Faith – CPRC

(1) Introducing the CPRC

The four words of our name, Covenant Protestant Reformed Church (CPRC), provide a helpful way of introducing ourselves to you.

1. We are an instituted church of the Lord Jesus Christ, a body of believers with our own pastor, elders and deacons. The CPRC preaches the Word of God, administers the two Christian sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and exercises church discipline according to the Scriptures. Thus we manifest ourselves as a part of Christ’s one, holy, catholic or universal, and apostolic church.

Central to our Lord’s Day worship services is the preaching of the whole counsel of God as revealed in the Old and New Testaments. Through the faithful explanation and application of the Bible, we teach what God requires us to believe and how He calls us to live as His children and heirs. By His Word and Spirit, Jehovah creates our worship and fellowship with Him so that we enjoy the communion of the saints with Christ and, therefore, with one another. We invite you to join us!

2. We are a Protestant church. This means that we maintain the biblical gospel recovered in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation which is summarised in five famous “alones.” The sixty-six books of the inspired Scripture alone are the Word of God, the only infallible guide for faith and life (II Tim. 3:16-17). The Bible reveals that all our salvation is in Christ alone, as the only redeemer, mediator and head of the church (I Tim. 2:5). The Lord Jesus delivers His people from the guilt, power and pollution of sin by grace alone, without our having to work for it (Eph. 2:8-9). Salvation is received, known and enjoyed by faith alone, only by believing in Christ crucified and risen according to the gospel (John 6:47). The truths of Scripture alone, Christ alone, grace alone and faith alone serve the glory of God alone. This is what the church must proclaim and promote: the honour and glory of the Triune God revealed in Jesus Christ (Isa. 43:21)!

3. We are a Reformed church. We stand with that branch of the Reformation particularly associated with John Calvin and the doctrines of God’s sovereign grace. We believe that fallen man is totally depraved and completely unable to deliver himself—or even contribute to his deliverance—from the bondage and misery of sin (Rom. 3:9-20). But, before the foundation of the world, God, in His great mercy, chose some to salvation in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:4). In the fullness of time, the Lord Jesus laid down His life on the cross for His elect, suffering for all of the sins of all of His sheep (John 10:11, 15). In due time, God grants a new spiritual heart to each of His chosen ones so that they all trust in His Son alone (John 1:12-13). Every true elect believer, being kept by the power of the Holy Spirit, perseveres in faith and holiness, and will enter the joy of the Lord in the world to come (I Pet. 1:3-5).

As a Reformed church, we believe that God’s Word regulates and governs not only all of the church’s doctrine but also its worship, including its prayers and praise. Thus we sing the Psalms of David, the man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), for we know that these songs are inspired by our heavenly Father and accepted by Him through Jesus Christ (Ps. 95:2; II Sam. 23:1-2; James 5:13).

Being Reformed, we hold to the early Christian creeds (the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed) and these creeds of the Calvin Reformation: the Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and the Canons of Dordt (1618-1619). Thus all can see clearly what we believe the Bible teaches and that our faith is in accordance with the beliefs of Christ’s church in former ages.

4. We are a covenant church. The covenant is God’s intimate bond of family friendship with His sons and daughters in Jesus Christ. As the Triune God, who is one in Being and three in Persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), Jehovah enjoys an infinitely rich and blessed life of fellowship in Himself. God’s salvation of us is His including us in His own covenant communion of joy and peace, for we are His people and He is our God who tabernacles and dwells with us in love (Rev. 21:3).

In His amazing mercy, Jehovah also includes our elect children in His covenant (Gen. 17:7; Acts 2:39; II Tim. 1:5), for this is the blessed gospel promise: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31)! Those whom God embraces in His covenant fellowship are called to love, obey and cleave to Him, and to walk in newness and holiness of life by His grace.

If you desire to know the forgiveness of sins and peace with God or if you want to learn more about the Christian faith and life, and the contents and message of the Bible, please contact us. You are very welcome to come to our Sunday services in our church building. We also hold two weekly Bible studies and several weekly children’s catechism classes, plus fortnightly or monthly classes for men and women.

(2) Confessions, Etc.

