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360 results for “Election and Christ's Work”
WCF
Westminster Confession of Faith
84
Of Christ the Mediator
Although the work of redemption was not actually wrought by Christ till after His incarnation, yet the virtue, …
Of Good Works
Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of …
Of Christ the Mediator
Christ, in the work of mediation, acteth according to both natures, by each nature doing that which is …
Of Good Works
These good works, done in obedience to God’s commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and …
Of Good Works
Yet notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in Him, …
Of God’s Eternal Decree
As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath He, by the eternal and most free purpose …
Of Saving Faith
The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is …
Of Christ the Mediator
The Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance …
Of Christ the Mediator
To all those for whom Christ hath purchased redemption, He doth certainly and effectually apply and communicate the …
Of Good Works
Good works are only such as God hath commanded in His holy Word, and not such as, without …
Of Good Works
We cannot, by our best works, merit pardon of sin, or eternal life at the hand of God, …
Of Good Works
Works done by unregenerate men, although, for the matter of them, they may be things which God commands, …
Of Christ the Mediator
It pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, …
Of Christ the Mediator
The Lord Jesus, in His human nature thus united to the divine, was sanctified and anointed with the …
Of Christ the Mediator
This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake; which that He might discharge, He was made under …
Of Christ the Mediator
The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience, and sacrifice of Himself, which He, through the eternal Spirit, once …
Of Good Works
They, who in their obedience attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so …
Of Effectual Calling
Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated, and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who worketh when, and …
Of Justification
God did, from all eternity, decree to justify all the elect, and Christ did, in the fulness of …
Of the Law of God
Although true believers be not under the law, as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified, or …
Of the Lord’s Supper
In this sacrament, Christ is not offered up to His Father; nor any real sacrifice made at all …
Of God’s Eternal Decree
Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according …
Of God’s Covenant with Man
This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel: …
Of Effectual Calling
Others, not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the Word, and may have some …
Of the Perseverance of the Saints
This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the …
Of the Church
The catholic or universal Church which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have …
Of the Last Judgment
The end of God’s appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory of His mercy, in …
Of Baptism
Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission …
Of Effectual Calling
All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased in His appointed and …
Of Justification
Those whom God effectually calleth, He also freely justifieth; not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning …
Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience
And because the powers which God hath ordained, and the liberty which Christ hath purchased, are not intended …
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart …
Of the Church
There is no other head of the Church, but the Lord Jesus Christ; nor can the Pope of …
Of the Communion of the Saints
This communion which the saints have with Christ, doth not make them, in any wise, partakers of the …
Of the Sacraments
Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, immediately instituted by God, to represent Christ …
Of the Lord’s Supper
The outward elements in this sacrament, duly set apart to the uses ordained by Christ, have such relation …
Of the Lord’s Supper
Worthy receivers outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this sacrament, do then also, inwardly by faith, really …
Of the Last Judgment
God hath appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world in righteousness, by Jesus Christ, to whom …
Of the Holy Scripture
Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, …
Of the Holy Scripture
We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to a high and reverent esteem …
Of God, and of the Holy Trinity
There is but one only, living, and true God: who is infinite in being and perfection, a most …
Of God, and of the Holy Trinity
God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of Himself; and is alone in and unto Himself …
Of God’s Eternal Decree
The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that …
Of Providence
God in His ordinary providence maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against …
Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof
This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be, …
Of God’s Covenant with Man
The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam, and …
Of God’s Covenant with Man
Man by his fall having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to …
Of God’s Covenant with Man
This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in Scripture by the name of a Testament, in reference …
Of God’s Covenant with Man
Under the gospel, when Christ, the substance, was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed are …
Of Justification
Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification; yet is …
Of Justification
Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, …
Of Adoption
All those that are justified, God vouchsafeth, in and for His only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers …
Of Sanctification
They who are once effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in …
Of Sanctification
In which war, although the remaining corruption, for a time, may much prevail; yet through the continual supply …
