The following is a portion of a rough confessional statement that we have been developing and thus only represents those parts which we believe are relevant to demonstrate our positions of both a reformational protestant and evangelical perspective on one end and on the ancient orthodox and catholic perspective on the other. Because this is part of a rough draft, the scripture proofs have not yet been inserted, but will be added as footnotes in a final draft which shall be available for review by prospective members interested in joining our mission.
I. We Are Christians Founded on Faith, Family, and Freedom.
1. Faith
We are Christians who believe in One God in Three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and we profess the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our own lives, that He died for our sins on the cross and rose from the dead in triumph, Fully God and fully man. We believe that the Bible is the Inspired and Inerrant Word of God and that it is entirely sufficient for our life and practice and that all disputes among believers are ultimately settled with Scripture. We seek to forgive and love one another and be more conformed to the image of Jesus in our own lives.
This being said, we are not hateful towards church tradition and the historic church or her faith, but rather seek to regard all Christians and their wisdom through the centuries as useful and worthy of study, investigation, and application.
In this we are trying to create a community with a school and a church that is built by people who love the Lord and who endeavor to ground everything they do in the Bible while also being open to gaining insight from what Christians have believed and done throughout the centuries.
2. Family
We are family people. We are married with children and are looking for more people who are married with children (though we by no means exclude others who are single or who do not have children, of any sex or age). We are trying to start a community of families living in close proximity, homesteading together, raising our children together, and growing as Christians together. Therefore, promoting marriage and having children is a big part of our vision, as well as restoring biblical masculinity and femininity to their proper places. We are obviously pro-life and opposed to sexual degeneracy and are looking for people who are sincere in the same convictions, we likewise oppose women ruling over men in the community and especially in the Church of Christ, recognizing that these roles of teaching and authority have been specifically ordained by God in the Holy Scriptures to be done by qualified Christian men who have their own families in good order.
We hope to build a church community and village that accommodates new mothers and fathers, young and old, and to do so in a place where we can educate our children as we believe God has called us to do by teaching them the Christian worldview explicitly and on every subject and how to provide for themselves, how to play independently and without constant supervision and helicopter parenting, to be disciplined as God has commanded us to do by spanking, to be free from unnecessary and burdensome medical treatments and involvement, and to help them to find future Christian spouses of their own in starting their own families.
3. Freedom.
True freedom is freedom from dependency, and this means that we are people who are seeking the opportunity to be self-sufficient.
Yes, this means that we seek to live in conditions of low regulations and taxes, so that we can not only keep more of our own hard-earned money, but also that we can build our homes the way that we want to, and that we are not constantly bogged down with inspections, fees, paperwork, and permits in order to accomplish the simplest of tasks.
However, true freedom is far more than that, for we hope to not be dependent on the medical establishment, restaurants and grocery stores, utility companies, and other organizations. Instead we hope to build all of our own homes, grow our own food, and treat our own illness with natural remedies that we can grow ourselves.
In the context of freedom is Christian freedom, which acknowledges not only that freedom is a right given by God, but that our main duty as freemen is to love and serve the Lord and that through the Gospel, we can follow God's laws out of gratitude for the love He has shown us. Beyond Law and Gospel, we have the liberty of the Christian, which we regard as broad, for the kingdom is not eating and drinking. Hence, we do not make judgment of other Christians in terms of alcohol consumption (so long as it is moderate), dietary restrictions (so long as they are not imposed on others, within reason),moderately consumed therapeutic herbal remedies (e.g. Essential oils, kava, blue lotus, bush medicine, kratom, saw palmetto, caffeinated coffees and teas, cannabis, et al), nor do we make judgment about the occasional and recreational use of Tobacco (once again, within moderation), or of recreational activities in terms of music, video games, and film, so long as such is not promoting blatant wickedness among God's people.
II. We Are Reformed and Evangelical, Orthodox and Catholic.
We are Reformed in that we most closely affirm and confess the Reformed faith of the Presbyterian tradition with strong affiliation and respect for the Evangelical and Fundamentalist movements. This being said, we find even greater affiliation with the other branches of the magisterial reformation such as the Dutch Reformed, Traditional Anglicanism (Anglo-Catholicism) and Confessional Lutheranism and this is reflected in our worship and emphasis on correct Biblical doctrine.
Indeed, that word "Confessional" is what distinguishes us from other Evangelicals with which we share strong affiliation in our commitment to a Gospel-centered faith built upon the preaching of the Word, evangelism, missions, prayer-meetings, and biblical study.
