Reformed Evangelical Synod of America

According to the Usage of the Reformed Evangelical Synod of America

INTRODUCTION

Like any solution, especially one enforced in religious practice by the state, the Articles were never entirely successful – with Puritans finding them just as unsatisfactory as the Catholic side of the camp. Nevertheless, the Articles remained a binding force for many centrist Anglicans until the late nineteenth century.

With the dawn of the twentieth century, Anglicanism entered an age of decline, marked by the widespread adoption of the Historic/Critical method of Scriptural interpretation and a headlong dash into the growing Ecumenical and Liturgical movements of the age. The Articles soon took a back seat in Anglican circles – eventually being reduced to the status of ‘historical document’ in the 1979 Episcopalian Prayer Book.

The Articles of Religion, however, have survived in varied forms. The Methodist/Weslyean movement embraced a simplified revision of them, and the Reformed Episcopal Church also adapted the Articles for their own use. This history of adaptability, and the Reformed Evangelical Synod’s baseline Episcopal polity, liturgical worship, as well as the original Articles’ intent to confess the Biblical and Ancient faith of the Church (which we likewise prize) lead to their adaptation in the present form, consisting of thirty-seven articles which all clergy of the Synod are required to adopt as a confessional standard of faith.

PART ONE
The Nature of God

1. The Holy Trinity
There is one living and true God. God is everlasting, of infinite power, wisdom, mercy, and love; the Creator and Preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in the unity of this Godhead, there are three Persons, of one essence, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

2. God the Father
God the Father is the source of all that is, and – in a unique way – is the source of God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. His divine wisdom is revealed (in a general sense) to every human being in every aspect of his creation. Every people and culture throughout history have, in some manner, been touched by the truth of his existence; a fact that is witnessed to by the similarities in the primeval histories of the peoples of the earth and as testified in Holy Scripture.

In the history of salvation God has revealed himself as Father to the Israelite people through his Covenant with them, a covenant in which he set his love upon them in a unique way and called them out as his own from all other nations and peoples, in order to prepare the way (by means of the Law and the Prophets) for the coming of a Redeemer.

In the fullness of His Self Revelation God is revealed as Father in his fulfillment of the promises of the Old Covenant through the incarnation, ministry, and Paschal mystery of his only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

3. God the Son
God the Son, who is the Word of the Father, eternally-begotten of the Father, the very and eternal God, of one essence with the Father, took man’s nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that two whole and unique natures, that is to say, the human and the Divine, were joined together in one Person, never to be divided. Thus we speak of Jesus Christ as true God and true Man.

We believe that he truly suffered, was crucified, died, and buried, in order to destroy the alienation between God and Man that resulted from the Sin of Adam, opening the door for the restoration of man’s communion and fellowship with God through the forgiveness of sins. After his death, he descended among the dead, being buried like any man. On the Third Day, Christ truly rose from the grave, body and soul, humanity and divinity, and, after forty days, he ascended into heaven.

Christ is now seated at the right hand of God the Father and, executing his role as our Great High Priest and Advocate; where he will remain until the appointed day when he will return to judge the living and the dead in righteousness and truth. This Second Coming is the blessed hope of the Church.

Until that day, at the intercession of Christ, God the Father has sent into the world the Holy Spirit, his first gift to those who believe.

4. God the Holy Spirit
God the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father through the intercession of the Son, is truly God; and is of one essence, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment; and to reveal the truth of Christ to men.

The Holy Spirit is the agent of our regeneration: softening our hearts, making us open to the leading of God, and ultimately leading individuals to faith in Christ. In the wake of the Spirit’s regenerative work, the Holy Spirit’s gifts are poured out upon the believer. The Holy Spirit quickens the life of the People of God through his presence among Christians, and in a special way – mirroring the mystery of the Incarnation – through the Sacramental life of the Church.

