Our Beliefs Introduction to Covenant URC Our Beliefs Introduction to Covenant URCThe Covenant United Reformed Church of Kalamazoo was established in 1993. We teach and proclaim the eternal truths of the word of God, the Bible. To that word our church strives to be faithful. We are the Church of the open Bible, the whole Bible. We believe that the teachings of the Bible are faithfully summarized in the historic creeds and confessions of the Reformed churches.
The following summary was written for the purpose of acquainting the interested and inquiring reader with the basic teachings of the Covenant United Reformed Church. These teachings, we believe, are vital to scriptural Christianity.
Matt. 16:18 "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it."*
*Note: All scripture quotations in this document are taken from The New American Standard Version of the Holy Bible.
We teach that God is triune, one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that these three persons in the Godhead are distinct and yet equal and one in essence; and that the acceptance of this truth is essential to salvation.
Deut. 6:4 "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!"
Gen. 1:26 "Then God said ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.’"
II Cor. 13:14 "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."
See also: Matt. 28:19; Luke 3:21,22
We teach that God reveals Himself in His creation so that all men see His everlasting power and divinity and are without excuse before Him if they do not truly worship and serve Him. God has more clearly and fully revealed Himself to man in His written word, the Bible. From the Bible man may learn by God’s grace to know, love and worship God unto man’s salvation and God’s glory. The Bible is the Word of God, being inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is without error and is the only infallible rule of faith and life. The infallible rule of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture passage (which is not many senses, but one), it must be searched and known by other places of Scripture that speak more clearly.
Rom. 1:20-21 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks ...."
II Tim. 3:16 "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness."
II Peter 1:20-21 "... no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."
See also: John 5:39; Heb. 1:1,2
We teach that the universe with all it contains is not the product of evolution, but as recorded in the first chapter of Genesis the universe was miraculously created out of nothing in six twenty-four hour days by Almighty God for the visible display of His glory. He upholds and governs all things according to His will and directs them to their appointed end so that nothing happens in this world without His providence.
Rev. 4:11 "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."
Col. 1:17 "And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."
See also: Gen. 1:1-2:3; Ex. 20:11; Acts 17:24-28; Heb. 1:3
We teach that God formed the body of the first man, Adam, out of the dust of the earth, and breathed into him the breath of life so that he became a living being. God formed the first woman, Eve, from a rib taken from the side of Adam. We reject as contrary to Scripture the idea that there are evolutionary forbears to man. All of mankind throughout history is descended from Adam and Eve, our first parents. We teach that man was created in the image of God; that he is a rational, moral and immortal being consisting of body and soul. Man was originally endowed with true knowledge, righteousness and holiness to the end that he might love and glorify his Creator.
Our first parents sinned, however, and thereby incurred God’s wrath upon themselves and all their descendants, becoming spiritually dead toward God, and becoming subject to physical and eternal death (Hell). Since the time of this Fall, man is by nature spiritually dead and totally depraved, a slave to sin and inclined to sin; so that man cannot by any power of his own, but only by the grace of God, be restored to spiritual life and fellowship with God.
Gen. 1:27 "And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Rom. 5:12 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.
See also: Gen. 2; Gen. 3; Ps. 14:3; I Cor. 2:14; Eph. 2:1,2
We teach that Jesus Christ, the Savior, is the Son of God. With respect to His divine nature He is the second person of the Holy Trinity, equal to the Father and Holy Spirit in all things. The eternal Son of God also assumed to Himself a human nature, being born the son of the virgin Mary and became like unto us in all things, sin excepted. Jesus Christ is thus at the same time both fully human and fully divine. He satisfied the demands of the divine law by His life, passion and death. On the third day He arose bodily from the grave, ascended to glory, and is now our intercessor with the Father. He will return visibly at the last day to judge the living and the dead.
John 14:9 "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know me Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father."
Heb. 2:17 "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people."
See also: Gal. 3:13; John 3:16; Matt 1:18-25; Heb. 4:15; Rom. 4:25; Acts 1:9-11; I John 2:1; Acts 10:42
We teach that the moral law of God is the divine revelation of His will for all humanity. This law, summarized in the Ten Commandments, serves to bring men under the conviction of sin and to lead them to Christ. This law is the light by which men learn more and more to know their sinful nature. This law is also the rule of life for believers so that they may show their gratitude to God for their salvation.
Rom. 3:20 "For through the law comes the knowledge of sin."
Gal. 3:24 "Therefore the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith."
I John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome."