Of Saving Faith
By this faith, a Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the authority …
Of Saving Faith
This faith is different in degrees, weak or strong; may be often and many ways assailed, and weakened, …
Of Repentance unto Life
Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace, the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every minister of …
Of Repentance unto Life
By it, a sinner, out of the sight and sense not only of the danger, but also of …
Of Repentance unto Life
Although repentance be not to be rested in, as any satisfaction for sin, or any cause of the …
Of Repentance unto Life
As every man is bound to make private confession of his sins to God, praying for the pardon …
Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may …
Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence …
Of the Law of God
God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which He bound him and all …
Of the Law of God
Beside this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel, as a …
Of the Law of God
The moral law doth for ever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof; …
Of the Law of God
Neither are the forementioned uses of the law contrary to the grace of the Gospel, but do sweetly …
Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience
The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the Gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt …
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
Religious worship is to be given to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and to Him alone; …
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear, the sound preaching and conscionable hearing of the Word, in …
Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, …
Of the Church
The visible Church, which is also catholic or universal under the Gospel (not confined to one nation as …
Of the Church
Unto this catholic visible Church Christ hath given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering …
Of the Church
The purest Churches under heaven are subject both to mixture and error: and some have so degenerated, as …
Of the Communion of the Saints
All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head by His Spirit and by faith, have fellowship …
Of the Sacraments
The grace which is exhibited in or by the sacraments rightly used, is not conferred by any power …
Of the Sacraments
There are only two sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to say, Baptism …
Of Baptism
Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of …
Of the Lord’s Supper
Private masses, or receiving this sacrament by a priest or any other alone; as likewise, the denial of …
Of the Lord’s Supper
That doctrine which maintains a change of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of Christ’s …
Of the Lord’s Supper
Although ignorant and wicked men receive the outward elements in this sacrament: yet they receive not the thing …
Of Church Censures
Church censures are necessary, for the reclaiming and gaining of offending brethren, for deterring of others from the …
Of Synods and Councils
As magistrates may lawfully call a synod of ministers, and other fit persons, to consult and advise with, …
Of the State of Man After Death, and of the Resurrection of …
The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonour: the bodies of …
Of the Last Judgment
As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both …
WLC
Westminster Larger Catechism
112
What is that union which the elect have with Christ?
The union which the elect have with Christ is the work of God's grace, whereby they are spiritually …
How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
Christ executeth the office of a king, in calling out of the world a people to himself, and …
How do we come to be made partakers of the benefits which …
We are made partakers of the benefits which Christ hath procured, by the application of them unto us, …
Are the elect only effectually called?
All the elect, and they only, are effectually called; although others may be, and often are, outwardly called …
What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits …
The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to his church the benefits of his mediation, are all …
Why are we to pray in the name of Christ?
The sinfulness of man, and his distance from God by reason thereof, being so great, as that we …
What hath God especially decreed concerning angels and men?
God, by an eternal and immutable decree, out of his mere love, for the praise of his glorious …
Doth God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin …
God doth not leave all men to perish in the estate of sin and misery, into which they …
How is the grace of God manifested in the second covenant?
The grace of God is manifested in the second covenant, in that he freely provideth and offereth to …
What is effectual calling?
Effectual calling is the work of God's almighty power and grace, whereby (out of his free and special …
How do they that worthily communicate in the Lord's supper feed upon …
As the body and blood of Christ are not corporally or carnally present in, with, or under the …
May one who doubteth of his being in Christ, or of his …
One who doubteth of his being in Christ, or of his due preparation to the sacrament of the …
What is the work of creation?
The work of creation is that wherein God did in the beginning, by the word of his power, …
What are God's works of providence?
God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures; ordering …
How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?
Christ the Son of God became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, …
Why was our Mediator called Christ?
Our Mediator was called Christ, because he was anointed with the Holy Ghost above measure; and so set …
How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?
Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in his revealing to the church, in all ages, by his …
How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?
Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering himself a sacrifice without spot to God, …
What was the estate of Christ's humiliation?