PART TWO
Sacred Scripture and The Creeds

5. The Holy Scriptures
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Holy Scripture is therefore the Word of God. We accept that the Scriptures, found in the Old and New Testaments, are the guiding foundation of our faith, are infallible, and contain all things necessary to salvation. Any doctrine that is not plainly revealed or supported by Scripture is not to be regarded as necessary for salvation.

We accept without reservation the thirty-nine book Old Testament canon and twenty-seven book New Testament canon shared among Western Church. The Deuterocanonical Books may be read for example of life and instruction of manners, but shall not be used to establish any doctrine.

6. The Old Testament and its Relation to the New Testament
We further affirm our belief that the Old Testament is not contrary to the New, for in both the Old and New Testaments eternal life is offered to mankind through Christ. Hence he, being both God and man, is the only mediator between God and man. Those who pretend that the Patriarchs only looked for transitory promises must not be listened to. Although the law given by God through Moses is not binding on Christians as far as its forms of worship and ritual are concerned and the civil regulations are not binding on any nation state, nevertheless no Christian is free to disobey those commandments that may be classified as moral by virtue of their abiding equity.

7. The Creeds
The Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds are received and believed within this Synod as the chief instruments of unity and doctrine, for the teachings of these Creeds may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture.

PART THREE
Man’s Condition and It’s Remedy

8. Man’s Condition by Nature
Because of the deadly chasm that exists between God and man in the wake of Adam’s fall we know as “original sin”, we are unable on our own to turn to God without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. While we as people made to reflect God’s image may sense a need for the Divine in our lives, it is the Holy Spirit who is both the initiator of that needful longing, and who takes that primal sense and gives it a proper direction – leading people to a relationship to God the Father through the reconciling life and death of Jesus Christ. In the absence of such a relationship, our good works and intentions are worthless.

9. Regeneration – the New Birth
Regeneration is the creative act of the Holy Spirit, whereby he imparts to the soul a new spiritual life, one in which our sinful nature is washed clean and we are given a new birth by virtue of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This new birth enables us to be justly called ‘God’s children’ and makes us joint-heirs of God and all of his promises through Christ.

10. The Justification of Man
We are pardoned and deemed righteous before God, only on account of the merits of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and not on account of any works or deserving of our own, for our own works are unable, of their own merit, to obtain the forgiveness of our sins.

11. Good Works
Although good works, which are the fruits of faith and follow on after justification, can never atone for our sins or face the strict justice of God’s judgment, they are nevertheless pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ and necessarily spring from a true and living faith. Thus a living faith is as plainly known by its good works as a tree is known by its fruit.

12. Works of Supererogation
The concept of voluntary works besides, over, and above God’s commandments, which are sometimes called works of supererogation, cannot be taught without arrogance and impiety. By them men do declare not only that they render to God their proper duty but that they actually do more than their duty. But Christ says: “So you also, when you after done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unprofitable servants.’”

13. Christ Alone is Sinless
In the truth of our nature, Christ was made like into us in all things except sin (from which he was clearly void) both in his flesh and in his spirit. He came to be the Lamb without spot, who, by the one sacrifice of himself takes away the sin of the world. He is unique in this respect, for he alone has borne our flesh without sin. Every other human being in history has been born with Original Sin; and even those who have been born again of water and the Spirit continue to sin in many respects. Thus, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

14. Sin after Baptism
Not every sin knowingly committed after baptism is sin against the Holy Spirit and unforgivable. Therefore the gift of repentance is not to be declared impossible for those who fall into sin after baptism. After we have received the Holy Spirit we may depart from the grace given to us and fall into sin, and we may also by the grace of God return and amend our lives. Therefore those who say that they are incapable of sinning any more in this life proclaim a false teaching, as do those who deny the opportunity of forgiveness to those who truly repent.

15. Divine Election
We acknowledge the unquestioned sovereignty of God in creation, providence, and redemption, and we recognize throughout Scripture the gracious initiative and loving calling of God to create a people for Himself. Both the Old and New Testaments reveal the impossibility of drawing near to God through Jesus Christ apart from the divine election and prevenient grace.