See also: Ps. 19:7, James 2:10
We teach that the Gospel is the revelation of that which God in Christ Jesus has done and will do for the salvation of sinners and for His glory. In the proclamation of the Gospel message God calls all those who hear to repent and believe unto salvation. There is no other way of salvation.
Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel."
Rom. 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel. for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."
See also: Mark 16:15-16; John 3:16-18, 14:6; Acts 4:10-12; 15:7
We teach that regeneration consists in the implanting of the new spiritual life in us by God through the Holy Spirit. This fundamental change, which occurs in our hearts, is not a gradual process but is completed in a moment of time. It is entirely the work of God and is the seed of true, saving faith. Regeneration is a radical change of the governing disposition of the soul which under the influence of the Holy Spirit results in new, godly life-attitudes. Without regeneration it is impossible to enter the Kingdom of God.
Ezek. 11:19 "And I will give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh."
John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
See also: I Cor. 2:14,15; Eph. 1:18; Col. 3:10; Gal. 6:15
We teach that conversion is a spiritual and moral change in the life of a person. It is not a mere reformation of habits but a change initiated by God in which a regenerated person consciously turns to God in repentance and faith. Repentance is the acknowledgment of, and a sincere sorrow for, sin. It is a trustful appeal to God for forgiveness and a resultant change in life. It is a condition of the heart without which no one can hope to be saved.
Acts 17:30 "Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent."
Acts 3:19 "Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."
See also: Joel 2:12,13; Is. 55:6,7; Luke 13:5; Acts 2:38; II Cor. 7:9,10.
We teach that faith is a gift of God in which the regenerated man is also called to respond to God’s grace. It is the act of the soul by which the convicted sinner receives the truth of the gospel, and relies upon the promises of God to embrace Jesus Christ with all His merits. Faith is not a personal achievement but rather the result of the Holy Spirit in the sinner’s heart. Without faith salvation is not possible.
Eph. 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."
Heb. 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
See also: John 3:18; Acts 10:43; Acts 16:31; Gal. 2:16
We teach that the justice of God requires that the demands of His law be met. Jesus Christ, as a substitute, atoned for the sins of His people and purchased an eternal redemption for them. This satisfaction paid by Christ applies to those whom God in His sovereign love has chosen as His people and secures their salvation. We repudiate a doctrine that holds that the extent and intent of the atonement is universal, including the belief that man’s actual salvation depends on man’s own free choice.
Is. 53:6 "All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him."
Rom. 9:15,16 "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy."
See also: John 10:11,15; Matt. 1:21; Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25-27.
We teach that on the basis of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, God grants forgiveness of sins and declares the sinner righteous before Him. God imputes Christ’s righteousness freely of His grace and not because of any merits of a sinner. This righteousness becomes the possession of all who believe in Christ with a true faith.
Rom. 3:23,24 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus."
Gal. 2:16 "Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ."
See also: Eph. 1:7; Rom. 5:1; Rom. 3:28; Acts 10:43.
We teach that God, having renewed the sinner by the operation of the Holy Spirit, enables a person to live a godly life. All Christians give evidence of the fruit of their faith in good works. Although sanctification is progressive in a Christian’s life, perfect holiness is not attained until he enters glory in heaven.
II Cor. 5:17 "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
Phil. 3:12 "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus."
See also: Gal. 5:24; II Cor. 7:1; James 2:22; Gal 5:6; James 3:2; Rom. 7:7-26; I John 1:8.
We teach that God in His eternal plan for all creatures has foreordained all things that come to pass. In His sovereign love, and according to His good pleasure, He has chosen in Christ out of the whole human race a people unto salvation. This divine election of God precedes any gift of faith and salvation. The ground of this election is not anything on the part of a person which would merit any favor but solely the good pleasure of God.
Is. 46:9-10 "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me. Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure.’"
Eph. 1:4 "Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love."
Acts 13:48 "... and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."
See also: Ps. 33:11; Eph. 1:11; II Tim. 1:9; Acts 17:23; Jer. 1:5; Rom. 8:28-30.
We teach that the salvation of God’s people is assured by virtue of God’s election, by the substitutionary atonement of Christ and by His intercession for them. God will not permit those who are joined to Christ in true faith to totally fall away from faith and grace. By reason of the continuous abiding of the Holy Spirit, true believers will persevere in the way of salvation to the end.
John 10:28 "... and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand."
Rom. 11:29 "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
Phil. 1:6 "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."