The Covenant Protestant Reformed Church believes and teaches the biblical doctrines summarized in the Three Forms of Unity:

Belgic Confession (1561) (audio classes) (The Belgic Confession, vol. 1, and The Belgic Confession, vol. 2)
Heidelberg Catechism (1563) (audio sermons) (The Triple Knowledge)
Canons of Dordt (1618-1619) (brief outline) (For God’s Glory and the Church’s Consolation, Grace and Assurance: The Message of the Canons of Dordt and The Voice of Our Fathers)

(The Three Forms of Unity are available in various languages on our foreign creeds listing)

We also uphold the truth set forth in the ecumenical (universal) creeds:

(The ecumenical creeds are available in various languages on our foreign creeds listing. Our Reformed and ecumenical creeds are contained in a free pink booklet)

We maintain the following forms:

This is an Introduction to the Liturgical Forms (Afrikaans) (Dutch) (Italian) (Russian)

We use our edition of the Church Order of Dordt (Afrikaans) (Burmese) (Indonesian) (Italian) (Sesotho) (Tamil)

(This book by Prof. Hanko explains Reformed church polity: Notes on the Church Order)

The Declaration of Principles summarizes the teaching of our confessions, forms and church order on some aspects of sovereign grace, God’s unconditional covenant and church government (Dutch) (German) (Italian) (Russian)

(Our Reformed and ecumenical creeds, forms, church order and the Declaration of Principles are contained in a green hardback book, The Confessions and Church Order of the Protestant Reformed Churches)

We praise God singing the inspired Psalms in the Scottish Metrical Version (1650). For help with the tunes commonly used in the CPRC, see this webpage. (Here are some Psalters in Other Languages)

(3) A Brief Summary

We Believe …

… the inspiration, authority, infallibility, inerrancy, sufficiency, perspicuity and preservation of Holy Scripture (Ps. 119:105; Matt. 24:35; Luke 16:29, 31; John 10:35; Eph. 2:20; II Tim. 3:15-17; II Pet. 1:16-21), including the literal history and teaching of Genesis 1-11.

… that God originally created Adam and Eve as His children (Luke 3:38) in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27; 5:1-2; 9:6), in knowledge, righteousness and true holiness (Ecc. 7:29; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10); that through their disobedience our first parents lost the image of God and became the totally depraved children of the devil along with their offspring (Gen. 5:3; Ps. 73:20; Matt. 13:38; John 8:44; Eph. 2:1-3; I John 3:10); that the elect alone become God’s children by legal adoption (Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 3:26; Eph. 1:5), and spiritual regeneration and recreation in the image of God (I Cor. 11:7; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10; James 3:9), as those united to Jesus Christ, the express image of God (II Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3), to whom we are being progressively conformed (Rom. 8:29; II Cor. 3:18); and that we shall be resurrected in God’s likeness (Ps. 17:15) and manifested as His sons (Rom. 8:19) on the last day.

… God’s sovereign, unconditional and particular predestination, redemption, call, preservation and glorification of all His people in Jesus Christ (John 6:37-40; 17; Rom. 8:28-39; Eph. 1:3-14; I Pet. 1:1-9).

… Jehovah’s infinite, eternal and unchangeable love and grace for His elect which desires, purchases and applies their salvation in Christ (Jer. 31:3; Rom. 8:35-39; Eph. 3:18-19), and which excludes a love or grace of God for the reprobate before the creation, in this age and in the age to come (Ps. 5:4-6; 11:5-7; Prov. 3:33; Ecc. 9:1-2; Rom. 9:13; Gal. 3:10).

… God’s justification or legal declaration that we, though ungodly in ourselves, are perfectly righteous because He imputes to us the obedience and righteousness of Christ alone, which is received through faith alone and by divine grace alone (Rom. 3:21-5:21; 8:30-34; 9:30-10:13; I Cor. 1:30-31; II Cor. 5:18-21; Gal. 2:16-3:29; Phil. 3:1-9).

… the wholly gracious or unconditional establishment, maintenance and realization of God’s one everlasting covenant of grace in Jesus Christ with believers and their elect seed (Isa. 59:20-21; Jer. 32:38-40; Eze. 16:60-63; Hos. 2:19-20; Matt. 26:28; Heb. 13:20-21), requiring infant baptism for the children of believers (Gen. 17:7; Acts 2:39; 16:14-15, 31; I Cor. 7:14; Eph. 6:1-4; Col. 2:11-12).

… that faithful preaching by qualified and ordained men, as opposed to lay-preaching and women office-bearers and missionaries (I Cor. 14:34-35; I Tim. 2:11-3:13; Titus 1:5-9), is the voice of Jesus Christ and the power of God unto salvation to all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile (John 10:27; Rom. 1:16; 10:14-15; Eph. 2:17; 4:21; I Thess. 2:13).

