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CONFESSION
Scripture. The Holy Bible is the final and only authority in all matters of faith and practice.
Carl Trueman pointed out:
"The Christian world is not divided between those who have creeds and confessions and those who just have the Bible. It is actually divided between those who write them down in a public form, open to public scrutiny and correction, and those who have them and do not write them down. The reason is simple: every church (and indeed every Christian) believes the Bible means something, and what it thinks the Bible means is its creed and confession, whether it chooses to write its beliefs down or not."
Confession of Faith. We fully subscribe to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, as the most accurate expression of that system of doctrine taught in the Bible. We do not hold this Confession of Faith to be above or equal to the Holy Scriptures. Rather we accept it as an assistance in controversy, a confirmation in faith, and an instrument of edification and instruction. This Confession provides every member with a compact systematic theology, and by means of the scriptural proofs, each one can be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in him.
Statement of Faith. Our Statement of Faith is the New Hampshire Baptist Confession of 1833, set forth as an abstract of Our Confession of Faith, the Second London Confession of 1689. When any part of this Statement of Faith needs further clarification, the Our Confession of Faith, the Second London Confession of 1689, will be utilized to clarify the intended and fuller meaning.
The Importance of Confessions for Your Faith
Belonging
The more that God’s love grows in a believer, the more Christ teaches His followers to love His Bride, the Church. (Ephesians 5:25–27, Revelation 19:7-10) Church membership establishes which souls are under the care of this local congregation. We celebrate one Spirit, one faith, and one baptism. Children of members are part of the church family and as such enjoy the blessings of shepherding, gospel ministry, and discipleship. If you desire to grow in Christ through the worship, preaching, teaching, ministry, shepherding, and even the redemptive discipline which this church affirms, we would love for you to take steps toward membership.
Maturing
The Lord Jesus Christ expects every member of his glorious body to learn Christ. This is how Paul describes growth in the knowledge of God. Christians have always and only grown in spiritual maturity according to God‘s design as they have “heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus (Ephesians 4:20, 21). The army of king Jesus gains strength not on the ‘milk of newborns,’ but rather as believers put off the old self and put on the new and are “renewed in the spirit of their minds” (4:22-24). When God truly regenerates, this is what his new creation desires. Even after death, this is what believers will enjoy: growing in the knowledge of an infinite God for all of eternity. As a church, it is our delight and duty to know God in Christ more and more each day.
“Knowledge does not make a heart good,” observed Puritan pastor William Gurnall, “but it is impossible that without knowledge it should be good.”
Disciples of Christ grow in their faith, hope, and love as the Holy Spirit illuminates the teachings of Christ in all of the sacred scriptures and applies them to the lives of His people through the means of grace He has ordained. Discipleship, therefore, is growth in biblical doctrine for life in Christ within His body. Each person’s beliefs and theological convictions must be subject to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s direction upon their conscience.
Shepherding
The Lord Jesus Christ is The Chief Shepherd of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). Scripture teaches that biblically qualified and appointed elders (1 Timothy 3:1–7, Titus 1:5–12) will give an account to Christ one day for the souls of those whom He has entrusted to their shepherding care (Hebrews 13:7, 17, Revelation 3:1-6).
Biblically qualified elders who are called by God and appointed by this congregation understand, embrace and teach the full counsel of God's word within the doctrinal 'green pastures' of historic orthodox Christianity as expressed in the creeds, catechisms, and confessions below. The elders of the congregation are called to serve the Bride of Christ, His Church, with self-sacrificing love. Christ also calls under-shepherds to know, protect, care for, and feed Christ’s beloved lambs, those whom He purchased with His precious blood.
The foundation of the church is the Lord Jesus Christ. He reigns over his church, the pillar and ground of truth (1 Tim 3:15). God's word in scripture alone is "the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried."
"Confessional reformed theology express[es] the mind of God‘s people embracing God’s word. If we neglect the church’s historic confessions of faith we end up with mindless and spineless Christianity. Reformed confessional theology is written not to pick a fight but to protect the church in the battles she already faces and to nurture people in the truth." -Joel Beeke
Throughout the history of His church, God’s Spirit has guided true believers to interpret His Word. It took the church centuries to clearly articulate a biblical doctrine of God’s triunity, for instance. As a congregation, we recognize the importance of doctrinal clarity and humbly accept the caution against what C.S. Lewis termed “chronological snobbery.”
"The modern cry: "Less creed and more liberty," is a degeneration from the vertebrate to the jellyfish, and means less unity and less morality, and it means more heresy. Definitive truth does not create heresy - it only exposes and corrects. Shut off the creed and the Christian world would fill up with heresy unsuspected and uncorrected, but none the less deadly." -B.H. Carroll (1843-1914)
With God's help, Reformed Heritage Church is committed to teaching doctrines that are expressly set down or necessarily contained in scripture. As further theological tools and safeguards against heresy, this Church subscribes to the following (listed in chronological order).
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An Orthodox Catechism: Being the Sum of Christian Religion, Contained in the Law and Gospel (1680) by Hercules Collins (adapted from The Heidelberg Catechism)
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The New Hampshire Confession of Faith of 1853 - a concise statement of our biblical, historic, orthodox beliefs, articulated warmly and evangelistically.
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Chicago Statements: International Council on Biblical Inerrancy
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The Cambridge Declaration: The Five Solas of the Reformation
As the church remains rooted in her rich spiritual heritage expressed in these time-tested statements, she is strengthened in many ways:
a. They provide a helpful view up-front of how this body traces its theological lineage historically.
b. They establish the grounds for unity and clarity on foundational doctrines.
c. They offer boundaries for what this church considers the ‘green pastures’ that will feed the sheep and within which elders, staff, small groups, teachers, preachers, missionaries, and guest speakers can confidently labor in making disciples and teaching.
d. They promote unity, preserve clarity, and prevent division so that we will not give up meeting together to worship our Lord Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth.
e. They remind us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, brothers and sisters from previous generations, with whom we enjoy unity by our shared belief in Christ and His Word, throughout all of church history.
f. Finally, they help protect and uphold the spiritual life of Christ’s precious flock with the sword of the Spirit against sin, Satan, worldliness, and wolves.
As a church plant, we gather under the oversight of our 'sending church,' Calvary Redeeming Grace Church of Lakewood, CO. We thank God for this dear congregation's example, prayers, friendship, care, generosity, and blessing in this glorious endeavor.
