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COHc Connections
Module 3
Beliefs & Doctrinal Distinctives
Church Doctrine:
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What do we believe?
What are our core beliefs
as an evangelical church?
What are our doctrinal distinctives
as a reformed church?
What is our stance towards these core
beliefs?
How do we approach
and apply our doctrinal distinctives?
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3.1
WHAT WE BELIEVE: Classic Christianity
 All Christians are Spiritually __________ by God through virtue of our
common belief in the gospel, which is the central message of the Bible- God
saves sinners by free grace through faith in Jesus’ life & death.
 All Christian traditions are doctrinally united if they hold to the __________
__________ of the Christian faith.
So just what are these essential truths?...
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy *catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
* “universal and worldwide”
The most basic creed of all Christian churches, as most familiarly known, is called the Apostles'
Creed. It has received this title because of its great antiquity; it dates from very early times in
the Church, a half century or so from the last writings of the New Testament- probably
sometime in the second century.
 Christ Our Hope adheres to the __________ doctrine and gospel-proclaiming
truth which is declared in the Apostles Creed.
 Christ Our Hope gladly affirms two other historic creeds of the ancient Church:
Nicea (in 325) and Chalcedon (in 451).
o These creeds were formulated to answer heresies that denied the biblical doctrine of
the Trinity and of the __________ of Jesus Christ.
3.2
WHAT WE BELIEVE: Classic Reformation Theology
 As merely one branch of God’s worldwide Church, the Presbyterian Church in
America is both __________ and ___________.

Reformed churches are those that identify themselves _______________ with the
theology of the 16th Century Protestant Reformation. The Reformation, besides being
widely accepted as the most profound spiritual revival in world history since the early
church, was also a “back-to-the Bible” movement where the Gospel was rediscovered by
Martin Luther. Gripped by the Gospel, the Reformers boldly asserted the 6 major ‘Sola’
doctrines taught in the Bible:
 Whereas ‘Evangelical’ identifies our unified stance with the wider
REFORMATION
CREDO
ITS
MEANING
ITS KEY
SIGNIFICANCE
ITS
EXPLANATION
Sola Scriptura
On…
Scripture Alone
Our Ultimate
Authority
Bible is our authority; not
The Church, nor traditions of
Church nor our feelings.
The One Who
Accomplishes
our Salvation
Jesus’ cross-work
accomplished our salvation,
not our character or any deeds
we’ve performed.
In…
Solus Christus
Sola Gratia
Sola Fide
Soli Deo Gloria
Christ Alone
By…
Grace Alone
The Basis of our
Salvation
Only Jesus’ imputed
righteousness is basis for our
acceptance by God.
Through…
Faith Alone
The Means of Our
Salvation
Justification is by faith only
apart from any human works.
Unto…
Glory to God
Alone
The Goal of Our
Salvation
As all aspects of salvation are
from God, He alone deserves
honor, credit and glory.
As a…
“Reformata
Semper
Reformanda”
Reformed
Church and
Always
Reforming
Forward Progress
and Cultural
Embodiment
Because of the power of the
gospel to effect change,
progress is expected in
personal faith, formation of
theology and the corporate
witness of The Church.
____________ church, and ‘Reformed’ identifies our convictions on theology,
‘Presbyterian’ identifies our beliefs and practices regarding church
___________________.

By Evangelical, we mean our general tradition:
 Fully committed to the Bible as the inerrant, inspired Word of God
 Firmly believes that one must be born again to receive salvation
and eternal life
 Faithfully devoted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all of life
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By Reformed, we mean our specific theology:
 God-exalting in its worship and ministries
 Christ-centered in its preaching and teaching
 Grace-driven in its ministry methods
“The church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic. The church is one. Though
fragmented by denominations, the elect are united by one Lord, one faith
and one baptism. The church is holy because it is sanctified by God and
indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The church is catholic (the world catholic means
‘universal’) in that its membership extends across the earth including
people from all nations. The church is apostolic in that the teaching of the
apostles as contained in sacred Scripture is the foundation of the church
and the authority by which the church is governed.”
- R.C. Sproul,
Essential Truths of the Christian Faith
3.3
WHAT WE BELIEVE: A Statement of Faith
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We believe the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without
error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the revelation of God’s truth and is
infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.
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We believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God, who exists eternally in three persons:
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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We believe that all men, women and children are created in the image of God but are
helpless sinners- totally unable to save themselves from God’s displeasure, except by His
mercy.
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We believe that salvation is accomplished by God alone as He sovereignly chooses those
He will save. We believe His choice is based on His grace alone, not on any foreseen faith
or any mixture of human individual merit with divine grace.
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We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect life and
sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who would trust in Him, alone, for salvation.
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We believe that God is gracious and faithful to His people not simply as individuals but
as families in successive generations according to His Covenant promises.
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We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people and gives them the strength and
wisdom to trust Christ and follow Him in newness to life.
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We believe that Jesus Christ will return bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind and to
receive His people unto Himself.
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We believe in the eternal Kingdom of God- the renewal of the heavens and the earth
upon Christ’s second coming and subsequent to the final judgment.
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We believe that all aspects of our lives are to be lived to the glory of God under the
Lordship of Jesus Christ.
3.4
WHAT WE BELIEVE: Our Confession of Faith
What is our understanding of Scripture’s system of doctrine?
 While we stand on the authority of Scripture alone for faith and practice, we
also affirm the system of theology taught in what is known as the “__________
Confession of Faith” (i.e. WCF). We believe the WCF to be a cogent, coherent and
biblically consistent summary of the Bible’s teachings.

