.
Someone can understand the essentials of the Christian faith but creeds and cofessions promote a better unity within the church and keep her from swerving to the left or to the right,
IF strictly adheared to and
IF God the Holy Spirit is pleased to dwell there.
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BELGIC CONFESSION OF FAITH (1561)Basically , the Belgic Confession of Faith follows what has become the traditional doctrinal order of Reformed systematic theology: the doctrines of God (theology proper, articles 1-11), man (ahthropology, articels 12-15), Christ (Christology, articles 16-21), salvation (soteriolgy, articles 22-26), and the last things (eschatology, articel 37). Articel 36 addresses the theocratic nature of civil government. Though it follows an objective doctrinal order, the confession has a warm, experiential, personal spirit, helped by its repeated use of the pronoun
we HEIDELBERG CATECHISM (1563)The Heidelberg Catechism's 129 questions and answers are divided into three parts, patterned after the book of Romans. After a moving introduction about the true believer"s comfort, questions 3-11 cover the experience of sin and misery (Rom. 1-3:20); Questions 12-85 cover redemption in Christ and Faith (Rom. 3:21-11:36), along with a lengthly exposition of the Apostles Creed and the sacraments; questions 86-129 cover true gratitude for God's deliverence (Romans. 12-16), primarily through a study of the Ten Commandments and the Lord's prayer. The catechism presents doctrines with clarity and warmth. Its content is more subjective than objective, more spiritual than dogmatic. Not surprisingly, this personal, devotional catechism, as exemplified by its use of singular pronouns, has been called "the book of comfort" for Christians,
CANONS OF DORDT (1618-1619). . . the canons, which thoroughly rejected the Remonstrance of 1610 and scripturally set forth the Reformed doctrine on the debated points. These points, known as the five points of Calvinism, are: unconditional election, limited atonement, total depravity, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. Though these points do not represent all of Calvinism and are better regarded as Calvinism's five answers to the five errors of Arminianism, . . .
From "REFORMED CONFESSIONS HARMONIZED" Beeke & Ferguson http://www.heritagebooks.org/bookst...0eoqstgkktq717v9d5ts2hn0&x=0&y=0_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Have a good Lord's day,
William
