Our Creeds and Confessions
Third Church holds three creeds in common with most other Christian
churches.
- The
Apostles Creed elegantly expresses our faith in God the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit.
- The Nicene
Creed boldly emphasizes the biblical message that Jesus is truly,
fully God.
- The
Athanasian Creed affirms the biblical teaching that the Father is
God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but in such a way
that there is only one God. It then goes on to confess that Jesus
Christ is at the same time fully God and fully Human.
There are also three confessions that Third Church shares with other
churches of the Reformed faith. These distinguish its teachings from
that of other denominations.
- The
Belgic Confession summarizes what the Bible teaches about itself,
our fall into sin, Christ, salvation, the church, civil government,
and our Lord's return.
- The
Heidelberg Catechism emphasizes that our rescue from sin is a
free, unearned gift of God through Jesus Christ. Responding to that
gift, we show our gratitude to God by living in faith and obedience to
our Lord.
- The
Canons of Dort assert that we cannot save ourselves because sin
has affected every part of our nature. We cannot even come to faith by
ourselves. God must break through our stubborn rejection. God takes
the initiative, choosing us in Christ without consideration of any
good in us, not even foreseen faith. God's Spirit alone can work in us
the miracle of saving faith that gives us new life in Christ.
The contemporary testimony
Our World
Belongs To God reasserts the claim of our Lord over every area of
life. Being Jesus' disciples means that we serve God everywhere, all the
time.
Over time, the Christian Reformed Church has clearly stated its
position on a
variety of contemporary topics.
See also:
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