Articles of Religion

I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity

There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the maker and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead, there are three persons of one substance, power, and eternity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

(Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 145:17; Jeremiah 10:10; Romans 8:9, 11:36; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19)

II. Of the Word, or Son of God, who was made very man

The Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eternal God, of one substance with the Father, took man’s nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures—the Divine and the human—were joined together in one person; never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God and very man, who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.

(Matthew 27:27-50; John 1:1,14; Romans 5:19; Philippians 2:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:1-13, 2:14, 16-17)

III. Of the Resurrection of Christ

Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again His body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man’s nature, wherewith He ascended into heaven, and there sits until He returns to judge all men at the last day.

(Luke 24:39; John 5:28-29; Romans 14:10b; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Peter 3:22)

IV. Of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.

(John 15:26; Galatians 4:6)

V. Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation

The Holy Scriptures contain all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scriptures, we do understand those canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, of whose authority was never any doubt in the church.

(Isaiah 8:20; Matthew 4:4, 7, 10; Romans 15:4; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-16; Hebrews 1:1-2; Revelation 1:1-2)

The names of the Canonical Books:

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings, First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. All the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive and account canonical.

The Old Testament is not contrary to the New; for both in the Old and New Testaments everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man, being God and man. Wherefore they are not to be heard who feign that the old fathers did look only for transitory promises. Although the law given from God by Moses, as touching ceremonies and rites, doth not bind Christians, nor ought the civil precepts thereof necessity to be received in any Commonwealth; yet, notwithstanding, no Christian whatsoever is free from the obedience of the commandments which are called moral.

(Luke 24:27, 44; Romans 3:2; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Revelation 22:18-19)

VI. Of Original or Birth Sin

Original Sin stands not in the following of Adam, but it is the corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and of his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually.

(John 3:6; Romans 5:12, 15-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22)

VII. Of Free Will

The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and works, to faith, and calling upon God; wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God without the grace of God by Christ enabling us.

(Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:6, 7:18, 8:7)

VIII. Of the Justification of Man

We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works or deserving: whereof, that we are justified by faith only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort.

(Acts 10:43; Romans 3:24, 5:15-16, 8:30; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31; 2 Corinthians 5:19, 21; Ephesians 1:7; Titus 3:5, 7)

IX. Of Good Works

Although good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God’s judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and spring out of a true and lively faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be evidently known as a tree is discerned by its fruit.

(Matthew 3:10, 7:17-18; John 14:15; Ephesians 5:15-17; Hebrews 13:21, James 2:17)

X. Of Sin After Justification

Not every sin willingly committed after justification is the sin against the Holy Spirit, and unpardonable. Wherefore, the grant of repentance is not to be denied to such as fall into sin after justification: after we have received the Holy Spirit , we may depart from grace given, and fall into sin, and, by the grace of God, rise again and amend our lives. And, therefore, they are to be condemned who say they can no more sin as long as they live here, or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly repent.

(Romans 7:23; Galatians 5:17; 1 John 1:8-10)

XI. Of the Church

The visible church of Christ is a congregation of faithful Christians, in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the sacraments, duly administered, according to Christ’s ordinance.

(Psalm 2:8; Matthew 26:26-29; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 12:12-13; 2 Timothy 4:1-2; Revelation 7:9)

XII. Of the Sacraments

Sacraments, ordained of Christ, are not only badges or tokens of Christian men’s profession, but rather they are certain signs of grace, and God’s good will toward us, by the which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our faith in him. There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord.

The Sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed upon, or to be carried about; but that we should duly use them. And in such only as we worthily receive the same way have they a wholesome effect or operation; but they that receive them unworthily purchase to themselves condemnation, as St. Paul saith, I Cor. XI. 29.

(Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 10:16-18, 21, 11:23)

XIII. Of Baptism

Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christians are distinguished from others that are not baptized, but it is also a sign of regeneration, or the new birth. The baptism of young children is to be retained in the church.

(Romans 4:11, 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27-28; Colossians 2:11-12)

XIV. Of the Lord’s Supper

The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another, but rather is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ’s death: insomuch that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith, receive the same, the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ; and likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ.

The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the Supper, only after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the means whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper, is faith.

(Matthew 26:26-27; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 21, 11:23-28)

XV. Of the One Oblation of Christ finished upon the Cross

The offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction, for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone.

(Hebrews 7:23-24, 27, 10:11-12, 14, 18)

XVI. Of the Marriage of Ministers

The ministers of Christ are not commanded by God’s law either to vow the estate of single life, or to abstain from marriage; therefore, it is lawful for them, as for all other Christians, to marry at their own discretion, as they shall judge the same to serve best to godliness.

(Matthew 8:14, 1 Corinthians 7:1-17, 25-28, 32-40, 9:5)

XVII. Of the Rites and Ceremonies of Churches

It is not necessary that rites and ceremonies should in all places be the same, or exactly alike; for they have been always different, and may be changed according to the diversity of countries, times, and men’s manners, so that nothing be ordained against God’s word. Whosoever, through his private judgment, willingly and purposely, doth openly speak against the rites and ceremonies of the church to which he belongs, which are not repugnant to the work of God, and are ordained and approved by common authority, ought to be rebuked openly, that others may fear to do the like, as one that offends against the common order of the church, and wounds the consciences of weak brethren. Every particular church may ordain, change, or abolish rites and ceremonies, so that all things may be done to edification.

(Romans 14:5-6; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 14:20-40; Colossians 2:16-17; Revelation 5:9, 7:9-12)

XVIII. Of the Rulers of the United States of America

The President, the Congress, the general assemblies, the governors, and the councils of state, as the delegates of the people, are the rulers of the United States, according to the division of power made to them by the Constitution of the United States, and by the Constitution of their respective states.

It is the duty of all Christians, and especially of all Christian ministers, to observe and obey the laws and commands of the governing or supreme authority of the country of which they are citizens or subjects, or in which they reside, and to use all laudable means to encourage and enjoin obedience to the powers that be.

(Mark 12:16-17; Luke 3:12-14; Romans 13:1-7)

XIX. Of Christian Men’s Goods

The riches and goods of Christians are not common, as touching the right, title, and possession of the same, as some do falsely boast. Notwithstanding, every man ought, of such things as he possesses, liberally to give alms to the poor according to his ability.

(Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 15:7-8; Luke 6:35, 12:33; Acts 2:43-47, 4:32-35; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15)