As Promulgated
by the Episcopal Council of the Christian Synod of Saint Timothy in November
2004
There is only one living and true God, who is eternal and
without body, indivisible and invulnerable. He is of infinite power, wisdom,
and goodness. He is the maker and preserver of all things both visible and
invisible. Within the unity of the Godhead there are three persons who are of
one substance, power, and eternity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
There is only one living and true God. His existence is everlasting, without
beginning or end. He is a spiritual being, not limited by a body. He is free
from bodily desires and impulses His power, wisdom, and goodness, are infinite.
Of this one true God there are three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
These three persons are identical in substance, power and eternal existence.
The Son, who is the Word of the Father, was begotten from
eternity of the Father, and is the true and eternal God, of one substance with
the Father. He took man’s nature in the
womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of her substance, in such as way that two
whole and perfect natures, the Godhead and manhood, were joined together in one
person, never to be divided. Of these two natures, is the one Christ, true God
and true man. He truly suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried, to
reconcile the Father to us (restore a right relationship between the Father and
us) and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt but also for all actual
sins of men. Following his death, we believe that Christ descended into Hades,
the Abode of the Dead. On the third day, Christ truly rose again from death and
took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all that belongs to the
completeness of man’s nature. In this body he ascended into heaven, where he is
now seated until the last day, when he will return to judge all men.
Article
Three: The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son.
He is of one substance, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son, true
and eternal God.
Holy Scripture contains
all things necessary for salvation. Consequently whatever is not read in
Scripture nor can be proved from Scripture cannot be demanded from any person
to believe it as an article of the faith. Nor is any such thing to be thought necessary
or required for salvation. By Holy Scripture is meant those canonical books of
the Old and New Testaments whose authority has never been doubted within the
church. We accept the books of the Apocrypha as valuable for examples of life,
instruction in behavior, and the history of Jewish people, but refrain using
them for the establishment of doctrine.
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.
The Apostles’ and Nicene 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.
Original sin is not found merely in the following of
Adam's example. It is rather to be seen in the fault and corruption that is
found in the nature of every person who is naturally descended from Adam. The
consequence of this is that man is far gone from his original state of
righteousness. In his own nature he is predisposed to evil, the sinful nature
in man always desiring to behave in a manner contrary to the Spirit. In every
person born into this world there is found this predisposition that rightly
deserves God's anger and condemnation. This infection within man's nature
persists even within those who are regenerate. This desire of the sinful nature
is not under control of God’s law. Although there is no condemnation for those
that believe and are baptized, nevertheless the apostle states that any such
desire is sinful.
The condition of man since the fall of Adam is such that
he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works
for faith and for calling upon the name of the Lord. Hence we have no power to
do good works that are pleasing and acceptable to God, unless the grace of God
through Christ goes before us so that we may have a good will, and continues to
work with us after we are given that good will.
We are accounted righteous before God solely on account of
the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through faith and not on account
of our own good works or of what we deserve. Consequently the teaching that we
are justified by faith alone is a most wholesome and comforting doctrine.
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.
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.’”
Christ, who truly took our human nature, was made like us
in every respect except that of sin. From this he was clearly free in both body
and spirit. He came to be the Lamb without blemish who, by the sacrifice of
himself once made, should take away the sins of the world. Sin, as Saint John
says, was not in him. But all the rest of us, even though baptized and born
again in Christ, still offend in many ways. If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
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 are to be condemned, as are those who deny the opportunity of forgiveness
to those who truly repent.
We acknowledge the absolute 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.
We hold faithfully to the belief that before the foundation of this world, God
predestined to eternal life those who, through the merits of Christ's sacrifice
and the gift of faith, would be true followers of Christ. However, the means by
which God has elected us is a matter that is beyond the understanding of man.
We joyfully acknowledge that no human understanding of the doctrine of our
election can possibly explain how God has chosen to ensure our salvation
through Christ, and we humbly accept that our logic, our language, and our
experience will never fully contain nor exhaustively understand this mystery
(Cf. Deuteronomy 29:29; Psalm 139:6,17-18; Romans 8:28-39; 11:33-36). This
doctrine comforts the Christian with the knowledge that God 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 Mysteries and other means of grace.
