The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Heidelberg Catechism

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

Small Children’s Catechism

By Chris Schlect

1. Who made you? A. God ————— 2. What else did God make? A. God made all things. ————— 3. Why did God make all things? A. For His own glory ————— 4. Why do things work as they do? A. God has so decreed it. ————— 5. How do we learn about God? A. God reveals Himself. ————— 6. Where does God reveal Himself? A. In His word and in nature ————— 7. What does God reveal in nature? A. His character, law, and wrath ————— 8. What more is revealed in His Word? A. God’s mercy toward His people ————— 9. Where is God’s Word today? A. The Bible is God’s Word. ————— 10. How many Gods are there? A. There is one true God. ————— 11. How many persons are in the Godhead? A. three ————— 12. Who are these persons? A. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ————— 13. Where is God? A. He is everywhere. ————— 14. How long has God existed? A. He has always been. ————— 15. How is man unique? A. He bears God’s image. ————— 16. Who was the first man? A. Adam ————— 17. What was Adam like at creation? A. He was good. ————— 18. Did Adam remain good? A. No, he sinned. ————— 19. What is sin? A. disobedience to God’s law ————— 20. What is the penalty for sin? A. death ————— 21. What came of Adam’s sin? A. Death came to all men. ————— 22. Why did Adam’s sin affect all men? A. we all sinned in Adam ————— 23. Must all men die for sin? A. No, God elected some to life. ————— 24. How may we be saved from sin and death? A. only through Jesus Christ ————— 25. Who is Jesus Christ? A. He is God’s Son.

26. Did Jesus ever sin? A. No, only He is righteous. ————— 27. What did Jesus do for His people? A. He conquered death. ————— 28. How did He do this? A. He died, then rose again. ————— 29. What else did Christ conquer? A. all his enemies ————— 30. Are His enemies powerful? A. They have come to nothing. ————— 31. What did He give to His people? A. His own righteousness ————— 32. What did He take from His people? A. their sin ————— 33. How is Christ’s work brought to His people? A. by the Holy Spirit ————— 34. What does the Holy Spirit do? A. He gives faith. ————— 35. What is faith? A. resting on Christ for salvation ————— 36. How do we recognize true faith? A. it yields good works ————— 37. Who are Christ’s people? A. they make up His church ————— 38. What are the traits of His church? A. the Word, discipline, and sacraments ————— 39. How is the Word a trait of His church? A. All God’s Word is preached. ————— 40. How is discipline a trait of His church? A. God’s people are protected. ————— 41. What are sacraments? A. signs and seals of God’s covenant ————— 42. What sacraments are there? A. baptism and the Lord’s supper ————— 43. Who is Head of the Church? A. Jesus Christ ————— 44. What offices has Christ appointed? A. overseers and deacons ————— 45. Is His Church perfect? A. It is being perfected. ————— 46. When will it be perfect? A. at the resurrection ————— 47. What happens at the resurrection? A. Christ judges all men’s deeds. ————— 48. What of those He deems righteous? A. They dwell with Him forever. ————— 49. What of those He condemns? A. They perish forever. ————— 50. How does this judgment affect Christ? A. It magnifies His glory.

Puritan Worship

Puritan Worship
A view of worship guided by the Regulative Principle, and other important matters.

There is a growing need to study the doctrine of the church and the doctrine of Worship.  Ignorance on this subject is not bliss since God commands the gathering together of His people for this express purpose (Heb. 10:25).  The Puritans knew worship very well.  Much of their writings were directed to this end.  Worship should be reflected in the entire life of the believer as his manner of glorifying God.  Without worship, men lose a sense of self.  That is why the lost try to fill the void that only worship to the Creator of the Universe is meant to hold.  They have a gnawing sense of emptiness when true worship is not being given to the sustainer of their being.  Worship and the church, then, even on that level alone, is one of the most important, if not the most important doctrine one could study.

The church is also having an identity crisis.  Since they do not know their Bibles, they have lost a sense of who they are before God.  Hopefully some, if not all of these articles will help the church find her identity again, and the people of God will remember again how to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Dr. C. Matthew McMahon, March, 2002

Cut from “A Puritan’s Mind” website

Perseverance of the Saints

“Perseverance of the Saints is a doctrine which states that the saints (those whom God has saved) will remain in God’s hand until they are glorified and brought to abide with him in heaven. Romans 8:28-39 makes it clear that when a person truly has been regenerated by God, he will remain in God’s stead. The work of sanctification which God has brought about in his elect will continue until it reaches its fulfillment in eternal life (Phil. 1:6). Christ assures the elect that he will not lose them and that they will be glorified at the “last day” (John 6:39). The Calvinist stands upon the Word of God and trusts in Christ’s promise that he will perfectly fulfill the will of the Father in saving all the elect.“

The Five Points of Calvinism by Jonathan Barlow

Irresistible Grace

“The result of God’s Irresistible Grace is the certain response by the elect to the inward call of the Holy Spirit, when the outward call is given by the evangelist or minister of the Word of God. Christ, himself, teaches that all whom God has elected will come to a knowledge of him (John 6:37). Men come to Christ in salvation when the Father calls them (John 6:44), and the very Spirit of God leads God’s beloved to repentance (Romans 8:14). What a comfort it is to know that the gospel of Christ will penetrate our hard, sinful hearts and wondrously save us through the gracious inward call of the Holy Spirit (I Peter 5:10)!“

The Five Points of Calvinism by Jonathan Barlow

Limited Atonement (Particular Redemption)

“Atonement is a doctrine offered in answer to the question, “for whose sins did Christ atone?” The Bible teaches that Christ died for those whom God gave him to save (John 17:9). Christ died, indeed, for many people, but not all (Matthew 26:28). Specifically, Christ died for the invisible Church — the sum total of all those who would ever rightly bear the name “Christian” (Ephesians 5:25).This doctrine often finds many objections, mostly from those who think that Limited Atonement does damage to evangelism. We have already seen that Christ will not lose any that the father has given to him (John 6:37). Christ’s death was not a death of potential atonement for all people. Believing that Jesus’ death was a potential, symbolic atonement for anyone who might possibly, in the future, accept him trivializes Christ’s act of atonement. Christ died to atone for specific sins of specific sinners. Christ died to make holy the church. He did not atone for all men, because obviously all men are not saved. Evangelism is actually lifted up in this doctrine, for the evangelist may tell his congregation that Christ died for sinners, and that he will not lose any of those for whom he died!“

The Five Points of Calvinism by Jonathan Barlow