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PART 1: The Substance of Christian Faith

1. There is only One True God, infinite and eternal, of which there are three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is One Divine Nature in Three Persons.

2. Jesus, the Christ (Messiah), is the eternal Son of the Father and also the Father’s Eternal Word. In the one person of Jesus are two whole and perfect natures; one truly God and the other truly human. Jesus is God the Son incarnate. By Jesus’ righteous Life without sin and His Suffering and Death, He reveals Divine Love through His perfect sacrifice whereby all of our sins are forgiven thus restoring us to a right relationship with God the Father.

3. As Jesus truly died and was buried, He entered the realm of the dead. Except for sin, Jesus experienced all aspects of human nature, including death.

4. Jesus truly rose from the dead in His glorified body with all that belongs to the complete human nature. This is the basis for Christian hope. Jesus Ascended into heaven where He rules with the Father in His Resurrected body until He returns to judge humanity at the end of time.

5. After Jesus’ Ascension, the Holy Spirit, who is fully Divine, the third person of the Trinity, and who proceeds from the Father and the Son, was poured out upon Jesus’ Church revealing the fullness of the Divine Love and Truth in Jesus Christ. Thus, humanity’s salvation comes from the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit.

PART 2: The Rule of Christian Faith

6. Holy Scripture contains all things necessary for salvation. Whatever is not read or proven in the Bible is not required to be believed.

7. The Old Testament (the Hebrew Canon of 39 books) is consistent with the New Testament in that eternal life is mediated through God’s Word (Jesus) & in that the moral law is binding upon all humanity.

8. The Nicene, Apostles’ and Athanasian Creeds are to be understood and accepted literally because of their truthful testimony to what is revealed in the Holy Bible.

PART 3: The Life of Christian Faith

A. Personal Religion

SIN

9. Humanity is in a lost condition due to sin. We sin; because, we are sinners by nature as a result of the Fall. We willfully commit cosmic treason against God.

10. Humanity is unable to save itself from its lost condition.

JUSTIFICATION

11. The METHOD of our salvation is Justification by faith in Jesus, not by good works.

12. The PROOF of Justification is good works as evidence of our salvation in Jesus enabled by the Holy Spirit. We are saved by faith for good works to glorify God.

13. It is IMPOSSIBLE for works, done before the grace of Jesus and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to justify any person.

SANCTIFICATION

14. Furthermore, it is impossible to exceed God’s requirements, revealed through His moral law, in regard to daily life.

15. Not only can humanity fail to exceed God’s requirements, but humankind cannot reach God’s righteous requirements due to sin, even when justified and regenerated. Jesus alone is without sin. It is His perfect righteousness that is imputed to us through faith.

16. The gift of repentance is further given to those who fall & sin after their regeneration. After we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in us, we continue to sin; however, we are not to despair after such failures when we truly repent, turn to God, & trust in Him by grace.

COMPLETE SALVATION

17. The GROUND of our salvation is God’s predestinating and electing love and grace.

18. The SOURCE of our salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ as the Divine Redeemer. It is in Him alone we are saved.

PART 4: The Household of Christian Faith

B. Corporate Religion

THE CHURCH

19. The Church of Jesus Christ can be visibly discerned as a congregation of Believers in which the pure Word of God is preached and in which the sacraments are rightly administered.

20. The Church is a witness and guardian to Scripture and has authority over ceremony and forms of worship along with moral authority over controversies concerning the faith; however, it is always subject to the Word of God revealed in the Bible.

21. General councils are also subject to the Word of God and have erred showing that they are not infallible. Decisions must be in harmony with Scripture which is the supreme authority in settling questions.

22. Doctrines requiring the belief in Purgatory or promoting belief in Indulgences, Worshipping of Images and the Invocation of Saints are contrary to the Word of God and find no warrant in Holy Scripture.

THE MINISTRY

23. The Church grants authority for ministry within the congregation of Believers for the office of public preaching and the administration of the sacraments.

