Our Beliefs

We believe in the Triune God who has revealed Himself in His Word, comprised of the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible. We believe the Bible is divinely inspired, inerrant, and complete. As such, it is the ultimate standard for life and doctrine. We subscribe to the three ecumenical creeds, the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. We also fully affirm and subscribe to the Three Forms of Unity, comprised of the Belgic Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort. We believe that they are Scripturally-based, faithful, and accurate, and we are thankful for them. These can be found below and will give a thorough understanding of our beliefs.

  • I. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

    II. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:

    III. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:

    IV. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:

    V. The third day He rose again from the dead:

    VI. He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

    VII. From thence he shall come to judge the Quick and the dead:

    VIII. I believe in the Holy Ghost:

    IX. I believe a holy catholic Church: the communion of saints:

    X. The forgiveness of sins:

    XI. The resurrection of the body:

    XII. And the life everlasting. Amen.

  • 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 his 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 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 sitteth 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 proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spake 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.   

  • Whosoever will be saved,

    before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith.

    Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled,

    without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.

    And the Catholic Faith is this:

    That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity,

    neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance.

    For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost.

    But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one,

    the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal.

    Such as the Father is, such is the Son,and such is the Holy Ghost.

    The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate,and the Holy Ghost uncreate.

    The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible,and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible.

    The Father eternal, the Son eternal,and the Holy Ghost eternal.

    And yet they are not three eternals,

    but one eternal.

    As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated,

    but one uncreated, and one incomprehensible.

    So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty.

    And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.

    So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.

    And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.

    So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord,and the Holy Ghost Lord.

    And yet not three Lords,but one Lord.

    For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be both God and Lord,

    so we are forbidden by the Catholic Religion, to say, there be three Gods ,or three Lords.

    The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten.

    The Son is of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten.

    The Holy Ghost is of the Father [and of the Son], neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

    So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.

    And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other; none is greater, or less than another;

    but the whole three Persons are co-eternal together and co-equal.

    So that in all things, as is aforesaid,

    the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.

    He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.

    Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess,

    that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.

    God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds;

    and Man, of the Substance of His Mother, born in the world;

    Perfect God and perfect Man,

    of a reasonable soul in human flesh subsisting;

    Equal to the Father, as touching His Godhead;

    and inferior to the Father, as touching His Manhood.

    Who, although He be God and Man,

    yet He is not two, but one Christ;

    One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh,but by taking of the Manhood into God;

    One altogether; not by confusion of Substance,but by unity of Person.

    For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man,so God and Man is one Christ.

    Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell,rose again the third day from the dead.

    He ascended into heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty,

    from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

    At whose coming all men shall rise with their bodies and shall give account for their own works.

    And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting;

    and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.

    This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.

    Amen.

The Creeds

The Three Forms of Unity

The Belgic Confession of Faith (1561)

Authored by Reformed Reverend Guido de Bres in the Southern Netherlands in 1561 as a defense of Reformed beliefs to Phillip II of Spain. It was written in a time of severe persecution in the Netherlands. Indeed, Guido de Bres was ultimately martyred for his Reformed faith. The Belgic Confession remained, however, as a concise and scriptural defense of the main tenets of the Reformed faith, being revised at the Synod of Dordt in 1619, and remaining a pillar of the Three Forms of Unity traditionally used as confessional standards of the Dutch Reformed community. The link to the entire text can be found below:

The Heidelberg Catechism (1563)

Perhaps the most widely known of the Three Forms, the Heidelberg Catechism was commissioned by Elector Frederick III of the Palatinate to provide a standard for Reformed instruction. It was written primarily by Zacharias Ursinus and Casper Olevianus at the University of Heidelberg, and it was published in 1563. The 129 questions and answers have been divided into 52 Lord’s Days, to facilitate the preaching of sermons that cover the contents in the timeframe of a calendar year, a practice still adhered to among many in the Dutch Reformed community. The Catechism is divided into three main parts: Misery, Deliverance, and Gratitude. It is noted for its devotional and personal tone and has been a blessed resource for the instruction of many children and others new to the Reformed faith.

The Canons of Dordt (1619)

The Canons of Dort are a product of the Synod of Dort, that was held in the city of Dordrecht in the Netherlands from 1618-1619. The Synod was called by Prince Maurits of Orange, in response to unrest in the church caused by the followers of Jacobus Arminius, also known as the Remonstrants. The Remonstrants issued 5 challenges to the Reformed doctrine of soteriology. When the Synod was held, the Remonstrants were called to give a defense of their challenges, until they were ultimately dismissed by the President of the Synod, Johannes Bogerman. The Synod ultimately condemned the error of the Remonstrants, and drafted the Canons of Dort (these canons gave inspiration to TULIP, or the so-called five points of Calvinism) in defense of the Reformed faith.