Our Words of Faith resource document differences in interpretation |
twenty articles |
2.0 | doctrine "...as in substance agreeable to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures"
2.1 | the person of Jesus Christ "...three persons of the same substance, equal in power and glory" [present p29, 33 but within the context of possible different interpretation p21]
2.2 | revelation "...the only infallible rule of faith and life"
2.5 | sin "...and that no man can be saved but by His grace"
2.6 | grace "...has given His only begotten Son to be the Saviour of sinners"
2.7 | the Lord Jesus Christ "We believe in and confess the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Mediator between God and man" "For our redemption, He fulfilled all righteousness, offered Himself a perfect sacrifice on the Cross, satisfied Divine justice, and made propitiation for the sins of the whole world" "He rose from the dead..." [present p33, but within the context of possible different interpretation p21]
2.10 | faith and repentance "We believe that faith in Christ is a saving grace whereby we receive Him, trust in Him, and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered to us in the Gospel, and that this saving faith is always accompanied by repentance ..."
2.11 | justification "We believe that God, on the sole ground of the perfect obedience and sacrifice of Christ, pardons those who by faith receive Him as their Saviour and Lord, accepts them as righteous, and bestows upon them the adoption of sons, with a right to all privileges therein implied, including a conscious assurance of their sonship"
2.15 | the church "...which professes this faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to Him as divine Lord and Saviour" [present p29, 33 but within the context of possible different interpretation p21]
2.19 | resurrection "We believe that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust, through the power of the Son of God, who shall come to judge the living and the dead; that the finally impenitent shall go away into eternal punishment and the righteous into life eternal"
2.20 | witness "...to preserve the inviolability of marriage" "We joyfully receive the word of Christ, bidding His people go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, declaring unto them that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, and that He will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth"
song of faith |
| "...over the years the United Church had made statements about sexuality, scripture, and interfaith relations, among many things, but had not addressed or summarized them in one place" [p20] "...means different things to different people" [p21] the united church of canada interprets remit will remove previous requirement that the song of faith not be interpreted inconsistent with the twenty articles permitting interpretation otherwise "...and as a member of the Order of Ministry of the United Church accepts the statement as being in substance agreeable to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures"; [basis 11.2] and "are you willing to exercise your ministry in accordance with the scriptures, in continuity with the faith of the Church..."; [basis 11.3] unless also remitted will mean that many, including myself, can no longer practice ministry with integrity within the united church of canada