The estate of Christ's humiliation was that low condition, wherein he for our sakes, emptying himself of his …
How did Christ humble himself in his conception and birth?
Christ humbled himself in his conception and birth, in that, being from all eternity the Son of God, …
How did Christ humble himself in his life?
Christ humbled himself in his life, by subjecting himself to the law, which he perfectly fulfilled; and by …
How did Christ humble himself in his death?
Christ humbled himself in his death, in that having been betrayed by Judas, forsaken by his disciples, scorned …
Wherein consisted Christ's humiliation after his death?
Christ's humiliation after his death consisted in his being buried, and continuing in the state of the dead, …
What was the estate of Christ's exaltation?
The estate of Christ's exaltation comprehendeth his resurrection, ascension, sitting at the right hand of the Father, and …
How was Christ exalted in his resurrection?
Christ was exalted in his resurrection, in that, not having seen corruption in death (of which it was …
How was Christ exalted in his ascension?
Christ was exalted in his ascension, in that having after his resurrection often appeared unto and conversed with …
How is Christ exalted in his sitting at the right hand of …
Christ is exalted in his sitting at the right hand of God, in that as God-man he is …
How doth Christ make intercession?
Christ maketh intercession, by his appearing in our nature continually before the Father in heaven, in the merit …
How is Christ to be exalted in his coming again to judge …
Christ is to be exalted in his coming again to judge the world, in that he, who was …
Who are made partakers of redemption through Christ?
Redemption is certainly applied, and effectually communicated, to all those for whom Christ hath purchased it; who are …
Can they who have never heard the gospel, and so know not …
They who, having never heard the gospel, know not Jesus Christ, and believe not in him, cannot be …
What is the communion in glory with Christ, which the members of …
The communion in glory with Christ, which the members of the invisible church enjoy immediately after death, is, …
How hath Christ appointed bread and wine to be given and received …
Christ hath appointed the ministers of his word, in the administration of this sacrament of the Lord's Supper, …
What is it to pray in the name of Christ?
To pray in the name of Christ is, in obedience to his command, and in confidence on his …
What benefits hath Christ procured by his mediation?
Christ, by his mediation, hath procured redemption, with all other benefits of the covenant of grace.
What special benefits do the members of the invisible church enjoy by …
The members of the invisible church by Christ enjoy union and communion with him in grace and glory.
What is the communion in grace which the members of the invisible …
The communion in grace which the members of the invisible church have with Christ, is their partaking of …
What is the communion in glory which the members of the invisible …
The communion in glory which the members of the invisible church have with Christ, is in this life, …
What is the communion in glory with Christ which the members of …
The members of the invisible church have communicated to them in this life the firstfruits of glory with …
Death, being the wages of sin, why are not the righteous delivered …
The righteous shall be delivered from death itself at the last day, and even in death are delivered …
How many sacraments hath Christ instituted in his church under the New …
Under the New Testament Christ hath instituted in his church only two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's supper.
With whom was the covenant of grace made?
The covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the …
How was the covenant of grace administered under the Old Testament?
The covenant of grace was administered under the Old Testament, by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the passover, and …
Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be God and man …
It was requisite that the Mediator, who was to reconcile God and man, should himself be both God …
What special use is there of the moral law to the regenerate?
Although they that are regenerate, and believe in Christ, be delivered from the moral law as a covenant …
What is the invisible church?
The invisible church is the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered …
How doth faith justify a sinner in the sight of God?
Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, not because of those other graces which do always …
What is sanctification?
Sanctification is a work of God's grace, whereby they whom God hath, before the foundation of the world, …
What are those aggravations that make some sins more heinous than others?
Sins receive their aggravations, 1. From the persons offending: if they be of riper age, greater experience or …
How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation?
The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not by any power in themselves, or any virtue derived from …
What shall be done to the righteous at the day of judgment?
At the day of judgment, the righteous, being caught up to Christ in the clouds, shall be set …
How is our Baptism to be improved by us?
The needful but much neglected duty of improving our Baptism, is to be performed by us all our …
How doth God execute his decrees?