The comfort of this doctrine is available for all the faithful within the visible church who cling to Jesus Christ. There is no doctrine of election or assurance in said doctrine which can ever be separated from the doctrine of vital union with Jesus Christ in His atoning death and victorious resurrection, ascension and intercession at the Father’s right hand.

This doctrine comforts the Christian with the knowledge that God who has sought us is able to keep His people from stumbling and present them blameless before His presence with great joy. Nevertheless, we deny that this doctrine relieves any Christian from the duty of making his/her calling and election sure through daily conversion and renewal through intimate communion with our Lord Jesus Christ and the enjoyment of the Sacraments and exercise of the means of grace.

16. Christ is the Only True Savior
Those who presume to say that every person shall be saved by the rule of life, religion, or sect that he professes, provided he makes diligent efforts to live by that rule and the light of nature, must be regarded as accursed; for Holy Scripture declares to us that it is only in the name of Jesus Christ that men must be saved.

PART FOUR
The Christian Church

17. The Nature of the Church
The Christian Church is the assembly of believers in which the pure Word of God is preached and in which the Sacred Mysteries are rightly administered according to Christ’s institution. Throughout history, branches of the Church have made errors in both their practices and in matters of faith.

18. The Authority of the Church
The Church has the power to decree ceremonies, and to establish forms of worship, and laws for the government and discipline of its members, and to declare its own faith; yet it is not lawful for any Church to ordain or decree anything contrary to God’s Word, neither may it so interpret one selection of Scripture in a way that is contrary to, or dismissive of, another. Further, it is the responsibility of the Church to build up the spiritual health of her people through regular instruction on those matters most deeply related to the faith and morals required of the Christian in the New Testament.

19. The Church Fathers and General Councils
While valuing the insights of both the Church Fathers and the Councils of the Church, we recognize that these sources may err, and sometimes have erred, even in things pertaining unto God. Things ordained by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor authority, unless they may be manifestly demonstrated by the words of the Holy Scripture.

20. The Church as the Israel of God
The Christian Church, composed of all true believers, is in essence, the true continuation of the church as found in the Old Testament, for as Saint Paul teaches us, the Church is the ‘Israel of God’. As a result, believers in Jesus Christ, through a new and perfect Covenant, are accounted as the children of Abraham, not by physical lineage, but on account of their faith – for the faith of the Christian Church is the faith that Abraham embraced so very long ago. The fact that the promise of eternal salvation and adoption as God’s children by the adoption of grace is now available to the nations through Jesus Christ is essential to the Good News. (This truth, however, must in no way be used to support violence or hatred towards the Jewish people as has so often been done in the past.)

PART FIVE
The Sacraments and Other Ecclesiastical Rites

21. The Sacraments
The Sacraments instituted by Christ are not only badges or tokens of the profession of Christians but are also sure witnesses and effectual vehicles of God’s grace and good will towards us. Through them he works invisibly within us, both bringing to life and also strengthening and confirming our faith in him. It is the Word of God applied by the working of the Holy Spirit that effects the Sacraments (not the celebrant of the Sacraments himself) when rightly administered and received by the faithful unto their spiritual benefit.

22. Holy Baptism
Holy Baptism as the sign and seal of incorporation into Christ is the true foundation and basis of the whole Christian life. It is the ordinary gateway to life in the Spirit. Through Baptism we are freed from the dominion of sin and reborn as children of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made participants in her mission.

While Baptism is the normal means of regeneration, the Church has always recognized (both Scripturally and historically) that regeneration is not always connected with baptism. Thus we are able to affirm that those who had a genuine faith, but who died before being able to be baptized (particularly those who were martyred before they were able to enter into the Baptismal waters) experienced the regenerative effects of faith through the working of the Holy Spirit.

Baptism, once rightly administered, is not to be repeated as if God has reneged on the promises connected with Holy Baptism. Neither is baptism – when available – to be ignored or neglected. To do so is a sin.

