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Sola Scriptura is a slogan from
the days of the Protestant Reformation. It means that the Bible is
the ultimate authority for the Church and the believer. It does not
mean that we are not guided by things other than Holy Scripture, simply
that Scripture is the only completely trustworthy thing that we have to
guide us how to live and how to believe. Wise believers do not try
to "reinvent the wheel" when it comes to Christian truth.
That is, we must not pretend that nothing has happened in the past two
thousand years, rather we can be greatly helped by understanding how
previous generations of Christians confessed their faith before the world.
Through the generous work of Daric Bossman,
you may download his freeware Windows help file that contains the
doctrinal statements of various Christian groups, ancient and modern, from
Anglicans and Baptists to the Reformed Churches and Presbyterians
Simply click below to download this free
program. Once it is saved on your computer, you may open it, and it
will install itself. It is about 600 k.
Reformed Confessions
It contains the following
documents:
The Apostles’ Creed
The Nicene Creed
The Athanasian Creed
The Chalcedonian Creed
The Belgic Confession
The Canons of Dort
The Heidelberg Catechism
The Westminster Confession
The Westminster Larger Catechism
The Westminster Shorter Catechism
The French Confession
The Second Helvetic Confession
The Waldensian Confession
The Children’s Catechism (from Summertown Texts)
Savoy Declaration
London Confession of Baptist Faith
Thirty-nine Articles of Religion
Lausanne Covenant
Manila Manifesto
Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the
Pillar and Ground of the Truth and the Gates of Hell will never win the
battle against her. Here are the words of a grand, old Lutheran hymn,
whose tune, hopefully you are hearing.
Built on the Rock the Church doth stand,
Even when steeples are falling;
Crumbled have spires in every land,
Bells still are chiming and calling,
Calling the young and old to rest,
But above all the soul distrest,
Longing for rest everlasting.
Surely in temples made with hands,
God, the Most High, is not dwelling;
High above earth His temple stands,
All earthly temples excelling.
Yet He whom heavens cannot contain
Chose to abide on earth with men,
Built in our bodies His temple.
We are God’s house of living stones,
Builded for His habitation;
He through baptismal grace us owns
Heirs of His wondrous salvation.
Were we but two His name to tell,
Yet He would deign with us to dwell,
With all His grace and His favor.
Now we may gather with our King
E’en in the lowliest dwelling;
Praises to Him we there may bring,
His wondrous mercy forthtelling.
Jesus His grace to us accords;
Spirit and life are all His words;
His truth doth hallow the temple.
Still we our earthly temples rear
That we may herald His praises;
They are the homes where He draws near
And little children embraces.
Beautiful things in them are said;
God there with us His covenant made,
Making us heirs of His kingdom.
Here stands the font before our eyes
Telling how God did receive us;
The Supper recalls Christ’s sacrifice
And what His table doth give us;
Here sounds the Word that doth proclaim
Christ yesterday, today, the same,
Yea, and for aye our Redeemer.
Grant then, O God, where’er men roam,
That, when the church-bells are ringing,
Many in saving faith may come
Where Christ His message is bringing:
“I know Mine own, Mine own know Me;
Ye, not the world, My face shall see.
My peace I leave with you.” Amen.
Built on the Rock the Church Doth Stand
(or Kirken Den Er Et Gammelt Hus)
Nicolai F.S. Grundtvig, 1837 (Tr. Carl Doving, 1909)
"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow
citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus
Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted
together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also
are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."
(Ephesians 2:19-22)
To the tune, "Kirken Den Er Et" by Ludvig Matthias
Lindeman
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