Confession of Faith, According to the Holy

WORD of GOD

Of the only God of heaven and earth. By the grace of God, according to the meaning of the holy Scriptures, we believe with the heart and confess with the mouth that there is only one eternal, almighty, and true God, who is the Creator of heaven and earth, with all things visible and invisible; so that all things derive their origin and being from Him alone, and are all sustained, governed and upheld by His almighty word. He is a just, perfect, holy, incomprehensible and indescribable, spiritual Being; consisting of or through Himself, Exodus 3, verse 14, and not needing the help or assistance of anything; but He is Himself the origin and fountain of every good thing. From His overflowing goodness every good and perfect gift proceeds and comes down. And He is the living One, eternal, without beginning or end, an almighty, true God and Lord of Hosts, a commanding King over all, and above us all in heaven and earth, a fearsome judge and an avenging, consuming fire; the true Light, just, righteous and holy, full of grace and peace, and a God of love and of all comfort, long-suffering and of great mercy.

And this only good, and only wise, exalted God, who is all in all, dwells with His worshipful, glorious being above in heaven, in a light which no man has seen, nor can see, and is present everywhere with His Spirit and power, filling heaven and earth, so that heaven is His throne, and the earth His footstool. Nothing is hidden from His all-seeing eye, but He is an all-knowing hearer and beholder of the hearts and the secret intents and thoughts of all men; all things are naked and open to His eyes. First Corinthians 4, verse 5; Hebrews 4, verse 13.

And since He is such an all-knowing God, full of all grace and mercy, and a God of all comfort, with whom alone the fountain of wisdom and all good gifts are to be found; and since He will not give this, His divine honor, to another, therefore all men are in duty bound to seek, by earnest prayer and with a longing heart, all grace, peace, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life, in God alone and in none other.* [n526-2]

And to this only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, before whose worshipful majesty the angels stand trembling; whose word is true, and whose command is powerful; who is a righteous judge over all; in the end every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that He alone is Lord, to the praise of His glory.

And this only, eternal, true God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob consists in one true Father, and one true Son, and one true Holy Ghost. And besides this only God there never has been another, nor ever will be.

Concerning this only, eternal God, read: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord. Deuteronomy 6, verse 4; Mark 12, verse 29.

Through Isaiah He speaks: For I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like Me. Isaiah 46, verse 9; Isaiah 45, verse 5; Isaiah 44, verse 6; Isaiah 43, verse 11; Isaiah 41, verse 4.

Through Paul He says: That an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. First Corinthians 8, verse 4; First Corinthians 12, verse 6; Ephesians 4, verse 6.

And in this only God we must necessarily believe to salvation, as the beginning and foundation of the Christian faith. Read: For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11, verse 6.

To believe in this God is also called a principle of the Christian doctrine. Read Hebrews 6, verse 1; James 2, verse 19; John 17, verse 8; John 14, verse 1; Genesis 15, verse 6; Romans 4, verse 9. [n526-1]