23. The Baptism of Believers and their Children
Scripture teaches us that those who have been convicted of their sins, and who have been moved by the Holy Spirit to repent are, in obedience to the command of Christ, to be baptized. Baptism, however, in addition to being a matter of obedience, is also a matter of covenant between God and man, for God has instituted baptism as the means of entry into the New Covenant.

Scripture also teaches us that God includes the children of believers as members of this New Covenant and the Church. Since Abraham, the children born into the household of faith have received the sign of the covenant at the command of God. The sign of the covenant inclusion under the Old Covenant was circumcision. In obedience to God’s command we set apart the children of a believing parent as holy to the Lord under the sign of the New Covenant, Holy Baptism.

24. Holy Communion
The offering of Christ made once upon the cross is the perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual. There is no other satisfaction for sin but this alone. Therefore, Holy Communion, while not a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, is a seal of that forgiveness won for us upon the Cross by Christ Jesus. To that end, Communion is not only a sign of the mutual love that Christians ought to have among themselves, but is, in fact, a seal of the forgiveness which was first made known to us in our baptism, and is a true participation in the Body and Blood of Christ.

Thus, according to his promise, we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in Holy Communion. The means and method of his presence are a mystery to us, but his presence in the Eucharistic celebration is assured to us through Scripture and the unified Patristic witness of the Church. To those who examine themselves, repent, and receive the Eucharist with faith and thanksgiving, the benefits of the reception of the Sacrament are great. Equally, those who receive Communion without first examining themselves and repenting do, in the words of the Apostle Paul, eat and drink judgment upon themselves.

Neither element of the Sacrament is to be denied to any communicant, for by Christ’s institution, both elements are a part of the Lord’s Supper. Nevertheless, there is no failure to truly commune with Christ on the part of those who cannot commune with both elements on account of health or other reasons.

25. Confirmation
Confirmation is a rite, dating to ancient times, in which those who were baptized in infancy make a solemn affirmation of their baptismal vows and receive prayer, together with the laying-on-of-hands. This provides an individual with the opportunity to make a mature confession of faith in the sight of the People of God, and to embrace as their own the vows of their baptism. Confirmation may also be used as a the means of receiving into the Church those baptized in other ecclesial communities.

26. Confession and Absolution
We affirm the authority of the bishops and presbyters of the Church to proclaim to the truly repentant the forgiveness of their sins.

27. Anointing of the Sick
We affirm the ancient, apostolic practice of bishops and presbyters anointing those who are suffering in mind, body, and spirit with oil for health, restoration, healing, and forgiveness.

28. Christian Marriage
We affirm that, from the beginning of time, Marriage has been an integral part of the human experience, having been so constituted in the Garden by God. Thus the Church is called to promote, bless, safeguard, and witness the joining of a man and woman together in a lifetime covenant-relationship which we term Marriage.

29. Ecclesiastical Ministry
While every Christian is called to ministry in their daily life and work, we affirm that some individuals have been called to special ministries within the Church – ministries of service and of leadership. We, thus, maintain three ancient, apostolic orders of ministry: the diaconate (a consecrated lay order of service ministry which is open to men and women), the presbyterate (the Church’s historic ministry of Word and Sacrament), and the Episcopate (centered in presbyters who have been selected and consecrated for oversight within the Church), in deference to both the Scriptural example and the Patristic means of governing the Church. Ministers are not commanded by God’s Law either to remain single or to marry (though chastity in either estate must be kept). Thus, it is lawful for all ministers to either be married or celibate at their own discretion.

PART SIX
The Ministers of the Church and their Responsibilities

30. The Ministry
It is not right for any man to take upon himself the office of public preaching or of administering the Sacraments in the Church before he has been lawfully called and sent to perform these tasks. The lawfully called and sent are those who have been chosen and called to this work by men who have had a public authority given to them in the congregation to call and send such ministers into the Lord’s vineyard. Great care is to be taken in the calling, examination, and education of candidates for the ministry, in order to ensure that only those truly called by God and fit for the ministry (both in learning and in their manner of living) are ordained.