See also: Heb. 7:25; II Thess. 3:3; II Tim. 1:12
We teach that there is a universal church which is known by God which consists of all true believers throughout history. Jesus Christ is the Head and King of this Church. This Church is one, and has existed from the beginning of this world and will exist unto the end.
We believe that this universal Church becomes visible in congregations of those who profess the true religion together with their children. It is the duty of every Christian to join and support a true visible church which is identified by the pure preaching of the Word, the Scriptural administration of the sacraments, and the elimination of those from its membership who are not sound in doctrine or who lead offensive lives.
I Tim 3:15 "... that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth."
Eph. 5:27 "... that He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless."
See also: Eph. 1:22,23; Matt. 16:18; I Cor. 12:13; Col. 1:18; Acts 2:42; I Peter 5:2
We teach, in keeping with the 2nd commandment, that God calls all men to worship Him in spirit and in truth, in the manner in which He has directed in His written word, and not according to the inventions and imaginations of men.
We teach, in keeping with the 4th commandment and with the scriptural example and prescription of the apostolic church, that it is a Christian’s privilege and duty to diligently attend divine worship on the first day of the week, which in Scripture is called the Lord’s Day. We teach that this day must be so consecrated unto the service of God that upon it the Christian must rest from all ordinary work, except works of charity and present necessity. Christians should also refrain from all such recreations on the Lord’s Day as prevent the service of God.
Ex. 20:4-5 "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them ...."
John 4:24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Ex. 20:8-10 "Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work."
Heb. 10:24-25 "... not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near."
See also: Deut. 4:2-19; Deut. 12:8, 32; Acts 17:29; I Cor. 14:26-37, I Tim. 4:13, Gen. 2:3; Lev. 23:3; Isaiah 58:13-14; John 20:19, 26; Acts 20:6-7, I Cor. 16:1-2; Heb. 4:9 ; Rev. 1:10.
We teach that baptism has come in the place of the Old Testament sacrament of circumcision as a sign and seal of God’s Covenant of Grace. Both believing parents and their children are included in that Covenant and according to God’s ordinance are to receive the sacrament of baptism. In baptism God signifies and seals His promises of forgiveness of sins and eternal life to His people.
Gen. 17:17 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your descendants after you."
Acts 2:39 "For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself."
Acts 16:33 "... and immediately he [the jailer] was baptized, he and all his household."
See also: Matt. 28:19; Matt. 19:14; Col. 2:11,12; Rom. 4:11; Acts 16:15
We teach that the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper represent the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ which was broken and shed upon the cross. Through these visible signs and seals of God’s love and the spiritual partaking of Christ and His benefits by faith the believer is assured of the promises and blessings of God’s covenant. By the proper observance of this ordinance of Christ, the faithful believer grows in the grace and knowledge of his Savior.
I Cor. 10:16 "Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?"
Matt. 26:28 " For this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
I Cor. 11:24 "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
See also: Mark 14:22-25; I Cor. 11:23-29.
We teach that a person, having been implanted into Christ by the Holy Spirit, delights in doing fruits of thankfulness. His true faith results in a love for God which finds expression in his doing good works according to the guidelines set forth in the law of God. His manner of living indicates a zeal for the honor of his God by recognizing Him in every sphere and relationship of life. He labors ceaselessly for the propagation of the Gospel and the evangelization of the world until the Kingdom of God shall embrace the whole of God’s creation.
Eph. 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works."
I Cor. 10:31 "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
Matt. 7:17 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit."
See also: Matt. 5:16; Rom. 11:36; Matt. 28:19,20.
We teach that prayer is the chief part of the thankfulness which God requires of His children. A prayer of faith has God’s assured promises of acceptance and answer. It is only through the merits of Jesus Christ that we can approach our Heavenly Father in prayer.
Matt. 21:22 "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."
Jas. 5:16 "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
John 14:13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
See also: Matt. 7:7; I John 5:14; Is. 65:24; Ps. 50:14.
We teach that physical death is a result of mankind’s sin. For a Christian, however, the sting of death has been removed by reason of his deliverance from sin and its eternal punishment and by reason of God’s promise of a glorious resurrection. A Christian’s death is the means whereby God delivers him from the body of death and prepares him for entrance into glory.
Rom. 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
John 11:25 "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies."
Ps. 116:15 "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones."
See also: Rom. 5:12; Phil. 1:23; I Cor. 15:55-57; Ps. 23:4; Rev. 14:13.
