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Confession Of Faith
Our only rule of Faith and Practice is the Word
of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments. We also believe that an accurate summary of what the
Scriptures teach may be found in the Westminster Confession of
Faith, along with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. We refer to
these as our "subordinate standards" because they only have
authority to the degree that they reflect accurately the teaching of
Scripture, which is the only ultimate authority binding God's
Church. God has spoken, and His Word is sufficient. While many
churches may not have a written confession, all believers hold to
some sort of confession or understanding of what Scripture teaches.
For example, many would readily confess that God exists in three
persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that it is by God's grace
alone that we are saved from God's wrath, or that Scripture is
God-inspired and infallible. We believe it is very beneficial to
openly and explicitly commit ourselves to the essential doctrines of
Scripture, and so the Westminster Standards serve us as a working
summary that we can gather around so that there is no doubt where we
stand as a Church. They provide a clear biblical hedge against
heresy, they identify who we are as a church, and they also provide
a useful teaching aid to continue steadfast in what has been
understood for centuries that the Scripture clearly teaches. But
while the Westminster Standards are the position of the Orthodox
Presbyterian Church, only officers in the Church are required to
subscribe to them. Lay members of the church need not have come to a
full understanding of all that the Standards of the Church affirm.
All that is required is that one be a Christian and desire to live a
godly life, and be able to affirm four very basic vows, which are as
follows: |
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