Nevertheless, not all branches of the one, true Church of Jesus Christ are agreed on what the Bible teaches about certain doctrinal and practical issues. Therefore, in the interest of clarity and the promotion of greater unity, it is fitting that local congregations summarize their corporate understanding of the Bible's teaching on various important topics in a systematic way. Historically, this was done through the formulation and subscription to creeds and confessions. These systematic creeds and confessions serve as a church's secondary standards and are always subservient to the Bible; for, as with any secondary and man-made standard, all creeds and confessions are subject to error and are only authoritative and binding on the human conscience insofar as they rightly summarize the teaching of Holy Scripture. Wherever a human creed or confession is indisputably shown to contradict the clear teachings of the Bible, that creed or confession must be amended or rejected accordingly. Conversely, wherever a human creed or confession rightly summarizes the teaching of God's Word, it is authoritatively binding and cannot be denied or rejected by anyone.
Firstly, then, as a congregation within the universal Church of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:4), we affirm the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed as correctly summarizing the true Christian Faith, which was once and for all delivered to the Saints by Christ and His Apostles. Further, we believe that any group or organization which denies the doctrinal content of these early ecumenical creeds cannot rightly be called Christian.*
Secondly, as a congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, we not only affirm but also fully subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms as likewise rightly summarizing the system of doctrine given in the Holy Scriptures. These three doctrinal standards are part of our congregation's and denomination's constitution. And, while laymen of OPC congregations need not affirm these standards in every detail in order to be recieved as members, all OPC officers (i.e., ministers, ruling elders, and deacons) must vow to "sincerely receive and adopt the Confession of Faith and Catechisms of this Church [i.e., the OPC], as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures."
Thirdly, as a congregation which is committed to Reformed and Presbyterian beliefs and practices, we also commend the reading of the Belgic Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Cannons of Dort, though we do not subscribe to these standards denominationally, nor are they officially part of our constitution. Nevertheless, they are doctrinally sound documents summarizing the teachings of Holy Scripture and Reformed theology, to which we are unashamedly committed.
While we highly recommend you read the above-mentioned creedal and confessional documents in their entirety (especially the Westminster Standards) for a full and systematic presentation of our beliefs, here are our views on several topics we are commonly asked about:
The Bible and the Apocrypha - As stated above, we believe the Holy Bible alone is divinely inspired, inerrant and infallible. As such, all people must submit to its teachings and directives. No part of the Holy Bible may be ignored or re-interpreted to fit modern-day morals, ethics or cultural conventions. In short, we believe that man's thinking and conduct must conform to Scripture, rather than Scripture conforming to man's thinking (2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 1 Peter 1:20-21). As Protestants, we do not believe the books of the Apocrypha are part of the Holy Scriptures. The Aprocrypha is not divinely inspired, nor inerrant, nor infallible. Consequently, the Apocrypha is not to be regarded as God's Word, nor authoritative for directing the doctrine, worship, government or piety of the Church. Nevertheless, as a document of antiquity and history, the Apocrypha may be studied academically like any other historical document.
The Holy Trinity - We believe that the one true God exists in three unique and eternal persons designated in Scripture as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three persons are distinct from one another and yet each are fully and eternally the one true God. In other words, we do not believe that each person is merely a part of God; each person is fully God. At the same time, we do not believe in three Gods, but only one God. Indeed, this is a great mystery to us, and we cannot comprehend this reality logically by human wisdom; nevertheless, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is true and must be affirmed as an essential of the Christian Faith, for the Bible reveals it (Exodus 6:4; Isaiah 44:6 and Mark 12:29; compare with Matthew 28:19; John 1:1 & 14; John 20:26-28; Acts 5:3-4; and 2 Corinthians 13:14) and the New Testament Church has affirmed it as a standard of orthodoxy.