We teach that at death the soul is separated from the body. We teach that the believer’s soul enjoys a conscious life in communion with God and with Jesus Christ immediately after death. The souls of reprobate persons as well as of saints continue to exist in a conscious state forever. A person’s eternal state is irrevocably fixed at death. There is no opportunity for repentance beyond the grave.
Luke 23:43 " And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’"
II Cor. 5:8 "... we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and be at home with the Lord."
Heb. 9:27 "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment."
See also: Eccl. 12:7; Matt. 25:46; Luke 16:19-31.
We teach that we are now living in what Scripture calls "the last days," that is, the days between Christ’s ascension into Heaven and His second coming to Earth. This period of "the last days" will be marked by such events as the spread of the Gospel message throughout the world, by a great falling-away ("apostasy") of the church from faithfulness, by the great Tribulation (persecution) of the saints, and by the arising of the Anti-Christ. After these events Jesus will return once, and once only, to the Earth. This will not be a secret return, but it will be a bodily return visible to all, accompanied with loud fanfare and great glory and majesty. On this Last Day, the bodies of all people who have died will be raised and reunited with their souls. Jesus will then judge both the living (those who are still living on the Earth at the time of His return), and the dead (those who have been raised from the dead). The righteous will enjoy the glory of heaven forever, while the ungodly will be sent to eternal condemnation.
John 5:28-29 "... for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment."
Eccl. 12:14 "For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."
Rom. 2:16 "On the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus."
See also: Matt. 24:14; Matt. 25:31-46; Acts 1:11; Acts 17:31; II Thess. 2:1-12; Rev. 20:12-15; Rev. 21:3,4.
We maintain that the education of children is primarily the task of the parents. We believe that no education can truly be neutral with respect to the all-encompassing claims of Christ, and that the church should thus encourage and urge the parents to see to it that in all their children’s education the children receive the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We also believe the church should lend moral and financial support to educate and train the youth for kingdom advancement and to service to the community.
Deut. 11:19 "And you shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up."
Prov. 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go. Even when he is old he will not depart from it."
See also: Prov. 1:7-8; Is. 54:13; Eph. 6:4.
We teach that Christians should lead a life of spiritual separation from the world. We are to love and honor and serve God above all. Christians are to be in the world but not of the world. A Christian’s manner of conduct should indicate an unwillingness to join organizations or participate in activities or amusements which dishonor God or which injure the spiritual and moral welfare of themselves or others.
Rom. 12:1 "Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."
Eph. 1:4 "... just as He chose us in Him before the foundations of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him."
II Cor. 6:14-18 "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them;/ And I will be their God, and they shall be my people./ Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord./ ‘And do not touch what is unclean;/ And I will welcome you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,’/ Says the Lord Almighty."
See also: Ex. 20:3; Mark 12:30; Col.: 4:6; Lev. 19:2; I Tim. 4:12.
We teach that all human relationships are to be regulated and maintained according to God’s Word. God instituted marriage between one man and one woman at the time of creation. He told them to be fruitful and multiply, and blessed them with children, thus instituting the family as a foundational unit in human society. The principle of male headship in the home and in the church, which includes loving leadership, authority and responsibility, is also taught in Scripture. Children are to be obedient to and are to honor their parents; parents are to lovingly discipline and teach their children. Adultery, fornication, homosexual acts and impure desires are all condemned by God’s word.
Gen. 2:22, 24 "And the LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. ... For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."
Ex. 20:14 "You shall not commit adultery."
Ex. 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother...."
See also Gen. 1:28; Lev. 18:22; Mal. 2:15-16; Matt. 5:27-32; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 1:26-27; I Cor. 6:9-11; Eph. 5:3-4, 24-25, 6:1-4; I Tim. 2:11-15; I Thess. 4:2-8; Heb. 13:4
We maintain that Christ is the head of the Church and the source of all its authority. Christ as King has given His Church power to carry out the work which He has entrusted to it. The ruling power in the church resides primarily with the elders in the local church. The elders and the deacons, together with the pastor, form the council of the congregation.
Covenant church is a member of the United Reformed Churches in North America. Representatives of Covenant’s council meet periodically with members of other church councils of the federation to form a classis and synod. Matters of doctrine, church government and discipline are discussed so that good order may be maintained in the church of Jesus Christ.
Col. 1:18 "He is also the head of the body, the church."
Eph. 1:22 "And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church."
Acts 15:2, 6 "And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. ... And the apostles and elders came together to look into this matter."
See also: Matt. 16:18; Eph. 5:23; John 5:22; Titus 1:5
The information supplied here has been approved by the Council of the Covenant United Reformed Church, September 1998.
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