A Protestant Church

 

The Wittenberg Door

Broadly speaking, this new church is a Christian church.  Getting more specific, this church is a Protestant church.  We affirm that the purpose of all things is God’s glory; we affirm that the final authority in the life of the Christian and the church is the Holy Spirit speaking through Scripture alone rather than church tradition; that salvation comes in Christ alone through faith alone and by God’s grace alone; and that all believers have the right and duty to study the Bible and serve the church.  These affirmations are what separate a Protestant church from a Catholic or Eastern Orthodox church.

The Protestant Reformation, which is the movement that protested the teachings of the Catholic Church in the 16th century and marked by the day that Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Door, is defined by three fundamental principles: (1) the authority of the Bible; (2) the doctrine of justification by faith alone; and (3) the priesthood of all believers.  The theology of the Reformation is also expressed by the five solas: (1) Sola Scriptura [Scripture alone]; (2) Solus Christus [Christ alone]; (3) Sola Gratia [grace alone]; (4) Sola Fide {faith alone]; and (5) Soli Deo Gloria [the glory of God alone].  It is important to note that the Protestant Reformation did not seek to emerge with new theological ideas and to create a denomination, but rather this was a movement that sought to reform the one Church against the papal faction through a return to Scripture and the early teachings of the Christian church.  In other words, the Reformation brought a needed return to the affirmations of the early church that are grounded in Scripture and centered on God.

Here  is a glimpse into this theological worldview through the Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647):

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God,and to enjoy him forever.

Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?
A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments,is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

Q. 33. What is justification?
A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace,wherein he pardoneth all our sins,and accepteth us as righteous in His sight,only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

Q. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ?
A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace,whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.

Q. 87. What is repentance unto life?
A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace,whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ,doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.

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The picture above is from sacred-destinations.com

A Christian Church

One of the most important questions to ask in a ministry is: What are the theological convictions of the church that will shape the contours of the ministry?  Answering this question articulates a ministry’s theological worldview, and that worldview informs everything you do.

It is important to understand both the theological heritage and the theological distinctives that a church holds.  A helpful way to think about this plant’s worldview is to move from the more general theology to the most specific.

Broadly speaking, this church plant is a Christian church.  We affirm that God the Father Almighty created the heavens and the earth; that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins, was crucified and buried, was raised on the third day, and will come again to judge the living and the dead; and that the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, proceeds from and is worship and glorified with the Father and the Son.

These are the affirmations of the Apostles (third – fourth centuries A.D.) and Nicene Creeds (A.D. 325, 381), and they are the most foundational affirmations of any Christian church.  It is these affirmations that set Christians apart from other religions and cults.  We are a church that affirms the following, along with all Catholics, Protestants, mainline denominations and evangelical churches (Nicene Creed with modern wording):

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son].
With the Father and the Son
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. AMEN.

Art Depicting the Council of Nicea

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The picture above is from: wikimedia.org