Therefore, as Confessional Christians, we have here linked the Creeds of Christendom (Apostles, Nicene, Athanasian) and the Definition of Chalcedon. To these we subscribe fully without qualification or edition as our primary standards along with the chief canons of The Orthodox Councils (see our article on this for more).
4. The Definition of Chalcedon.
To this we also add The Reformed Evangelical Confession, of which we add or qualify nothing, but subscribe entirely, This Confession is broken into two parts: The Westminster Creed and An Evangelical Statement. This document represents our commitment to the core theology of the Reformation and of the Evangelical Faith.
5. The Reformed Evangelical Confession.
Beyond this we also subscribe, as secondary standards only, to the Westminster Confession of Faith and The Westminster Shorter Catechism (which we use for theological education with some qualifications to bring in harmony with our primary standards).
6. The Westminster Confession of Faith.
7. The Westminster Shorter Catechism.
WE ACCOMODATE CHRISTIANS OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS.
In terms of worship and practice, we are Irencists, seeking the unity of all those who call upon the Name of the Lord and were baptized into Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In this, we believe that the Table of Holy Communion should be open to all who are in Christ and that our children should not be denied access.
This being said: we accommodate the different sacramental practices based on the decision of heads of household, so the age of receiving either baptism or communion will be left to fathers over their own families (thus Presbyterians, Baptists, and eastern orthodox could all theoretically baptize or communion their family in line with their convictions in our church.
Likewise, we shall accommodate different worship practices by offering BOTH non-liturgical worship (for most services including the weekly Saturday service) and liturgical worship services (every Sunday morning). The Sunday Morning Divine Service is a traditional liturgical service that would be recognizable even to St. Augustine over 1,500 years ago. which shall be largely (but not entirely based) on the Holy Communion Service of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer along with elements from other ancient liturgies from the early church.
III. We Are Conciliar and We Are Protestant.
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1. A Summary of The Seven Ecumenical or Universal Councils of the Christian Church:
In summarizing the doctrines outlined in the seven ecumenical councils of Christendom, we have already stated elsewhere that we affirm the three universal creeds and the historic doctrine of the Trinity, resurrection, second coming, virgin birth, historicity of the crucifixion, and of One True Church, etc. In addition to this we also affirm that whatever is not assumed in the Humanity of Christ by the Divinity of the Son of God, is not redeemed. Hence, whatever in man was tainted by sin and in need of redemption was assumed by God in Christ. Hence,
the Lord Jesus Christ was fully God having a human will, human soul, human body, and all else which mankind had that needed to be saved from the corruption of sin and bondage to death and the devil.
Likewise, we acknowledge, in accord with the Seven Universal Councils, that this Christ exists in Two Natures, Divine and Human, and we likewise affirm after the tradition of St. Athanasius and St. Cyril of Alexandria that the Divinity of God is communicated to the humanity so that, as against Nestorians of all kinds, wherever Christ was in His humanity, so too he is there in his Divinity and he by no means abandoned His Divinity nor was it ever separated out from His humanity in His life and Death, and such remains the case as He sits enthroned on High. Thus, all the orthodox may confess with Scripture that God indeed died on the Cross and that Mary is Mother of God, and that Christ in His humanity can truly be present at any place or time wherein His Divine nature might likewise be, for this is the testimony of both the Sacred Scriptures and of the great and universal councils of the ancient church.
In maintaining the ancient faith, we affirm all the ecumenical councils of the ancient church and their primary and universally accepted canons as authoritative. Thus, we condemn not only the Christological heresies, but also the heresies of donatism and pelagianism (along with semi-pelagianism as its of the same consequence) as well as iconoclasm. This being said, it is our belief that the sacraments and preaching of the church have validity, not from men, but from God and thus, though a minister may do evil or be evil in secret, the faithful have no need of being rebaptized and can have full assurance of their salvation if such comes by faith in the working of God through His Word. Not only this, but such a work is necessary as man in his sinful estate is in total need of God’s grace to save Him from sin from start to finish and is by no means neutral, for man is conceived in iniquity and is helpless to save Himself. Beyond this, those who destroy images of Christ are to be rejected. For Christ came to be seen as the Image of the Father and the depictions of Him depict not the Father who is not to be depicted, but He who was seen and is to be seen. Not only this, but all of the saints are to be honored and respected as the Church of Christ is not merely that of Christians on the earth, but of Christians in heaven who together with those on earth are One Body with Christ and those who have been glorified are to be praised and honored and tales of their mighty works knowing that even now, as Scripture teaches, they intercede to God the Father through Christ the Only Mediator; however, the honor they receive must be confessed by all to ultimately be an expression of honor and glory for God, as all of the works done by the saints on earth and their due veneration all come by God for His own glory.