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.
The visible church of Christ is a congregation of
believers in which the pure Word of God is preached and in which the Sacred
Mysteries are rightly administered according to Christ's command in all those
matters that are necessary for proper administration. Throughout history,
branches of the visible Church have made errors in both their practices and in
matters of faith.
The Church has the duty and authority to decree forms of
worship and ceremonies and to decide in controversies concerning the faith.
However, it is not lawful for the church to order anything contrary to God’s
written Word. Nor may it expound one passage of Scripture so that it
contradicts another passage. So, although the church is a witness and guardian
to Holy Scripture, it must not decree anything contrary to Scripture, nor is it
to enforce belief in anything additional to Scripture as essential to
salvation. 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.
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. Wherefore 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.
While we reject the Roman dogmas concerning Purgatory, we
nevertheless affirm that God, in his great mercy, cleanses all vestiges of sin
from those whom he draws unto the fullness of eternal life.
It is not right for any
man to take upon himself the office of public preaching or of administering the
Sacred Mysteries in the congregation 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.
Although in the visible 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 disposed.
Finally, we note that it
is not commanded by any decree of God that bishops, presbyters, or deacons take
a vow of celibacy or abstain from marriage. So it is lawful for them, as for
all other Christians, to marry at their own discretion when they judge that
this will promote godliness.
It is plainly repugnant to the Word of God and to the
custom of the early church for public prayer or the celebration of the Sacred
Mysteries in a language not understood by the people.
The Mysteries (sometimes
known as Sacraments) instituted by Christ are not only badges or tokens of the
profession of Christians but are also sure witnesses and effectual signs 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.
There are two Mysteries
instituted by Christ our Lord in the Gospel: Baptism and the Eucharist.
Five additional Mysteries
(called, variably sacramental rites or apostolic mysteries), while not of the
same nature as Baptism and the Eucharist, serve to seal and further edify the
Church, and are vessels of God’s grace.
These rites (Sealing, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and
Ordination) can be found in the New Testament and the writings of the Early
Church Fathers.
Holy Baptism is not only a sign of profession and a mark
of difference by which Christians are distinguished from those who are not
baptized. It is also a sign of regeneration or new birth, through which, as
through an instrument, those who receive baptism in the right manner are
grafted into the church, the promises of the forgiveness of sin and of our
adoption as sons of God by the Holy Spirit are visibly signed and sealed, faith
is confirmed, and grace is increased by virtue of prayer to God. The baptism of
young children is undoubtedly to be retained in the church as agreeable with
the institution of Christ.
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, the Mystery of
the Eucharist, 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 forgiveness and a participation in the
body and blood of Christ.
To those who examine
themselves, repent, and receive the Eucharist with faith and thanksgiving, the
benefits of the reception of the Mystery are great. Equally, those who receive
the Mystery without first examining themselves and repenting do, in the words
of the Apostle, eat and drink judgment upon themselves.
We affirm that Christ is
truly present in the celebration and reception of the Eucharist, according to
his promise, and according to the writings of Paul the Apostle. However, we go
no further in explaining this Real Presence, for it is an incomprehensible
mystery of God.
Neither element of the
Eucharist is to be denied to any communicant, for by Christ’s institution, both
elements are a part of the Lord’s Supper.
We regard the discipline
of excommunication to be a measure of last resort. Those who labor under
sentence of excommunication are expected (a) to hear the proclaimed word of God
in order to be moved to repentance and (b) otherwise neither to receive the
mysteries nor to preside at their celebration.
It is not necessary that customs and forms of worship be
exactly the same everywhere. However, the rites and customs of worship shall
maintain a certain essential matter, form, and intent as defined by the church.
Our worship embraces a diversity of custom and style without sacrificing the
essential words, actions, and intention.
The power of civil law extends to all men, as well as
clergy as laity, 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.