The Westminster “__________” were forged in the 17th century by 121 pastors and
theologians over a 5-year time period (1643-1647) .

Of the 121 appointed members to the work of Westminster Assembly, most were
either Puritan or Presbyterian, though Anglican bishops were invited and six
representatives from the Church of Scotland participated.

In distinction from those churches whose statement of faith is rather limited, these
standards include the 33-chapter Confession of Faith as well as the
Larger and Shorter Catechisms (catechisms are simply teaching devices that utilize a
“Question-and-Answer” method for learning and memorization).

PCA churches require their pastors and other ordained leaders (elders and deacons)
to __________ to these Westminster Standards; that is, to claim the beliefs of the
Standards to be their own convictions for what they, in good faith, believe the Bible
to actually teach. Thus, there is substantial unity in what is taught, preached and
practiced across the board in PCA churches though there is certainly a diversity of
style from one church and pastor to another.
“One of the most important confessions of faith ever penned, particularly in the Englishspeaking world, is the Westminster Confession of Faith… though human confessions and
creeds are penned by fallible people without the benefit of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
I stand in awe at the profound level of theological and biblical precision manifest in the
[WCF]. I would argue that the Westminster Standards are the most precise and accurate
summaries of the content of biblical Christianity ever set forth in creedal form.”
- R.C. Sproul in Truths We Confess
3.5
WHAT WE BELIEVE: Our Doctrinal Distinctives
What teachings distinguish us from other evangelical churches?
 We believe in a doctrine of salvation that equally emphasizes both the
__________ of man and the ___________ of God. God is Author of Creation and
Salvation. Yet we must receive it by faith in Jesus as expressed in repentance from sin; we
are responsible to respond in faith even though God sovereignly saves us by grace.
 Thus, we not only believe in the necessity of __________, but the priority of
grace. In amazing mercy, God always takes the initiative with His people. Not one of us
would have had any interest in Christ’s salvation unless God had previously taken an intense
interest in us. God pursues His own in passionate love! Though left to ourselves, we would
not seek God, God, in grace, seeks us. Thus, God’s amazing, pursuing and transforming
grace is at the heart of the gospel; indeed, this is what sets Christianity apart from every
world (i.e. manmade) religion.
 We believe in the centrality of the __________ for the spiritual health and
formation of both Christians and Christian churches. As Jesus is the content,
context and indeed the entire curriculum for Christian discipleship, the good news about
Jesus is both the gate we pass through at the beginning of the Christian life as well as the
pathway we journey everyday of our Christian life. As has been said, the gospel isn’t just the
A-B-C’s of the Christian faith; it’s the A-Z of the Christian life. When God works out our
individual stories by his grace through the gospel, our individual stories are just shown to be
threads in the one grand story God is weaving and working out in Scripture and history;
that’s what covenant means.

We believe that the big picture story of Scripture is unified by the
__________of grace. The Bible tells one story of redemption- from the garden of Eden
in Genesis to the City of God in Revelation; while the Old Testament, we could say, was a
time of promise, the New Testament is a time of fulfillment. The Bible and its covenants,
from old to new, is more continuous than discontinuous. That being so, both testaments are
merely the prequel and sequel of the one epic story that focuses on the one divine Person,
Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of God’s chosen people, who are thus known as the Church.
 We have a different view of the __________ than most other churches.
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We believe that God’s eternal purpose is to reveal His “manifold wisdom” in and
through the “invisible church,” which is the Church as God sees it.
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Thus, we unashamedly believe that the local church should be organized embraced
and esteemed in all Christians’ lives and practice.
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We believe that church membership is both a biblical concept and a very wise
practice for a Christian’s growth and discipleship as well as for personal
accountability.
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We believe that churches should be led and shepherded by a __________ of eldersgodly men with exemplary spiritual character who are nominated from and approved
by each local congregation. Thus, the pastor is but one equal among other elders,
who are also “shepherds of the flock” as well.

