Statement of Faith (21 Booklets)

This is a 21 booklet series based on a classic, theologically conservative, evangelical Statement of Faith (from the last church I pastored: St. Paul’s DISCOVER LIFE Church, Chatham, Ontario, Canada). If you are looking for a course on systematic theology, this is unofficially it.

It’s a Deal

Each of the following ‘Titles’ are a 25 to 30 page booklet dealing with a specific matter of Christian Faith. Tim’s booklets are $10 each or 3 for $15 Canadian. To purchase a booklet or booklets, simply send an email to timlukings@outlook.com with your name, full mailing address, and the quantity of each booklet that you would like to purchase. Tim will advise as to the additional cost of shipping if required.

(Please note: If you are a regular attendee at St. Paul’s DISCOVER LIFE Church in Chatham, Ontario, Canada the price will be reduced to the cost of printing and shipping only.)

Titles

  1. Of God. We believe in the one only living and true God, a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His being and perfection; the Lord Almighty, who is love, most just in all His ways, most glorious in holiness, unsearchable in wisdom, plenteous in mercy, full of compassion, and abundant in goodness and truth. We worship Him in the unity of the Godhead and the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, three persons of the same substance, equal in power and glory.
  2. Of Revelation. We believe that God has revealed Himself in nature, in history, and in the heart of mankind; that He has been graciously pleased to make clearer revelation of Himself to people of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit; and that in the fullness of time He has perfectly revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, who is the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person. We receive the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as given in the original writings by inspiration of God, as the only infallible rule of faith and life, a faithful record of God’s gracious revelations, and as the sure witness of Christ. (John 1:14; Colossians 1:15)
  3. Of the Divine Purpose. We believe that the eternal, wise, holy and loving purpose of God so embraces all events that while the freedom of mankind is not taken away, nor is God the author of sin, yet in His providence He makes all things work together in the fulfillment of His sovereign design and the manifestation of His glory. (Romans 8:28)
  4. Of Creation and Providence. We believe that God is the creator, upholder and governor of all things; that He is above all His works and that He made mankind, male and female, in His own image, set apart for fellowship with Him, free and able to choose between good and evil and responsible to his Maker and Lord. (Genesis 1-3)
  5. Of the Sin of Mankind. We believe that our first parents, being tempted by Satan, chose evil, and so fell away from God and came under the power of sin, the penalty of which is eternal death; and that, by reason of this disobedience, all mankind is born with a sinful nature, that we have broken God’s law and that no one can be saved but by His grace. (Romans 3:23; Genesis 3)
  6. Of the Grace of God. We believe that God, out of His great love for the world, has given His only begotten Son to be the Saviour of sinners, and in the Gospel freely offers His all-sufficient salvation to all mankind. We believe also that God, in His own good pleasure, gave to His Son a people, an innumerable multitude, chosen in Christ unto salvation, holiness and service. (Ephesians 1:4; Romans 8:28-39)
  7. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in and confess the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Mediator between God and mankind, who, being the Eternal Son of God, for us and for our salvation became truly man, being conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, yet without sin. Unto us He has revealed the Father, by His Word and Spirit, making known the perfect will of God. For our redemption, He fulfilled all righteousness, offered Himself a perfect sacrifice on the Cross, satisfied Divine justice and made atonement for the sins of the whole world. He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, where He ever intercedes for us. In the hearts of believers He abides forever as the indwelling Christ; above us and over us all He rules. Unto Him we render love, obedience and adoration as our Prophet, Priest and King. (Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 7:25-26)
  8. Of the Holy Spirit. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who moves upon our hearts to restrain us from evil and to incite us to good, and whom the Father is ever willing to give to all who ask Him. We believe that He has spoken through the saints of God in making known His truth to us for our salvation, He was sent forth in power to convict the world of sin, to enlighten our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and to persuade and enable us to obey the call of the Gospel; and that He abides with the Church, dwelling in every believer as the spirit of truth, of power, of holiness, of comfort and of love. (Luke 11:13; John 16:5-16)
  9. Of Regeneration. We believe in the necessity of regeneration, whereby we are made new creatures in Christ Jesus by the Spirit of God, who imparts spiritual life by the gracious and mysterious operation of His power. (II Corinthians 5:17; John 3:1-16)
  10. Of Faith and Repentance. We believe that faith in Christ is a saving grace whereby we receive Him, trust in Him and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered to us in the Gospel. We believe that this saving faith is always accompanied by repentance, wherein we confess and forsake our sins with the full intention of being obedient to God. (John 1:12; Acts 2:38)
  11. Of Justification and Sonship. We believe that God, on the sole ground of the perfect obedience and sacrifice of Christ, pardons those who by faith receive Him as their Saviour and Lord, accepts them as righteous and bestows upon them the adoption of sons, with a right to all privileges therein implied, including a conscious assurance of their sonship. (I John 3:1; Galatians 3:26; Galatians 4:7)
  12. Of Sanctification. We believe that those who are regenerated and justified grow in the likeness of Christ through fellowship with Him, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and obedience to the truth; that a holy life is the fruit and evidence of saving faith; and that the believer’s hope of continuance in such a life is in the preserving grace of God. And we believe that in this growth in grace Christians may attain that maturity and full assurance of faith whereby the love of God is made perfect in us. ( I Corinthians 6:11b)