Election/Predestination - We believe that before the foundation of the world, God the Father chose a certain number from among fallen mankind to redeem from the estate of sin, misery, and eternal condemnation, which resulted when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God by eating from the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. The elect of God are redeemed in the course of human history, at God's appointed time, when the Holy Spirit effectually applies the saving work of Jesus Christ to them by the act of regeneration, which is more commonly called "conversion" or "being born-again," through the preaching of the gospel. The outward and visible evidence of the Holy Spirit's work of regeneration in and upon an elect sinner is repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ alone as Savior and Lord, as well as a sincere desire to serve the Lord through a life of obedience. The election of God is not based on any foreseen faith or good works of the sinner, but soley upon the good pleasure of God Almighty, who has mercy and compassion on whom He wants and hardens whom He wants (Romans 9:6-24 and Ephesians 1:3-14; also John 1:9-13 and John 3:3-8). In short, salvation comes by God's grace alone, apart from good works or foreseen faith.
Creation and Providence - We believe that God made all things--both visible and invisible--out of nothing, by the word of His power, in the space of six days, and all very good (Genesis 1; John 1:1-3 & 10; and Colossians 1:15-17). We empatically deny the false teachings of evolution and theistic evolution. In addition, we believe that God continues to uphold all things by His almighty power and, for His own glory, governs and directs all things in the course of human history toward His predetermined purposes and goals (Acts 17:24-28 and Ephesians 1:11). Regarding the age of the earth, the OPC has allowed for the toleration of various views on this question so long as there is no effort in one's position to promote a mythological understanding/interpretation of the creation account (including a denial of a historic Adam and Eve from whom the whole human race has descended), or to affirm or promote any form of macro-evolution, whether it be atheisitic Darwinism or some form of theistic evolution. We affirm the doctrine of creation "ex nihilo" (viz. "out of nothing").
The Fall of Mankind into Sin - We believe that Adam and Eve were real persons in human history from whom all humanity has descended by natural generation. Adam was created by God from the literal dust of the ground (after which God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life), and Eve was created by God from a literal rib taken from Adam's body. Furthermore, we believe that the first temptation and fall of mankind into sin, misery and death, as well as the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, were literal occurances of history. In short, we maintain and teach that the events recorded in Genesis, chapters 1-3 are literal, true, and should not be understood in any sense as mythology or fable.
Covenant Theology - We believe that the fundamental way God deals with mankind is by means of covenant, which is a formal relationship established between two or more parties in which conditional promises are made by both parties toward one another and oaths are taken by the contracting parties to be faithful to the conditions of the covenant or else face certain negative consequences threatened in the covenant against any who would fail to fulfill the promises made. Covenants can be either divine (God with man) or human (man with man). While covenants between men can be either between equal parties or between superior and inferior parties, divine covenants are always between a greater being (the triune God) and lesser beings (mankind or individual men and families). Most often, covenants are made with representatives of larger groups, which means that the obligations and potential consequences affect more than just the two representatives present at the ratification of the covenant relationship.
We affirm that there are essentially two great covenants God made with mankind in history. The first is commonly called the Covenant of Works (also called the Covenant of Life), which God made at Creation with Adam as representative of the whole human race. In this first covenant, God promised Adam (and all those whom he represented) confirmation in the estate of holiness and the granting of eternal life, if Adam would obey God by not eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The potential threat in this covenant is found in God's warning that in the day he ate of that forbidden tree he (and all his posterity) would die (both physically and spiritually). Adam broke that covenant by eating of the forbidden fruit and so plunged himself and all mankind decending from him by ordinary birth into sin and misery. This is why all are conceived and born in sin and are naturally under the wrath and curse of God and are in need of salvation from God's just judgment.
The second great covenant God made with mankind in history is called the Covenant of Grace. In this covenant, which was necessitated by Adam's transgression of the Covenant of Works, God promised, through the obedience and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, to give eternal life to all those who would believe upon Christ by faith alone. In this covenant, Christ is the representative, as Adam was in the first (see 1 Cor. 15). And whereas in the first covenant, Adam disobeyed and plunged mankind into sin, misery and condemnation, in this second covenant, Christ obeyed God and died as a substitutionary sacrifice for repentant and believing sinners. This second great covenant is truly gracious in that the conditions of the covenant are soley met and provided by Jesus Christ, the God-man. As such, eternal life is not earned (merited) by the sinner through personal obedience but is graciously and mercifully confirmed as a divine gift upon all who repent and believe in Christ alone.