God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the …
How is the covenant of grace administered under the New Testament?
Under the New Testament, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the same covenant of grace was and still …
Who is the Mediator of the covenant of grace?
The only Mediator of the covenant of grace is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son …
What is adoption?
Adoption is an act of the free grace of God, in and for his only Son Jesus Christ, …
What are we to believe concerning the resurrection?
We are to believe, that at the last day there shall be a general resurrection of the dead, …
What shall be done to the wicked at the day of judgment?
At the day of judgment, the wicked shall be set on Christ's left hand, and, upon clear evidence, …
Which is the fourth commandment?
The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and …
How is the sabbath or the Lord's day to be sanctified?
The sabbath or Lord's day is to be sanctified by an holy resting all the day, not only …
What are the sins forbidden in the ninth commandment?
The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our …
What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath …
That we may escape the wrath and curse of God due to us by reason of the transgression …
Unto whom is Baptism to be administered?
Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, and so strangers …
How are they that receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper to …
They that receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper are, before they come, to prepare themselves thereunto, by …
Wherein do the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper agree?
The sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper agree, in that the author of both is God; the …
Wherein do the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper differ?
The sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper differ, in that baptism is to be administered but once, …
What do we pray for in the second petition.?
In the second petition (which is, Thy kingdom come,) acknowledging ourselves and all mankind to be by nature …
How doth it appear that there is a God?
The very light of nature in man, and the works of God, declare plainly that there is a …
How doth it appear that the Son and the Holy Ghost are …
The scriptures manifest that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father, ascribing unto …
What are the decrees of God?
God's decrees are the wise, free, and holy acts of the counsel of his will, whereby, from all …
How did God create angels?
God created all the angels spirits, immortal, holy, excelling in knowledge, mighty in power, to execute his commandments, …
How did God create man?
After God had made all other creatures, he created man male and female; formed the body of the …
What is God's providence towards the angels?
God by his providence permitted some of the angels, wilfully and irrecoverably, to fall into sin and damnation, …
What was the providence of God toward man in the estate in …
The providence of God toward man in the estate in which he was created, was the placing him …
Was the covenant of grace always administered after one and the same …
The covenant of grace was not always administered after the same manner, but the administrations of it under …
Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be God?
It was requisite that the Mediator should be God, that he might sustain and keep the human nature …
Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be man?
It was requisite that the Mediator should be man, that he might advance our nature, perform obedience to …
Why was our Mediator called Jesus?
Our Mediator was called Jesus, because he saveth his people from their sins.
What are the special privileges of the visible church?
The visible church hath the privilege of being under God's special care and government; of being protected and …
What is justification?
Justification is an act of God's free grace unto sinners, in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth …
How is justification an act of God's free grace?
Although Christ, by his obedience and death, did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God's justice …
What is justifying faith?
Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and word …
What is repentance unto life?
Repentance unto life is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and …
Wherein do justification and sanctification differ?
Although sanctification be inseparably joined with justification, yet they differ, in that God in justification imputeth the righteousness …
Whence ariseth the imperfection of sanctification in believers?
The imperfection of sanctification in believers ariseth from the remnants of sin abiding in every part of them, …
May not true believers, by reason of their imperfections, and the many …
True believers, by reason of the unchangeable love of God, and his decree and covenant to give them …
Can true believers be infallibly assured that they are in the estate …
Such as truly believe in Christ, and endeavor to walk in all good conscience before him, may, without …
Of what use is the moral law to all men?
The moral law is of use to all men, to inform them of the holy nature and will …
What particular use is there of the moral law to unregenerate men?
The moral law is of use to unregenerate men, to awaken their consciences to flee from wrath to …
What rules are to be observed for the right understanding of the …
For the right understanding of the ten commandments, these rules are to be observed: 1. That the law …
What is the preface to the ten commandments?
The preface to the ten commandments is contained in these words, I am the Lord thy God, which …
What are the duties required in the second commandment?
The duties required in the second commandment are, the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such …
What is required in the third commandment?