  13. Of Prayer. We believe that we are encouraged continuously to draw near to God, our Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and on our own behalf and that of others to pour out our hearts humbly yet freely before Him, as becomes His beloved children, giving Him the honour and praise due His holy name, asking Him to glorify Himself on earth as in Heaven, confessing unto Him our sins and seeking of Him every gift needful for this life and for our everlasting salvation. We believe also, that inasmuch as all true prayer is prompted by the Holy Spirit, He will, in response, grant us every blessing according to His unsearchable wisdom and the riches of His grace in Jesus Christ. (Matthew 6:5-13)
  14. Of the Law of God. We believe that the moral law of God, summarized in the Ten Commandments, testified to by the prophets, unfolded in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, stands forever in truth and equity, and is not made void by faith, but on the contrary is established thereby. We believe that God requires of us to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God; and that only through this harmony with the will of God shall be fulfilled that brotherhood of mankind wherein the Kingdom of God is to be made manifest. (Micah 6:8; Luke 10:25-28)
  15. Of the Church. We acknowledge one holy catholic Church, the innumerable company of saints of every age and nation, who, being united by the Holy Spirit to Christ their Head, are one body in Him and have communion with their Lord and with one another. Further, we receive it as the will of Christ that His Church on earth should be a visible and sacred brotherhood consisting of those who profess faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to Him, together with their children. The church should be organized for the confession of His name, for the public worship of God, for the administration of the sacraments, for the upbuilding of the saints, and for proclaiming the Gospel throughout the world. We acknowledge as a part, more or less pure, of this universal brotherhood, every particular church throughout the world which professes this faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to Him as divine Lord and Saviour. (I Peter 2:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14)
  16. Of the Sacraments. A Sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace. We acknowledge two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which were instituted by Christ to be a perpetual obligation as signs and seals of the covenant ratified in His precious blood, as means of grace by which, working in us, He does not only quicken our faith, but also strengthens and comforts our faith in Him, and as ordinances through the observance of which His Church is to confess her Lord and be visibly distinguished from the rest of the world. a. Baptism with water into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is the sacrament by which are signified and sealed our union to Christ and participation in the blessings of the new covenant. The proper subjects of baptism are believers and children presented by their parents or guardians who are in the Christian faith; in the latter case, the parents or guardians should train up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and should expect that their children will, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, come to a personal knowledge of Christ and receive the benefits which the sacrament is designed and fitted to convey. The Church is under the most solemn obligation to provide for their Christian instruction. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:38-39; Acts 16:30-33)
    b. The Lord’s Supper is the sacrament of communion with Christ and with His people, in which bread and wine are given and received in thankful remembrance of Him and His sacrifice on the Cross. They who in faith receive the same do, after a spiritual manner, partake of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to their comfort, nourishment and growth in grace. All may be admitted to the Lord’s Supper who make a credible profession of their faith in the Lord Jesus and of obedience to His law and who earnestly repent of their sins. (I Corinthians 11:23-26)
  17. Of the Ministry. Ministry is the responsibility of using God’s gifts to His glory in the service of others through the operation of God’s grace. He bestows gifts upon each member of the body of Jesus Christ and thus each member of the body has been called to a ministry. We believe that Jesus Christ, as the Supreme Head of the Church, has appointed therein a ministry of the Word and sacraments, and calls men and women to this ministry; that the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, recognizes and chooses those whom He calls, and should thereupon duly ordain them to the work of the ministry. (I Corinthians
    12:4-11; Ephesians 4:11-12; Romans 12:4-8)
  18. Of Church Order and Fellowship. We believe that the Supreme and only Head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ; that its worship, teaching, discipline and government must be administered according to His will by persons chosen for their fitness and fully set apart to their office; and that although the visible Church may contain unworthy members and is liable to err, yet believers ought not lightly to separate themselves from its communion, but are to live in fellowship with their brethren, which fellowship is to be extended, as God gives opportunity, to all who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
  19. Of Family. We believe that all human life, no matter the age, is sacred and that life begins at conception. Children are a blessing from God. It is fitting that Christian parents present their children for dedication to the glory of God. It is the responsibility of parents, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in the fellowship of the Church to bring up their children in the love of and reverence for the Lord Jesus Christ. (Psalm 139:13-16; Luke 18:16-17; Luke 2:22)
  20. Of the Resurrection, the Last Judgment and the Future Life. We believe that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust, through the power of the Son of God, who shall come to judge the living and the dead; that the unsaved shall go away into eternal punishment and the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:31-46)
  21. Of Christian Service and the Final Triumph. We believe that it is our duty, as disciples and servants of Christ, to further the extension of His Kingdom, to do good unto all, to maintain the public and private worship of God, to hallow the Lord’s Day, to preserve the sanctity of marriage and of the family, to uphold the just authority of the State, and so to live in all honesty, purity and love, that our lives shall testify of Christ. We joyfully receive the word of Christ, bidding His people go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, declaring unto them that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. It is God’s desire that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth. We confidently believe that by His power and grace all His enemies shall finally be overcome, and with the coming of the “new heaven and the new earth,” “the dwelling of God [will be] with men and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Rev. 21:3b NIV). (Matthew 28:18-20; Revelation 21:1-4