On Judgment Day, all will give an account to God for themselves. Either they will stand as fallen sinners in Adam, having never believed in Christ. Or they will stand as redeemed and justified saints, having fled to Christ by faith for divine mercy. Only those who are trusting in Christ's work and sacrifice in the Covenant of Grace will be granted eternal life. The rest will be justly condemned as covenant breakers in Adam and by virtue of their own personal sins committed throughout life but not attoned for by the sacrifice of Christ. In short, on the Last Day, all people will stand before God, the Eternal Judge, either on terms of the Covenant of Works in Adam (and thus be found guilty), or on terms of the Covenant of Grace in Christ in whom the sinner has placed his/her trust for salvation by grace along (and thus be found justified, having had their sins atoned for by the blood of Christ and having had the righteousness of Christ imputed to their account by faith alone).
Christ's Work of Redemption - We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, equal with the Father in power and glory, though He willingly submits to the Father's will and plan of redemption. As such, Christ agreed in eternity to become incarnate of the Holy Spirit and be born under the Law as representative of the elect of God chosen from among fallen humanity. On behalf of the elect, Christ obeyed the Law perfectly to merit eternal life (active obedience) and also laid down his sinless life as a substitutionary sacrifice on the cross to pardon their many sins (passive obedience). After His crucifixion, He remained under the power of death for three days and thus suffered the pains of Hell for the elect sinner and satisfied the Father's justice on their behalf. On the third day, Christ rose physically and bodily from the dead, appeared unto His disciples for a time, and then was physically taken into Heaven to receive the Throne of David. After His ascension into heaven, He sat down at the Father's right hand where He continues to reign and rule in righteousness, subduing the nations and building His kingdom, the Church, as well as making intercession for all the saints. He will continue this Messianic activity until His second coming at the end of human history (a Day only known by the Father), when He will appear physically and bodily for all the world to see. At this second Advent, Christ will resurrect all the dead, translate all the living, judge all mankind according to righteousness, and bring in the eternal state of the New Heavens and Earth. Those found in Christ will be glorified and enter in to the joy and rest of eternal live. Those found outside of Chrsit will be condemend and enter into the torments of eternal punishment.
Man's Will: Free or Bound? - We believe that when man was created God gave him both the freedom (liberty) and power (ability) to do what was morally upright and well pleasing to God. Man had a free will in the absolute sense of the term, namely, he had both the liberty to do what was right and the ability to do what was right (Genesis 2:15-16).
However, when Adam used that freedom of will to sin against God by eating the forbidden fruit, he fell into an estate of sin and misery, which included (among other negative consequences) the loss of the natural power (ability) to do what was morally upright and well pleasing to God. Thus, by the Fall, Adam--and in him all humanity descending from him by ordinary birth--became totally depraved in mind, heart, and will. As such, while man still retained the liberty to choose the right, he now lacked the ability to do choose what was right. Being totally corrupted by sin, man (left to his own power) now wanted nothing but to flee from God and His moral Law (Romans 3:9-20).
Thus in the estate of sin and misery, we understand that man has, in one sense, a free will, namely, he is still at liberty to choose right over wrong (i.e., God does not force men to do that which is contrary to their own inward desires. Men choose what they want. See John 8:45). But, in another sense, man is no longer free in that he lacks the natural power/ability to choose what is well pleasing to God and that which pertains to salvation (see John 8:43-44). He has become a willing slave to sin and death (i.e., because he is a sinner, he inwardly desires sin over rigtheousness and thus chooses rebellion against God over obedience to Him, which leads to eternal punishment, see John 8:34 and Romans 6:16-23). In this way, we see that mankind is both responsible and guilty before God (Acts 2:22-23), but also that he cannot save himself from sin and judgment, nor is he even willing to seek salvation apart from grace, for he is spiritually dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-3). All this means that nothing short of God's initiative and power in the sinful person's life can enable him/her to seek after anything pertaining to eternal salvation or spiritual good (1 John 4:10).
