|
|
 |
Our Statement of Faith
Some well-meaning people insist that they have no human
creed, no confession of faith, because the Bible itself is
their statement of belief. That sounds very spiritual, but in
fact those who most loudly state this position are usually the
most dictatorial in forcing their adherents to accept their
interpretation of what the Bible teaches. In other words,
every group of professing Christians has a confession of
faith, written or unwritten. When it is unwritten, it usually
gives the leadership more power to direct the consciences of
the adherents.
OUR SUB-STANDARDS
Our written statement of faith is set forth in The Westminster
Confession of Faith, The Larger Catechism and The Shorter
Catechism, as amended and printed in our Book of Church
Order. Our amendments of the Westminster Standards modify
the statements of the Confession adopted by the Presbyterian
Church in America in 1788 in five areas:
- They modify and abbreviate the Confession chapter 23, Of
the Civil Magistrate, at section 3.
- They place an Additional Note and an Addendum to
the Confession chapter 25, Of the Church. The Additional
Note at section 6 reflects the Church’s openness on the
eschatological interpretation of the “man of sin.” The
Addendum reflects the Church’s position on standards of
ecclesiastical and personal separation.
- They carry an Additional Statement to the Confession
chapter 28, Of Baptism, at sections 3–4, to declare the
Church’s policy of admitting to equal standing in membership
and ministry believers who hold to credobaptism (the view
that it is scriptural to baptize only those who have made a
credible profession of personal faith in Christ) with those who
hold to paedobaptism (the view that it is scriptural to baptize
the infant children of baptized believers).
- They place an Additional Statement to the Confession
chapter 32.2 and 33.1-3 to reflect the Church’s allowance
of a diversity of views in some areas of eschatology. These
statements deal with the often debated questions of how to
interpret the Bible’s teaching on the subject of the millennium.
Our statement of faith gives liberty to adopt a premillennial,
postmillennial or amillennial view of prophecy, with the
proviso that no prophetic interpretation is acceptable that
alters the central truths of the gospel as expounded in other
parts of our confessional standards.
- They add a chapter to the Confession, Of the Holy Spirit
(Chapter 34).
THE TRINITY
The cornerstone of our theology is what we may call the
Godhood of God. We are happy to believe all He has said
about Himself in His Word. That means we believe that
God is a trinity, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). Hence we preach the deity
of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit. How God is
one and undivided in His eternal essence and yet three in
His personal subsistences we do not pretend to comprehend.
“Canst thou by searching find out God?” (Job 11:7). No! But
we can accept what He has revealed of Himself.
THE SOVEREIGN MAJESTY OF GOD
The Scriptures quoted above—a few of scores of such
expressions in the Bible—present us with a God whose
majesty surpasses all description. The glory of His absolute
perfection blazes upon us as the sun in all its splendor. He
is holy (Isa. 57:15) and reigns in absolute power over all His
creation. Every angel, demon, and human, together with
every other part of creation, is under His direct control. He is
answerable to none but Himself. He can do what He wills, and
what He wills is always right. We believe it is important for
the pride of man to be humbled before the holy majesty and
sovereignty of God. Until and unless this happens, a man or
woman cannot begin to enter into life and a right relationship
with God. No one will see his need of salvation until he sees
that he is under the wrath of a sin-hating God.
THE MERCY OF GOD
We mention salvation because the Bible shows that the holy,
majestic, sovereign God of all creation is a God of mercy and
of love. People often say, “If God is a God of love, why does
He allow such and such a thing to happen?” What blasphemy
it is for a fallen creature to question the reality of the love of
the all-wise God when He has given us the greatest possible
proof of His love: “God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). By nature
we are “dead in trespasses and sins” and we live “according to
the prince of the power of the air” (that is, the devil), and we
are “by nature the children of wrath…But God, who is rich in
mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we
were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by
grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made
us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the
ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in
his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:1-7).
We preach the reality of the love of God in Christ. This is
the message sin-cursed souls need to hear. To lead people to
know God in truth is the burden of this ministry. Jesus said,
“This is life eternal, that they might know thee [the Father]
the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent”
(John 17:3). Paul yearned to “know him [Christ], and the
power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:10), and Peter instructed
God’s people to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).
Thus to hear a message that expounds what God is, so that
the majesty of His glory and of His grace floods our souls, is
the urgent need of all men, saved and unsaved. That is the
chief burden of this ministry.
|