… that the Most High, and not man, determines how He must be worshipped (Ex. 20:4-6; I Sam. 15:23; John 4:24; Col. 2:23), including reverent congregational singing of the God-breathed Psalms (Ps. 95:2; II Sam. 23:1-2; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; James 5:13).

… that marriage is a life-long, unbreakable, one-flesh bond between one man and one woman (Gen. 2:24; Mal. 2:14-15; Matt. 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-9; I Cor. 6:16), the earthly picture of the union of Christ and His church (Eph. 5:22-33); and that remarriage while one’s spouse is living is adultery (Matt. 5:32; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18; Rom. 7:2-3; I Cor. 7:10-11, 39).

… that the Triune God calls His people to be spiritually separate from the ungodly world in thought and life (Ex. 20:1-17; Matt. 5-7; Rom. 12-16; II Cor. 6:14-7:1; Eph. 4-6; I Pet. 2:11-5:14).

… that Jesus Christ, the sovereign Lord of history, orders all things in creation, the world and the church, including all the signs of His coming (e.g., false Christs, wars and rumours of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, persecution, false prophets, apostasy, the preaching of the gospel as a witness to all nations, the man of sin, the abomination of desolation, signs in the heavens, etc.), throughout the last days (the period from Pentecost to the parousia) to make all things ready for His glorious bodily return at the end of the age to raise the dead, judge the righteous and the unrighteous, cast the wicked into the lake of fire, and usher in the new heavens and the new earth (Matt. 24-25; II Thess. 2; II Pet. 3; Rev. 6; 20-22).

(4) The Absolute Sovereignty of God

We believe in the absolute sovereignty of God. Few speak of it. Others pay but lip-service to it. Yet this is the fundamental truth upon which rests all doctrine. That God is sovereign means

He is in complete control over all things without exception (Ps. 135:6; Isa. 46:9-10; Dan. 4:35).
He eternally decreed all events in creation, including earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and even the snow and the rain (Job 37:6; Ps. 97:5; 147:15-18; Isa. 29:6; Rev. 6:12).
He rules over all illnesses and the death of every individual (Ex. 9:1-16; Job 1:21; Isa. 38).
He governs all men, both good and evil (Ps. 2; Prov. 21:1; Isa. 45:7; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).
He reigns over the devil and the fallen angels (Job 1:12; 2:6; Rom. 16:20).
Thus nothing happens by chance or accident (Gen. 50:20; I Sam. 6:9; Matt. 10:29-30; Rom. 8:28).

This truth has important implications for the proclamation of the gospel of the cross of Christ. The sovereign God must not be presented in the preaching as a great beggar pleading with the sinner to accept Jesus. The Most High is the Almighty Creator who speaks and it is done, and commands and it stands fast (Ps. 33:9)! The incarnate, crucified and risen Son of God sits on the throne of the universe; how can He be portrayed as pleading for admittance into the sinner’s heart? God forbid! Could a sovereign God earnestly desire (yet fail to affect) the salvation of everybody, including the reprobate? Then His will is frustrated! If our God is the absolute Sovereign, why then do so many in our day present Him in the above manner? We are speaking, you understand, not about mere man, but about the true and living God! For “our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Ps. 115:3). We are not free to minimise His greatness nor compromise His power. God must remain God in our evangelism, as well as in our consciousness and in our worship.

The sovereign God eternally predestinated His people to salvation in Christ (Rom. 8:29-30; Eph. 1:4). In time, He gives His elect to Christ and draws them so that they come to Him (John 6:37, 44, 65). The Holy Spirit opens the heart of the elect sinner so that he believes (Acts 16:14). We are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for Scripture reminds us that it is God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13). The good works of all the elect are eternally foreordained by the Lord that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:10). The unchangeable Jehovah preserves all His people, infallibly bringing every last one of them to glory (Phil. 1:6).

Do you believe the clear testimony of Holy Scripture to God’s absolute sovereignty? The Covenant Protestant Reformed Church (CPRC) invites you to worship the God of all grace with us: “In [Christ] we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:11-12).

Basket

(1) Introducing the CPRC

(2) Confessions, Etc.

(3) A Brief Summary

We Believe …

(4) The Absolute Sovereignty of God