But there is hope! In the work of redemption, Christ (the God-Man) restores the sinner's ability to do what is right, thus empowering the redeemed both to desire and fulfill righteousness according to God's Law (Ephesians 2:4-9)--not in a meritorious way but as a response of love and thankfulness for God's redeeming grace apart from works. This begins when the Holy Spirit applies the redemptive work of Christ in regenerating the sinner's heart (i.e., being born of the Spirit or being born again, see John 3:3-8) which leads to repentance and faith in Christ as Savior and Lord and produces the fruit of righteousness and obedience to God (Ephesians 2:10). However, in this present life, even the redeemed person still struggles with the old corrupt nature (see Galatians 5:16-25 and Romans 7:14-8:11), which is being progressively subdued by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, Christians, while having been given back that natural ability to do good through Christ's work of redemption, still struggle against sin and temptation throughout their lives but are increasingly victorious as they rely on God's power (James 4:7-10). And thus we see, that the redeemed cannot be saved by their own works of righteousnes (i.e., they cannot merit eternal life), for even after conversion their goods works are far from perfect. Rather, good works flow from salvation by God's grace in Christ; they are never the cause of it.
But there is more to come! When Christ returns at the end of human history, He will finally and ultimately perfect all those who have believed in Him by grace. As such, the sinful nature will finally and eternally be destroyed, never to rise again. At that time, all believers in Christ will forever cease to struggle with temptation and sin. They will be confirmed by God's power in true holiness and righteousness. Thus what Adam lost for mankind by his free choice of disobedience in the Garden of Eden, Christ (the last Adam) has regained at the cross and will consummate for His chosen people at His second coming (see Romans 5:11-21 and 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 & 47-57).
The Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation) - We believe that there is a logical order to the way God applies Christ's redemptive work to the lives of His chosen people in their conversion experience, which indicates the sovereignty of God in man's salvation. While many evangelical Christians argue that one must first believe in order to be born again (and thus "saved"), we argue the Bible teaches the opposite. For instance, in John 3:1-8 Jesus tells Nicodemus that a person must first be born again or he cannot even see the kingdom of God, let alone enter it by faith. This is only logical given the fact of total depravity and the bondage of man's will (see "Man's Will: Free or Bound?" above).
According to Reformed convictions, we affirm that God is the author of our salvation (Hebrews 12:2) and takes the initiative in applying it to the lives of sinners (Matthew 1:21;Luke 19:10; John 15:16; and 1 John 4:10 & 19). As such, we believe that God first regenerates the sinner by the power of the Holy Spirit, thus enabling him to see his need for salvation (Ephesians 2:1-9). Having thus been regenerated (i.e., born again), the sinner is then irresistably moved to repent and believe in Christ, the only Savior (i.e., conversion). God then justifies the converted sinner by delaring him righteous in Christ by faith alone and adopting him/her as a His child. Then follows the work of sanctification whereby the Spirit over the lifetime of the believer progressively makes him/her holy in heart and conduct. At death, the believer's sanctification is consummated in the divine act of glorification, in which all remaining sin is finally and eternally removed (see Romans 8:28-30).
To put this matter succinctly, we believe that conversion (repentance and faith in Christ as Savior) is the result, not the cause of being "born again" and that from start to finish it is God who saves sinners (Jonah 2:9). This is only logical, for as a fallen creature, man cannot and will not save himself. To be sure, the sinner must repent and believe in Christ in order to be saved (Matthew 3:1-2; Matthew 4:17; and Acts 2:37-38), but such faith and repentace is impossible for the sinner apart from the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit working first to change his heart of stone into a heart of flesh which is then able to perceive and embrace the gospel message (Ezekiel 36:25-27; John 1:12-13; John 3:1-8; Acts 13:48, and Ephesians 2:8-9).