We likewise understand and practice the nature of Christ’s Church to be intentionally
connectional, where elders are not only responsible for the doctrine and life of their
own local congregations, but for all like-minded churches in a geographical area
(which is called a “presbytery”). Elders gather periodically in these higher “courts” in
order to express their care for the work of the whole church beyond the local
congregation.
 This connectional practice facilitates the collaborative missional efforts of
several churches where they both partner together in mission and ministry as
well as submit to one another in mutual accountability reporting.

We have a different view of the __________ than our Baptist brothers and
sisters. Simply stated, these are the Covenant of Grace’s signs and seals.

We believe in the doctrine of ___________ baptism. While we strongly
affirm that baptism is not necessary for salvation, we likewise confirm that baptism
cannot and does not confer salvation automatically. No, all Christians are saved by
faith alone in Christ alone because of grace alone!
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39
The promise is for you and your children…”
AC 2:38
 Nevertheless, we confirm that baptism is a sign pointing towards one’s saving
faith. For converted adults, baptism points backward to their already
expressed faith; for children of believers, it points forward towards the
necessity of a future event in which these individual children personally place
their faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their own sins and eternal life.

We believe in the spiritual __________ of Christ as we celebrate the
Lord’s Supper. Our view is that, for those who receive the Supper in faith,
something wonderful and mysterious happens: namely, we all enjoy mystic, sweet
fellowship with Christ personally- and actually- because God makes Christ’s presence
manifest to us.
 This does not happen as a result of the bread and wine __________ into
something they are not, but rather, it happens through the work of God’s
Spirit in lifting the eyes of our hearts heavenward where Jesus is (and where
we will one Day be) in all His glory.
 This is probably more than what most other evangelical Protestants believe,
where it is commonly held that the Supper is simply a ___________- a
special time to remember Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We believe that,
too, but we believe more than that.
3.6
HOW WE MINISTER: How We Approach & Apply Our Beliefs
What is our basic philosophy of ministry?
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel preached to you,
which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this
gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
1CO 15:1
G.E.
Christian
Truths
(I Cor 1.17)
Gospel Freedom
For what I received I passed on to you as of first
importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third
day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to
Peter, and then to the Twelve.
1CO 15:3
(Romans 14)
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While Christians are united in our common faith’s essentials, all Christian
traditions express significant __________ on secondary and tertiary
doctrine. How do we approach this apparent dilemma?

We are committed to preach and teach both the gospel’s ___________ and
the Bible’s significant truths. The essentials are necessary for our salvation (I Tim
1.15); the truths are essential for our growth and sanctification (II Tim 3.16).

We are committed to the practice of __________ proclamation on all
gospel essentials. For grace without truth is spineless (Gal 1.10). We would
hopefully, if put in the situation, die for these essentials if need be. For they define us.

We are equally committed to a “__________ Orthodoxy” regarding
secondary doctrine. For truth without grace is harsh (I Cor 13.4-7). Because these
are important-yet-not-essential, we decide on these as our church’s convictions.

We will __________ on the majors and minor on the minors. We will boldly
preach Christ! And we will also wisely and lovingly teach our distinctives. But in areas
of doctrine and life where the Bible is not clear, we will exercise humility. On these, as
they are conscience issues, we defer to one another out of Christian love
3.6
OUR TEACHING EMPHASES: What themes will you hear most often?
What do we emphasize in our teaching and preaching here at COHc?
 The GLORY of God in Christ…
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts
to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
2CO 4:6
 The HEART and inability of man to save himself…
As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;
understands, no one who seeks God.
RO 3:10
RO 3:11
there is no one who
 Our BROKENNESS- being honest about the human condition…
Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the
LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at
my word.
ISA 66:2
 The GOSPEL of FREE GRACE…
“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the
law, Christ died for nothing!"
GAL 2:21
 TRANSFORMATIONAL change by faith in Jesus & repentance from sin
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to
say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly
lives…
TIT 2:11
 The NEW HUMANITY called The Church…
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not
received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
1PE 2:10
 MISSION & CULTURAL Renewal - The gospel changes lives & cultures…
MK 16:15
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
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COHc Connections
Appendix B
Answer Key
Module 3: Beliefs, Distinctives & Basic Ministry Approach
3.1
3.2
3.4
3.5
3.6
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United
Essential Truths
Trinitarian
Person
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Evangelical and Reformed
Historically
Worldwide
Government
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Westminster
Standards
Subscribe
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Responsibility
Sovereignty
Grace
Gospel
Covenant
Church
Plurality
Sacraments
Infant
Presence
Transforming
Memorial
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G.E.= Gospel Essentials (those basic truths we must believe in order to become a
Christian)
Essentials
Bold
Humble
Major
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