The third commandment requires, That the name of God, his titles, attributes, ordinances, the word, sacraments, prayer, oaths, …
What are the sins forbidden in the third commandment?
The sins forbidden in the third commandment are, the not using of God's name as is required; and …
What is required in the fourth commandment?
The fourth commandment requires of all men the sanctifying or keeping holy to God such set times as …
What are the sins forbidden in the fourth commandment?
The sins forbidden in the fourth commandment are, all omissions of the duties required, all careless, negligent, and …
What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to …
The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it, are taken from the equity of …
Why are superiors styled Father and Mother?
Superiors are styled Father and Mother, both to teach them in all duties toward their inferiors, like natural …
What doth every sin deserve at the hands of God?
Every sin, even the least, being against the sovereignty, goodness, and holiness of God, and against his righteous …
How is the word made effectual to salvation?
The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of …
What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his church, to signify, seal, and exhibit unto …
What are the parts of a sacrament?
The parts of a sacrament are two; the one an outward and sensible sign, used according to Christ's …
What is Baptism?
Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, wherein Christ hath ordained the washing with water in the …
What is the Lord's supper?
The Lord's supper is a sacrament of the New Testament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine …
May any who profess the faith, and desire to come to the …
Such as are found to be ignorant or scandalous, notwithstanding their profession of the faith, and desire to …
What is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord's …
It is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper, that, during the time of …
What is prayer?
Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help …
How doth the Spirit help us to pray?
We not knowing: What to pray for as we ought, the Spirit helps our infirmities, by enabling us …
For whom are we to pray?
We are to pray for the whole church of Christ upon earth; for magistrates, and ministers; for ourselves, …
What rule hath God given for our direction in the duty of …
The whole word of God is of use to direct us in the duty of prayer; but the …
What do we pray for in the first petition?
In the first petition (which is, Hallowed be thy name,) acknowledging the utter inability and indisposition that is …
What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
In the fifth petition (which is, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,) acknowledging, that we …
WSC
Westminster Shorter Catechism
39
Who is the Redeemer of God's elect?
The only Redeemer of God's elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, …
How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?
The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting …
What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us …
The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are, his ordinances, especially …
How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?
Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, …
What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer?
Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both …
How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?
Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit the will …
How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?
Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy …
How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and …
Wherein did Christ's humiliation consist?
Christ's humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing …
Wherein consisteth Christ's exaltation?
Christ's exaltation consisteth in his rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into …
How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?
We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us …
What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; …
What is the work of creation?
The work of creation is, God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in …
What are God's works of providence?
God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and …
What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day …
What is faith in Jesus Christ?
Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, …
What is effectual calling?
Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our …
What is sanctification?
Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the …
How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation?
The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth …
What is justification?
Justification is an act of God's free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as …
Which is the fourth commandment?
The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and …
What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath …
To escape the wrath and curse of God, due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith …
What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of …
How doth God execute his decrees?
God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence.
Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin …
God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life did enter …
What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this …
They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification, and the several …
What is adoption?
Adoption is an act of God's free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a …
What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow …
The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of …
What is required in the third commandment?
The third commandment requireth the holy and reverend use of God's names, titles, attributes, ordinances, Word, and works.
Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly …
From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the …
How is the sabbath to be sanctified?
The sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments …
What is forbidden in the fourth commandment?
The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission or careless performance of the duties required, and the profaning the day …
What is repentance unto life?
Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, …
What is Baptism?
Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the …
To whom is Baptism to be administered?
Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, till they profess …
What is the Lord's Supper?
The Lord's Supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ's appointment, …
What is prayer?
Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the …
What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer?