Can a Christian Lose His or Her Salvation? - We believe that all those who are truly converted by God's Spirit can never loose their salvation or fall from the estate of grace. This is because God is all-powerful and faithful to His promises (Romans 11:29). As such, God will preserve the elect sinner to the very end (see John 6:37-40 and Philippians 1:6).
However, we also affirm that only God perfectly knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2:19). As such, we may be decieved into believing that one is truly born again when in truth they are not--only God can see the heart and spirit of a man. Consequently, there are some who dwell as part of the Church for a season (sometimes a very long season) but eventually turn away. This is because their faith was something short of true saving faith, which always produces good works and perseverance by God's power to the end. Such people, though seemingly saved from our perspective, were never truly converted to Christ which is why they eventually abandoned Him (see 1 John 2:19).
Because man can be decieved by superficial faith, we are called to examine ourselves carefully and to make our calling and election sure by perseverance in trusting Christ and obeying His commands (see 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 and 2 Peter 1:10-11). As such, this doctrine of eternal security should not result in a presumptive spirit or a lack of diligence in resisting sin and temptation. On the contrary, believers are strongly warned against apostasy and faithlessness (see Hebrews 3:12-4:1 & 11-13; also see Hebrews 10:23-27 and 12:14-17). We must not persume upon God's grace nor sin with impunity, lest we find on judgment day that though we did many great things in the name of the Lord and even called upon Him, we never really knew Him and thus stand condemned (Matthew 7:21-23).
The Law of God: Ongoing or Ended? - We believe that God's moral Law, which is summarized in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21) is forever binding and is not in any sense abrogated or lessened with the coming of Christ. On the contrary, Christ taught that He did not come to abolish the Law of God but to fulfill it and that not the smallest part of the moral Law would be lifted until heaven and earth passed away (see Matthew 5:17-20). In part, this is because the moral Law is based upon and flows from God's very nature of holiness and righteousness. Since God does not change, neither does His moral standard. As such, we affirm that truth and morality is objective and eternal. It does not change in God's eyes, despite man's ongoing attempt to define his own morality with the passing of time and the changing of cultural preferences.
To be sure, the New Testament states that believers are no longer under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14b). But this is often misunderstood and misapplied. This statement does not mean that God's moral code has been removed or lessened with the coming Christ. Rather it means that believers are not justified in God's sight by keeping the Law (works righteousness). Believers are only justified in God's sight by faith in Christ who died for their sins. Furthermore, it means that the Law no longer condemns believers because Christ is now their righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21 and Galatians 3:10-14). This interpretation is clearly taught by Paul in Romans 3:27-31, who writes that we do not nullify the Law by faith but rather establish it.
All this is only logical when one thinks about it. To contend we are no longer obligated to keep the moral Law of God is to contend that we are free to hate God and our neighbor, for Jesus Himself taught that all the Law and Prophets are summed up in this: Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). As such, how could anyone reasonably contend that the moral Law is no longer obligatory? To remove the moral Law of God is to remove all morality. Perish the thought!
All this is not to say that various ceremonial and judicial laws during the Old Testament period are still obligatory. We must distinguish between God's moral law (which flows from His changeless character and attributes and thus forever binds all mankind) and various ceremonial and judicial laws which we given to the people of Israel to foresignify Christ and His work of redemption (e.g., the animal sacrifices), as well as to govern the theocracy of Old Testament Israel (e.g., particular judicial punishments meted out for particular offenses). The New Testament teaches in numerous places (e.g.,the book of Hebrews) that the ceremonial laws passed away with the coming of Christ. In addition the judicial laws and penalties unique to Old Testament Israel are no longer binding beyond general equity, for church and state are no longer one in the New Testament era.
STILL TO COME:
Faith and Good Works
The Church and Church Membership
The Sacraments: Their Number and Nature
The Second Coming