31. The Unworthiness of Ministers
Although in the Church the evil are always mingled with the good and sometimes evil people possess the highest rank in the Ministry of the Church, nevertheless since they do not do these things in their own name but in Christ’s and minister by his commission and authority, we may use their ministry both in hearing God’s Word and in receiving the Mysteries. The effect of Christ’s institution is not taken away by the wickedness of these people, nor is the grace of God’s gifts diminished, so long as the Mysteries are received by faith and rightly. The Sacred Mysteries are effectual because of Christ’s institution and promise, even though evil men may administer them. Nevertheless, it belongs to the discipline of the church that investigation be made into evil ministers. Those who are accused by witnesses having knowledge of their offenses and who in the end are justly found guilty should be deposed.

32. The Historic Episcopate
The Scriptural norm for the transmission of ministerial authority is rooted in the laying on of hands by the apostles, together with prayer. Throughout history, the Church has maintained this line of tactile succession as a witness to the lawful transmission of ministerial authority through the bishops of the church (known as the historic episcopate) in ways adapted to local needs. To be valid though, the historic episcopate assumes that the lawful transmission of ministerial authority is combined with faithful transmission of the Apostolic Teaching of the New Testament. At crucial junctures in church history, the link between tactile succession and faithfulness to the Gospel has been perversely severed. In such cases, the faithful were forced, out of loyalty to Christ, to follow apostolic teaching instead of the faulty witnesses of those with a claim to being in succession from the apostles.

We serve the God who is faithful to the thousandth generation of those who love Him and keep His commandments. As such we believe the historic episcopate to be an important witness to the faithfulness of God in establishing the reign of Jesus Christ across the nations and through the generations, filling the earth with Christ’s Glory. Because, by grace, this historic episcopate seeks to maintain the lawful transmission of ministerial authority together with the faithful transmission of Apostolic Teaching, all who assume ministerial work within this Synod shall enter into their ministry through the laying on of hands by a bishop in the historic episcopate. (Historically, diaconal consecration has been handled in various ways. While the laying on of hands is generally performed by a bishop, deacons and deaconesses in this Synod may be consecrated by presbyters with the consent of the bishop.)

33. Excommunication
We regard the discipline of excommunication to be a measure of last resort, to be taken only under circumstances of obstinate persistence in sin. Those who labor under sentence of excommunication are expected to hear the proclaimed word of God in order to be moved to repentance and to refrain from receiving the Sacraments or presiding at their celebration.

PART SEVEN
Miscellaneous Matters

34. Christian Sodalities
Throughout the history of the Church, men and women, married and unmarried, clergy and lay alike have formed religious, fraternal, and missionary organizations or sodalities to commit themselves to God for special service and to carry out the labors of specific Christian vocations in the church and world. No pride or superiority should be attached to such service and these organizations retain their legitimacy so long as they serve to carry out the mission of Christ in accordance with Holy Scripture, without seeking to supplant, but rather support, the public ministry of Christ’s Church and operating in coordination with the Church’s lawful spiritual authority.

35. Customs of Worship
It is not necessary that customs and forms of worship be exactly the same everywhere and at every time in history. However, the rites and customs of worship shall maintain a certain essential form and intent as defined by the Church. Our worship embraces a diversity of custom and style without sacrificing essential words, actions, and intention.

36. Ministry in the Language of the People
It is plainly repugnant to the Word of God and to the custom of the early church for public prayer, preaching, or the celebration of the Sacraments to be conducted in a language not understood by the people.

37. The Relation Between Church and State
The power of civil law extends to all men, clergy and laity alike, in all things temporal; but the civil government has no authority in things purely spiritual. And we hold it to be the duty of all men who are professors of the Gospel, to pay respectful obedience to the civil authority, regularly and legitimately constituted, insofar as the decrees of the government are not contrary to the plain word of Scripture. When the decrees of the civil government come into conflict with the dictates of the Gospel, each individual must, in conscience, with godly counsel make the best decisions they can concerning how to justly live out their faith – to the extent that they must be willing to pay any price rather than to deny Christ and his commands.

SOLA DEI GLORIA

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