The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but the special rule of …
What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
In the fifth petition, which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, we pray …
BCO
Book of Church Order (PCA)
125
24-1
24-1. Every church shall elect persons to the offices of ruling elder and deacon in the following manner: …
14-1
14-1. The General Assembly is the highest court of this Church, and represents in one body all the …
58-7
58-7. The minister may, in a few words, put the communicants in mind: Of the grace of God, …
20-1
20-1. Before a candidate, or licentiate, can be ordained to the office of the ministry, he must receive …
57-5
57-5. The time having come for the making of a public profession, and those who have been approved …
16-2
16-2. The government of the Church is by officers gifted to represent Christ, and the right of God’s …
21-4
21-4. Ordination Requirements and Procedures a. An intern applying for ordination shall be required to present a diploma …
52-2
52-2. Then, after singing a psalm, or hymn, it is proper that, before the sermon, there should be …
Preliminary Principles
II. PRELIMINARY PRINCIPLES The Presbyterian Church in America, in setting forth the form of government founded upon and …
12-5
12-5. The church Session is charged with maintaining the spiritual government of the church, for which purpose it …
19-15
19-15. Restrictions. The intern may be asked by the moderator of a Session temporarily to chair the meeting …
21-11
21-11. In the ordination of interns as evangelists the same questions are to be propounded as in the …
54-1
54-1. The Holy Scriptures teach that God is the owner of all persons and all things and that …
56-4
56-4. Before baptism, the minister is to use some words of instruction, touching the institution, nature, use, and …
5-9
5-9. A new church can be organized only by the authority of Presbytery. a. A Presbytery should establish …
20-3
20-3. When a congregation is convened for the election of a pastor it is important that they should …
20-4
20-4. Method of voting: The voters being convened, and prayer for divine guidance having been offered, the moderator …
22-2
22-2. The pastor and associate pastor are elected by the congregation using the form of call in BCO …
24-4
24-4. The voters being convened, the moderator shall explain the purpose of the meeting and then put the …
The King and Head of the Church
I. THE KING AND HEAD OF THE CHURCH Jesus Christ, upon whose shoulders the government rests, whose name …
5-10
5-10. Upon organization, the newly elected session should meet as soon as is practicable to elect a stated …
8-8
8-8. A Presbytery may, at its discretion, approve the call of a teaching elder to work as a …
15-4
15-4. The General Assembly shall elect a Standing Judicial Commission to which it shall commit all matters governed …
20-2
20-2. Every church should be under the pastoral oversight of a minister, and when a church has no …
24-3
24-3. All communing members in good and regular standing, but no others, are entitled to vote in the …
24-5
24-5. On the election of a ruling elder or deacon, if it appears that a large minority of …
24-6
24-6. The day having arrived, and the Session being convened in the presence of the congregation, a sermon …
47-4
47-4. Public worship is Christian when the worshippers recognize that Christ is the Mediator by whom alone they …
2-2
2-2. This visible unity of the body of Christ, though obscured, is not destroyed by its division into …
8-1
8-1. This office is one of dignity and usefulness. The man who fills it has in Scripture different …
8-4
8-4. As the Lord has given different gifts to men and has committed to some special gifts and …
8-5
8-5. When a man is called to labor as a teaching elder, it belongs to his order, in …
8-7
8-7. A Presbytery may, at its discretion, approve the call of a teaching elder to work with an …
11-2
11-2. The jurisdiction of Church courts is only ministerial and declarative, and relates to the doctrines and precepts …
13-2
13-2. A minister shall be required to hold his membership in the Presbytery within whose geographical bounds he …
14-3
14-3. When an emergency shall require a meeting of the General Assembly earlier than the time to which …
19-4
19-4. The applicant having answered these questions in the affirmative, the moderator shall offer a prayer suitable for …
19-10
19-10. When an applicant is approved for internship, the moderator of the Presbytery shall offer a prayer suitable …
20-5
20-5. On the election of a pastor, if it appears that a large minority of the voters are …
24-2
24-2. The pastor is, by virtue of his office, moderator of congregational meetings. If there is no pastor, …
24-8
