, especially after the First Great Awakening (1735–1743). They began to be called Regular Baptists, but disagreements on the specifics of atonement created division. Today, the Particular Baptists hold to five-point Calvinism, whereas the Regular Baptists hold to Amyraldism. There are also those who discourage worship with musical instruments and disagree with any organizational entities not listed in the Bible, now known as Primitive Baptists.
Particular Baptists, like all Baptists, practice believer's baptism by immersion and have a congregational church government structure. Baptists also support freedom of religion and adhere to a strong separation between church and state, not wanting any civil authority over the church.
Particular, or Reformed, Baptists hold to a Bible-based theology and follow the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. Still, as with any church, it is best to compare the doctrines and practices of the specific congregation with what the Bible actually says.