CONFESSION OF FAITH 1 THE CONFESSION OF FAITH OF THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster as the same is received by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church including amendments approved by the General Synods of 1959, 1976, 1984, and 2001. CONTENTS CONFESSION OF FAITH 2 CONTENTS I. Of the Holy Scriptures 3 II. Of God, and of the Holy Trinity 8 III. Of God's Eternal Decree 10 IV. Of Creation 13 V. Of Providence 14 VI. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof 17 VII. Of God's Covenant with Man 19 VIII. Of Christ the Mediator 21 IX. Of Free Will 25 X. Of Effectual Calling 27 XI. Of Justification 29 XII. Of Adoption 31 XIII. Of Sanctification 32 XIV. Of Saving Faith 33 XV. Of Repentance unto Life 34 XVI. Of Good Works 36 XVII. Of the Perseverance of the Saints 39 XVIII. Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation 41 XIX. Of the Law of God 43 XX. Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience 46 XXI. Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day 48 XXII. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows 51 XXIII. Of the Civil Magistrate 53 XXIV. Of Marriage and Divorce 55 XXV. Of the Church 57 XXVI. Of the Communion of Saints 59 XXVII. Of the Sacraments 60 XXVIII. Of Baptism 62 XXIX Of the Lord's Supper 64 XXX. Of Church Censures 67 XXXI Of Synods and Councils 68 XXXII. Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead 70 XXXIII. Of the Last Judgment 71 NOTES 73 CONFESSION OF FAITH 3 The CONFESSION OF FAITH CHAPTER I OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES I. Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence, do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave a men inexcusable; yet they are not sufficient to give that knowledge of b God, and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation: therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal c himself, and to declare that his will unto his Church; and afterwards, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same d wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scripture to be most e necessary; those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people f being now ceased. a Rom. 2:14-15; Rom. 1:19-20; Ps. 19:1-3; Rom. 1:32; Rom. 2:1. b I Cor. 1:21; I Cor. 2:13-14. c Heb. 1:1. d Prov. 22:19-21; Luke 1:3-4; Rom. 15:4; Matt. 4:4, 7, 10; Isa. 8:19-20. e II Tim. 3:15; II Pet. 1:19. f Heb. 1:1-2. CONFESSION OF FAITH 4 II. Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the Books of the Old and New Testaments, which are these: OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Genesis Ezra Hosea Exodus Nehemiah Joel Leviticus Esther Amos Numbers Job Obadiah Deuteronomy Psalms Jonah Joshua Proverbs Micah Judges Ecclesiastes Nahum Ruth The Song of Songs Habakkuk I Samuel Isaiah Zephaniah II Samuel Jeremiah Haggai I Kings Lamentations Zachariah II Kings Ezekiel Malachi I Chronicles Daniel II Chronicles matt. 5:18. r OF THE NEW TESTAMENT s isa. 8:20; acts 15:15; John 5:39, 46. The Gospelst John ac 5:39.- Ephesians The first and cording to Philippians second i John 1:8, 10; rom. 7:14, 17-18, 23; James 3:2; Matthew Colossians Epistles of Prov. 20:9; Markl Thessalonians I Peter Luke Eccl. 7:20. Thessalonians II The first, Johnm rom. 7:5, 7-8,To 25; Timothy Gal. 5:17. I second and The Acts Psof .the 45:7; JohnTo 3:34. Timothy II third Epistles Apostles To Titus of John Paul’sp Epistles to To Philemon The Epistle of q The RomansCol. 2:3. The Epistle to the Jude Corinthiansr Col. I 1:19. Hebrews The Revelation Corinthianss Heb. II 7:26; JohnThe 1:14. Epistle of James Galatianst acts 10:38; Heb. 12:24; Heb. 7:22. u Heb. 5:4-5. g All which arex givenJohn by5:22, inspirati 27; matt.on of 28:18;God, toacts be 2:36. the rule of faith and life. Gen. 2:18. g Luke 16:29, 31; Eph. 2:20; Rev. 22:18-19; II Tim. 3:16. b c mal. 2:15. d i Cor. 7:2, 9. 2: 3. r Col. 1:19. s Heb. 7:26; John 1:14. CONFESSION OF FAITH 5 III. The Books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the Scripture; and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or h made use of, than other human writings. h Luke 24:27, 44; Rom. 3:2; II Pet. 1:21. IV. The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; and i therefore it is to be received, because it is the word of God. i II Pet. 1:19, 21; II Tim. 3:16; I John 5:9; I Thess. 2:13. V. We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an k high and reverend esteem of the Holy Scripture, and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the word of God; yet, notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth, and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the word in our l hearts. k I Tim. 3:15. l I John 2:20, 27; John 16:13-14; I Cor 2:10-12; Isa. 59:21. VI. The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture; unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new m revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary n for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the word; and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, CONFESSION OF FAITH 6 according to the general rules of the word, which are always to be o observed. m II Tim. 3:15-17; Gal. 1:8-9; II Thess. 2:2. n John 6:45; I Cor. 2:9-12. o I Cor. 11:13-14; I Cor. 14:26, 40. VII. All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike p clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed, for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a q sufficient understanding of them. p II Pet. 3:16. q Ps. 119:105, 130. VIII. The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by his singular care and providence r kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical; so as in all controversies s of religion, the Church is finally to appeal unto them. But because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God, who have right unto and interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded, in the fear of t God, to read and search them, therefore they are to be translated into the u vulgar language of every nation unto which they come, that the word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship him in an acceptable w manner, and, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, may have x hope. r Matt. 5:18. s Isa. 8:20; Acts 15:15; John 5:39, 46. t John 5:39. uI Cor. 14: 6, 9, 11-12, 24, 27, 28. wCol. 3:16. xRom. 15:4. CONFESSION OF FAITH 7 IX. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and y known by other places that speak more clearly. yII Pet. 1:20-21; Acts 15:15-16.