2. A Summary of The Right Doctrine of Original Sin and Of The Five Solas of The Reformation.
Mankind, in Adam, is entirely sinful and corrupt, having lost the image of God in true righteousness and holiness. This sin consists in both defection or deprivation of original being or substance as all that was actually made or created was all “very good” hence sin could not be created by God and is thus a negation of real created substance. This sin or deprivation entered the world through the temptation of the Devil and the entering into that temptation via Eve and her Husband Adam who in himself represented all of his offspring both as their natural progenitor and as their legal representative before God. The payment and minimal punishment for sin is bodily death and the separation of the soul from the body, but this death also includes spiritual death and its passing on, both physically and spiritually to all mankind descended from Adam, being reckoned in its guilt and corruption through earthly fathers-only to their offspring both male and female. In the Fall, the guilt of Adam’s sin was imputed to all mankind and only by its remission and final substitution by God Himself can man be forgiven it; Likewise, under the guidance of God’s just providential judgment, the corruption of the human nature both spiritually and physically has likewise been passed to all mankind; wherein, they are condemned to the second death of eternal torment. The corruption of sin is entire including man’s soul (mind), will, emotions, and body. In this corruption, man cannot discern the spiritual truth of the Scriptures, cannot do anything righteous to please God, and does evil constantly out of his own nature even if the depth of his depravity is restrained by God’s merciful providence or restraints imposed by men civilly, ecclesiastically, and culturally. Likewise, regarding sinners, God is just in using, manipulating, hardening, and removing outward restraints on their wickedness because of their status as sinners and so may make out of that one sinful lump vessels for destruction and vessels of mercy who are saved purely by God’s free grace.
We confess that, because of sin, that we must be saved by Grace alone (sola gratia), for the extent of the corruption caused by sin and the guilt that cannot be expunged by any man who is not also God, all of those descended of Adam are completely helpless to save themselves or contribute to their own salvation in any way whatsoever. Because of this we are saved, from start to finish, by the Grace of God alone, not of any human works, merit, contribution, or cooperation whatsoever, for even the choosing of Christ, the performance of good works, and the love of God, all originate first in God’s work by the Holy Spirit in changing a person to be so disposed to even make such choices, and Scripture plainly teaches that all the good works that any saint will ever perform were prepared beforehand by God that they should walk in them, so that no one may ever boast but in Christ so that God might be all in all.
Further, for purposes of clarity regarding those who clearly fall away after being regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit and doing great works for God, that there is a real distinction to be made between God’s grace given through His Word in the Church on the one hand and the securing of God’s triumphant saints by His unconditional election (predestination). Thus, we deny that all those who are saved are also elect, but we do affirm that all of the elect are saved through the grace received by Word and Sacrament. Those who fail to abide in the vine, though for a time receiving the grace of God and being changed by it to live an outward Christian life, truly fall away and lose their salvation which they had really received, but those who have been predestined in Christ before the creation of the world, will by no means fall away, but persevere unto the end. Those who fall away, and those who are damned in general, are only so damned because of the following; their own sins un-remitted, their rejection of the Gospel given in Jesus Christ, their failure to repent of sins and heresies, or their failure to abide in the vine wherein Grace is given which is necessary for salvation. Thus, whether regarding the elect, or any person at all, their ability to receive the Gospel, abide in it for any amount of time, and for some to preserve into eternity, all depends on Grace alone.
We also profess that we are saved by this grace through Faith alone (sola fide), not of works, lest any one should boast. Scripture plainly teaches, that no man merits salvation by the performance of outward works and obedience and that true repentance marked by a full trust in the promises and invisible works of God alone is the grounds of true salvation. This being said, this faith given by God’s grace is made manifest in action and though faith alone justifies before God, the demonstration of the reality of this faith can only come by works, for to say that one trusts his father to catch him from a fall and to then refuse to jump from the ledge demonstrates the words to be false, but the one who leaps as to be caught has shown that the faith confessed by his mouth is a real and living faith. Thus, with St. James we profess without hesitation that Faith without works is dead and that we are justified by faith with our works and not by faith alone ONLY in the sense that the claim of faith made without demonstration of its inward reality is a lie and is no different than the belief in God and Christ that is exhibited even by Satan and his demons, for by faith did Abraham offer Isaac believing that God would raise him from the dead to keep His promise of salvation through his offspring, so too are we saved by faith alone, which though being a passive trust possible even of infants in the wombs of their mother, is demonstrated by a life of active faith exhibiting good works in accord with the Law of God and the fulfillment of that law in love for God and one’s neighbor. Hence, if our works be truly good works, they are only goods works because they are a manifestation of Faith Alone.
