Our
system of doctrine is the Reformed faith, summarized
in the following paragraphs:
-
The
Bible, having been inspired by God, is entirely trustworthy
and without error.
Therefore, we are to believe and obey its teachings. The Bible is
the only source of special
revelation for the church today.
- The
one true God is personal, yet beyond our comprehension.
He is an invisible spirit, completely self-sufficient and unbounded
by space or time,
perfectly holy and just, and loving and merciful. In the unity of
the Godhead there are
three "persons": the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- God
created the heavens and the earth, and all they contain.
He upholds and governs them in accordance with his eternal will.
God is sovereign—in complete control—yet this does not
diminish human responsibility.
- Because
of the sin of the first man, Adam, all mankind is corrupt
by nature, dead in sin,
and subject to the wrath of God. But God determined, by a covenant
of grace, that sinners
may receive forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Faith in Christ has always been the only way of salvation,
in both Old Testament and New Testament times.
- The
Son of God took upon himself a human nature in the womb
of the virgin Mary,
so that in her son Jesus the divine and human natures were united
in one person.
Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and died on a cross, bearing the
sins of,
and receiving God's wrath for, all those who trust in him for salvation
(his chosen ones).
He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, where he sits as
Lord and rules over his kingdom (the church).He
will return to judge the living and the dead,
bringing
his people (with glorious, resurrected
bodies) into eternal life,
and consigning the wicked to eternal
punishment.
- Those
whom God has predestined unto life are effectually drawn
to Christ
by the inner working of the Spirit as they hear the gospel. When
they believe in Christ,
God declares them righteous (justifies them), pardoning their sins
and accepting them as righteous,
not because of any righteousness of their own, but by imputing Christ's
merits to them.
They are adopted as the children of God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit,
who sanctifies them,
enabling them increasingly to stop sinning and act righteously. They
repent of their sins
(both at their conversion and thereafter), produce good works as
the fruit of their faith,
and persevere to the end in communion with Christ, with assurance
of their salvation.
- Believers
strive to keep God's moral law, which is summarized in
the Ten Commandments,
not to earn salvation, but because they love their Savior and want
to obey him.
God is the Lord of the conscience, so that men are not required to
believe or do anything contrary
to, or in addition to, the Word of God in matters of faith or worship.
- Christ
has established his church, and particular churches, to
gather and perfect his people,
by means of the ministry of the Word, the sacraments of baptism (which
is to be
administered to the children of believers, as well as believers)
and the Lord's Supper
(in which the body and blood of Christ are spiritually present to
the faith of believers),
and the disciplining of members found delinquent in doctrine or life.
Christians assemble on the Lord's Day to worship God by praying,
hearing the
Word of God read and preached, singing psalms and hymns, and receiving
the sacraments.
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