24-8. When a ruling elder or deacon who has been released from his official relation is again elected …
25-6
25-6. A particular church which is not incorporated, desiring to elect trustees, may select from among its membership …
56-5
56-5. The minister shall then read the covenant promises: For to you is the promise, and to your …
57-1
57-1. Believers’ children within the Visible Church, and especially those dedicated to God in Baptism, are non-communing members …
58-4
58-4. On the day of the observance of the Lord's Supper, when the sermon is ended, the minister …
1-2
1-2. The Church which the Lord Jesus Christ has erected in this world for the gathering and perfecting …
1-3
1-3. The members of this visible Church catholic are all those persons in every nation, together with their …
2-1
2-1. The Visible Church before the law, under the law, and now under the Gospel, is one and …
3-1
3-1. The power which Christ has committed to His Church vests in the whole body, the rulers and …
3-3
3-3. The sole functions of the Church, as a kingdom and government distinct from the civil commonwealth, are …
3-5
3-5. The Church, with its ordinances, officers and courts, is the agency which Christ has ordained for the …
3-6
3-6. The exercise of ecclesiastical power, whether joint or several, has the divine sanction when in conformity with …
4-1
4-1. A particular church consists of a number of professing Christians, with their children, associated together for divine …
4-4
4-4. The ordinances established by Christ, the Head, in His Church are prayer; singing praises; reading, expounding and …
5-2
5-2. Ordinarily, mission churches are established by Presbyteries within their boundaries. a. Initiatives to which the Presbytery may …
6-1
6-1. The children of believers are, through the covenant and by right of birth, non-communing members of the …
6-2
6-2. Communing members are those who have made a profession of faith in Christ, have been baptized, and …
6-3
6-3. All baptized persons are entitled to the watchful care, instruction and government of the church, even though …
6-4
6-4. Those only who have made a profession of faith in Christ, have been baptized, and admitted by …
8-6
8-6. When a teaching elder is appointed to the work of an evangelist in foreign countries or where …
8-9
8-9. As there were in the Church under the law, elders of the people for the government thereof, …
9-4
9-4. The deacons of a particular church shall be organized as a Board, of which the pastor shall …
10-3
10-3. The pastor is, for prudential reasons, moderator of the Session. The moderator of the Presbytery may be …
10-4
10-4. A clerk or clerks shall be elected by the Session, Presbytery, and General Assembly to serve for …
12-2
12-2. The pastor is, by virtue of his office, the moderator of the Session. In the pastor’s absence, …
12-3
12-3. When a church is without a pastor, the moderator of the Session may be either a minister …
13-1
13-1. The Presbytery consists of all the teaching elders and churches within its bounds that have been accepted …
13-5
13-5. Ordinarily, only a minister who receives a call to a definite ecclesiastical work within the bounds of …
13-9
13-9. The Presbytery has power to receive and issue* appeals, complaints, and references brought before it in an …
14-2
14-2. The General Assembly, which is a permanent court, shall meet at least annually upon its own adjournment. …
14-6
14-6. The General Assembly shall have power: a. To receive and issue* all appeals, references, and complaints regularly …
16-4
16-4. Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America must be above reproach in their walk and Christlike in …
17-3
17-3. As every ecclesiastical office, according to the Scriptures, is a special charge, no man shall be ordained …
18-5
18-5. For the development of his Christian character, for the service he can render, and for his more …
19-7
19-7. The Holy Scriptures require that some trial be previously made of those who are to be ordained …
19-12
19-12. Presbyteries should require interns to devote themselves diligently to the trial of their gifts; and no one …
19-13
19-13. At the end of the period of time set by the Presbytery for his internship, an intern …
20-6
20-6. Form of call: The terms of the call shall be approved by the congregation in the following …
20-7
20-7. If any church shall choose to designate its ruling elders and deacons, or a committee to sign …
20-8
20-8. Prosecution of call: One or more commissioners shall be appointed by the church to present and prosecute …
20-9
20-9. When a pastor desires to accept a call to another Presbytery, he must be examined and approved …
20-10
20-10. A congregation desiring to call a pastor from his charge, shall, by its commissioners to the Presbytery, …
20-11
20-11. If the congregation or other field of labor to which a minister, licentiate, or candidate is called, …
