biblicalconfessionalhistorical -

biblical. confessional. historical.

biblical.

The world and nature, everything that surrounds us, are expressions of God’s wonderful creation. They reveal to us His greatness, power, and goodness. In the beauty of nature – like the plants that bloom in spring, the clear blue sky on a sunny summer day, or the birds building their nests – we can see God’s glory and majesty. This general revelation of God in creation is visible to all people and invites us to reflect on the Creator.

However, this general revelation is not sufficient to fully know God and His will. In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself in various ways, for example through dreams and visions. But ultimately, He revealed Himself in His Word, the Holy Scripture, the Bible. While the earlier forms of revelation are no longer necessary today, Holy Scripture remains the only reliable place where we find God’s Word. The Westminster Catechism explains: “The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, the only rule of faith and obedience” (Question 3).

God’s Word is recorded in the Bible, the Old and New Testaments. Unlike the earlier unwritten revelations – such as dreams and visions – today we find God’s Word only in the Holy Scripture. God is a God of words and a saving God in His Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is incompatible with biblical teaching to neglect the Holy Scripture in favor of other forms of knowledge. Christ Himself is the living Word of God (John 1), and God is the true author of the Bible. Whoever loves Christ also loves His Word.

It was not necessary for God to preserve His revelation in written form, but since He chose to set aside other forms of communication (such as angels or personal appearances), Scripture is of indispensable value to us. In a time when truth is often relativized and many people are uncertain about what to believe, it is all the more important that we look to the Word of God. It shows us what we are to believe about God and what duties He requires of us (Westminster Catechism, Question 5). The Bible alone is the infallible and inerrant Word of God.

confessional.

Christians are less divided into two groups—those with a creed and those without—than into those who have a public confession of faith and those whose confession remains private. Confessing Christians possess a written statement of faith that is publicly accessible and therefore subject to scrutiny, evaluation, and critique.

People with a private confession of faith tend to express their beliefs more spontaneously, without having them documented in writing. As a result, their confession escapes public examination and cannot be evaluated in the light of Scripture. Ironically, it is often those who claim that the Bible is the foundation of their faith, yet do not hold to a formal confession, who are furthest from biblical doctrine.

Creeds are often referred to as “normed norms” (norma normata in Latin), as opposed to Holy Scripture, which is the “norming norm” (norma normans). However, it is a misunderstanding to see a creed as something opposed to Scripture. Rather, a creed is a public declaration of what a particular church or denomination (an association of congregations sharing the same confession of faith) believes, based on what Scripture teaches.

The Bible itself is not a topical handbook, but reveals God’s truth through a historical process that unfolds over time. Thus, God does not reveal Himself explicitly as the Triune God in Genesis, but when we consider all the verses about God’s self-revelation throughout Scripture, we come to understand that He is indeed a Triune God.

Creeds, therefore, are not merely collections of Bible verses, but thematic summaries of biblical doctrine. They do not stand in contradiction to Scripture, nor do they replace it as the foundation of faith. Rather, they are grounded in Scripture and measured by it. Ultimately, Scripture alone remains the standard by which all is judged.

We confess the teachings of Holy Scripture as summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647, along with the accompanying Westminster Shorter Catechism and Westminster Larger Catechism.

historical.

The early church faced many theological challenges. The death of the apostles brought about a change in church leadership. Paul was aware of this situation and laid out clear criteria for church elders in his pastoral letters. He knew that one day he too would no longer be there. Therefore, he gave Timothy and Titus precise instructions on which men should hold this office and what doctrine they were to pass on. This challenge—to define what is true and biblical—has never ceased. In the post-apostolic era, one of the questions that arose was about the true nature of Jesus Christ.

In the 3rd century, for example, Arius (256–336) taught that God’s essence could not be shared and that Jesus therefore could not be truly God. He must be a created being. But what is correct? What does Holy Scripture teach? This question was discussed at the Council of Nicaea and, based on Scripture, formulated into a confession of faith.
The true church of God confesses: “We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages: God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father; through Him all things were made.” (Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, 381). In this way, the church of God established what the Bible teaches about the nature of Jesus Christ.

A confession of faith is not only meant to preserve, protect, and transmit the faith in written form, but also to identify, distinguish, and unite congregations. For this reason, we join with the worldwide Christian church in affirming the ancient creeds, as summarized in the Apostles’ Creed, the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, the Chalcedonian Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.