We further confess, that the salvation in which we receive is Through Christ alone (Solo Christo), for there is no other name under heaven in which men can be saved, and the Lord Jesus Christ further taught that He alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that no one can come to the Father except through Him. Hence, all of the grace we receive, and the object of all true faith, and the fount of all true knowledge and good works, is Christ alone. To be saved by Christ alone; however, by no means that he is received merely in the utterances of men, but also by the receiving of Him through the Word either preached or united with Him by the administration of outward means, for the Scripture teaches that unless one is born again of WATER and of Spirit they will by no means enter the kingdom for to be buried with Christ in baptism is to be raised to newness of life, and likewise, the Cup and Loaf of Blessing which we receive is a participation in Christ Himself, the New Covenant in His blood, and unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood, there can be no life in us. Thus, for all who receive Christ through the means in which he is offered, they shall be saved. Therefore, there is no other mediator or co-redeemer or earthly man or minister that can grant salvation but only through Christ alone.
It is not by the traditions or teachings of men, but by the Word of God alone as revealed in the Holy Scriptures that men are saved, or what is called the doctrine of Scripture alone (sola scriptura). Hence, according to Scripture alone are men saved as the Scriptures are truly the self-revelation of God Himself through Christ the Lord. In this, though the traditions and teachings of the church may have value for Godly examples, instructions, and structure, the Scripture alone is sufficient and necessary for salvation and for every good work, for even if a man were disconnected from all visible churches and outward traditions and had but the Holy Scriptures in his own language, he might, even in this undesirable and extraordinary circumstance be saved from condemnation in hell. Indeed, all the power of God made manifest in preaching, Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, and all other sacraments, rites, and means, receive all of their power and legitimacy according to Scripture Alone.
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Throughout the history of the Church, the rightful honoring of the Holy Mother of the saints and martyrs became polluted by the idolatrous inclinations of the hearts of men wherein saints were attributed achievements through fables and myths, were reckoned patronages and powers in substitute for pagan deities, and whose statues and likeness were not venerated in the sense of honor which is due and proper, but instead were kissed, worshipped, and offered to as to the idols of pagans everywhere. Not only this, but the simple profession of Scripture that the saints intercede to God in heaven on behalf of their brethren on earth became confused from general invocation to the specific invocation of individual saints and even to the point of real prayer and requests for mediation with God which is already given by Christ. Likewise, Holy Mary who is truly Mother of God soon became profaned by false doctrine which claimed that she, and not Christ alone, was conceived by a virgin and that she, apart from any Scripture, was taught to have been assumed into heaven and is now taught to be a co-redeemer and mediator with Christ by many “so-called” Christians.
Further, it was confessed that popes and councils had the right to claim the power of infallible authority, which belongs to God alone, and from all of these manifest errors was the honor and glory due to God alone profaned and abused. Rather, we profess in correction of these manifest errors that all of salvation and every good work exhibited by any individual believers, saints, and the Holy Mother herself, were given by God and for the glory of His name. Thus, we are to give glory to God alone for our salvation (Soli Deo Gloria) and any honor which is given the Holy Mother of God and to the saints is given to them only inasmuch as they make manifest the work of God in them and not because of anything in them or their own merit, for all that made them examples of piety and works of power came from God for the purpose of exalting His Most Holy Name. Hence, everything that we do, from the most simple and mundane of actions and duties to the most significant and essential, are to be done to the Glory of God Alone.
In Conclusion,
We affirm that the true balance of the Holy Faith lies in confessing those truths as handed down by the Apostles both in the ancient church and as restored in the reformation churches. We likewise seek to see the Body of Christ, which was torn apart by division, restored by a common commitment to the Word of God and historic traditions, not in contradiction or tension, but in harmony and peace through the bonds of unity in the Holy Spirit.
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-Joshua Johnson
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