Description
A fourfold presentation of Reformed unity, there are at least four words preeminently describing the substance of these four historic Confessions. The first is that they are solidly biblical. They are saturated with Scripture. They are filled and shaped by Scripture. From God's Word they take their lead, illuminating God's immutable truth. God's Word being the only infallible authority in and for the Church, these Confessions are humbled underneath it, and so not only do they take their lead from it, they also continually lead us back to reliance upon God's perfect Word. This is what makes them so biblical. A second word that describes these Confessions is that they are fundamentally evangelical. This means that they are Christ-centered, relying not on the power of man or of man-made traditions, but instead on the saving power of the Gospel. In this way they center upon the Good News of Christ and Him crucified, the God-man sacrificed in place of and on behalf of fallen and sinful man, entombed thereafter and then raised on the third day for man's justification, granting us new life by uniting us through His indwelling Spirit to God the Father in a perfect Atonement. In this way these Confessions find their unity in Christ, and so they are truly evangelical. A third word which describes these Confessions is that they are catholic, which is not to say Roman, but rather that they embody the universal truth that abides in the universality of the Church, the Body of Christ. In this spirit, and manifesting unity with the Church throughout its pilgrimage since Pentecost, they also affirm the historic Creeds held in the universal Church: the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. These are also included in the present book, together with the Chalcedonian Confession which is also implicitly present in the Confessions' presentation of Christology. A fourth word describing these Confessions is that they are thoroughly orthodox. In other words, including both right doctrine and right praise, these Reformed Confessions of faith produced here are of the highest quality and value for how accurately and rightly they divide the Word of Truth. The two bedrocks of all orthodox theology, which is to say the core doctrines of the Trinity and the Two Natures of Christ, are on full display, as are clear expositions of the doctrine of justification, sanctification, the right use and understanding of the Law and of the Sacraments, and much more. Meanwhile, false notions are exposed in order that the Church might steer clear of those things which might make shipwreck of the faith. It is also the case that the authors of these Confessions are among the greatest theologians of the first one hundred years of the Reformation. John Knox, John Calvin, James Ussher, and Heinrich Bullinger, they are each among the men most used of God to reestablish the Church on its only true foundation: the Gospel of the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. Their Confessions, the Scots, the Gallican, the Irish Articles, and the Second Helvetic, respectively, are often tucked away in various publications, and so it seemed worthwhile to collect and have them published together for ease of access. Thus we commend this book as a blessing to all faithful Christians everywhere, and encourage its study by individuals, small groups, and whole churches. For it has long become clear that knowledge of our doctrine is bound up with knowledge of our history, a history which shows in so many ways its present relevance for how we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow. It also protects us against the cyclical nature of heresy. These Confessions, then, representing in their diversity a fourfold unity, provide ample trustworthy material for such equipping of the saints, and so it is with great joy that this book is being published: soli Deo gloria!
Tag This Book
This Book Has Been Tagged
Our Recommendation
Notify Me When The Price...
Log In to track this book on eReaderIQ.
Track These Authors
Log In to track Heinrich Bullinger on eReaderIQ.
Log In to track James Ussher on eReaderIQ.
Log In to track John Calvin on eReaderIQ.
Log In to track John Knox on eReaderIQ.
Log In to track Theophany Press on eReaderIQ.
Log In to track Philip Schaff on eReaderIQ.
Log In to track Anonymous on eReaderIQ.