20-12
20-12. A candidate or licentiate found fit and called (in accordance with BCO 20-1) for missionary service by …
20-13
20-13. A missionary who is an ordained teaching elder in another denomination found fit and called (in accordance …
21-7
21-7. The people having answered these questions in the affirmative, by holding up their right hands, the candidate …
21-9
21-9. In the installation of an ordained minister, the following questions are to be substituted for those addressed …
23-2
23-2. The Presbytery may designate a minister as honorably retired when the minister by reason of age wishes …
23-3
23-3. A minister, being medically disabled or honorably retired, may be elected pastor emeritus by a congregation which …
24-7
24-7. Ordination to the offices of ruling elder or deacon is perpetual; nor can such offices be laid …
24-9
24-9. When a ruling elder or deacon cannot or does not for a period of one year perform …
24-10
24-10. When a deacon or ruling elder by reason of age or infirmity desires to be released from …
25-4
25-4. The pastor shall be the moderator of congregational meetings by virtue of his office. If it should …
25-5
25-5. A clerk shall be elected by the congregation to serve at that meeting or for a definite …
25-7
25-7. If a particular church is incorporated, the provisions of its charter and bylaws must always be in …
25-8
25-8. The corporation of a particular church, through its duly elected trustees or corporation officers, (or, if unincorporated, …
27-1
27-1. Discipline is the exercise of authority given the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ to instruct and …
27-3
27-3. The exercise of discipline is highly important and necessary. In its proper usage discipline maintains: a. the …
27-4
27-4. The power which Christ has given the Church is for building up, and not for destruction. It …
28-3
28-3. The Church should maintain constant and sympathetic relations with the children. It also should encourage them, on …
29-1
29-1. An offense, the proper object of judicial process, is anything in the doctrines or practice of a …
30-3
30-3. Suspension from Sacraments is the temporary exclusion from those ordinances, and is indefinite as to its duration. …
31-4
31-4. Every indictment shall begin: “In the name of the Presbyterian Church in America,” and shall conclude, “against …
31-5
31-5. An injured party shall not become a prosecutor of personal offenses without having tried the means of …
32-1
32-1. It is incumbent on every member of a court of Jesus Christ engaged in a trial of …
32-12
32-12. When the trial is about to begin, it shall be the duty of the moderator solemnly to …
36-5
36-5. Indefinite suspension from office or the Sacraments should be administered after the manner prescribed for definite suspension, …
36-6
36-6. Excommunication is to be administered according to one or other of the two modes laid down for …
36-7
36-7. The censure of deposition shall be administered by the moderator in the words following: Whereas, ____________________, a …
37-1
37-1. A person who has been definitely suspended from office shall be restored by the court at the …
37-3
37-3. When the court shall be satisfied as to the reality of the repentance of an indefinitely suspended …
37-4
37-4. When an excommunicated person shall be so affected with his state as to be brought to repentance, …
37-5
37-5. The restoration of a deposed officer, after public confession has been made in a manner similar to …
37-6
37-6. When a ruling elder or deacon has been absolved from the censure of deposition, he cannot be …
47-2
47-2. A service of public worship is not merely a gathering of God’s children with each other, but …
47-3
47-3. The end of public worship is the glory of God. His people should engage in all its …
47-6
47-6. The Lord Jesus Christ has prescribed no fixed forms for public worship but, in the interest of …
47-7
47-7. Public worship differs from private worship in that in public worship God is served by His saints …
48-2
48-2. God commanded His Old Testament people to keep holy the last day of the week, but He …
52-1
52-1. It is proper to begin the public worship in the sanctuary with the Doxology followed by a …
52-4
52-4. Ministers are not to be confined to fixed forms of prayer for public worship, yet it is …
53-5
53-5. By way of application of the sermon the minister may urge his hearers by commandment or invitation …
56-1
56-1. Baptism is not to be unnecessarily delayed; not to be administered, in any case, by any private …
58-5
58-5. The table, on which the elements are placed, being decently covered, and furnished with bread and wine, …
59-1
59-1. Marriage is a divine institution though not a sacrament, nor peculiar to the Church of Christ. It …