24. Public prayer and the administration of the sacraments within the congregation must be in a language that the Faithful can understand.

THE SACRAMENTS

25. There are two Sacraments instituted by Jesus and, therefore, called Gospel Sacraments which are Baptism & the Lord’s Supper. These Sacraments are visible expressions of membership in the Church of those who believe in and receive the Word. Furthermore, they are Divine assurances and pledges (signs) of the fulfillment of the promises of God’s Word. Therefore, only those who receive them in faith, as the Word is received, have a beneficial effect. Those who receive these Sacraments in faith obtain God’s grace and good will by which He invisibly arouses, strengthens and confirms the Believer’s existing faith in Jesus, the incarnate Word of God. These Sacraments are of Divine authority and a sure means of grace, yet they are not channels of blessing apart from sure faith in the promises of God. Sacramental grace is grace received in the proper Scriptural administration of these Divine ordinances.

26. It is sad yet true that evil is mixed with the good in the visible Church. Often such evil persons possess influential positions. However, we are assured that God’s grace is independent of personal character; because, such ministry is undertaken in Jesus’ name under His commission and authority. Sacramental grace is effectual for the Believer because of Jesus’ institution and promise. The Church is responsible for disciplining such persons engaged in evil ministry which is not to be tolerated.

27. Baptism is the sign of Christian profession, a sign of regeneration/New Birth, and the instrument of introduction into the Church. The promises of the forgiveness of sin and our adoption as children of God by the Holy Spirit are visibly signed and sealed. As young male children were circumcised under the Old Covenant, so may young children be baptized under the New Covenant by Believing parents.

28. The Lord’s Supper is a sign of Christian love, a Sacrament of our Redemption by Jesus’ Death, and a means of grace by which Believing souls are strengthened and nourished by the Body and Blood of Jesus as our bodies are by the Bread and Wine. The Body of Christ is given, taken and eaten in a spiritual manner by faith. Therefore, the belief that the substance of bread and wine changes into Jesus’ Body & Blood (Transubstantiation), not only denies the nature of a Sacrament, but is unfounded in Scripture and is the basis of superstitions.

29. Those who receive the Sacrament of Jesus’ Body and Blood without faith do so unto condemnation and are not partakers of Jesus Christ in any manner.

30. Both Bread and Wine should be administered to members of the congregation as Jesus commanded.

31. The offering of Jesus was perfectly completed upon the Cross once and for all. There is no continual offering of Jesus’ sacrifice, particularly within the Lord’s Supper, by the action of the presbyter. Jesus’ Suffering and Death on the Cross is the one and only perfect satisfaction for sin.

DISCIPLINE

32. Presbyters, commonly called priests, along with Bishops and Deacons are not required to take a vow of celibacy or to abstain from marriage. It is lawful for them, along with all Christians, to marry at their discretion if it is judged to promote godliness.

33. Any person excommunicated from the Church is to be avoided by the congregation until openly reconciled by repentance and received back into the Church by one with such ministerial authority.

34. It is not necessary that customs and forms of worship be exactly the same everywhere, and the Church has authority to alter such ceremonial. As long as such changes are not contrary to God’s Word, such alterations should be adhered to.

35. The Homilies compiled by various Anglican theologians is a reliable source for sound doctrine and ought to be read on occasions when preaching is unavailable.

36. The Consecration of Bishops and the Ordaining of Priests and Deacons within the Anglican tradition involves all things Biblically necessary to decree their validity.

CHURCH AND STATE RELATIONS

37. Civil authority extends to all persons in all things temporal and requires obedience.

38. Possessions of Christians are not common, yet faithful stewardship is expected.

39. Oaths may be made, if not profane or irreverent, when required by proper authority.

Doctrinal Statements

Of

The Anglican Christian Tradition

According to the

Thirty-Nine Articles of

Religion

Brief and basic statements on the

content of each Article of Religion.

by Marc Wilson, Pastoral Elder

& adapted from the writings of

W.H. Griffith Thomas

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