| The Biblical Witness Fellowship holds to the historic
creeds and statements of the reformation which it has restated in a
testimony of faith known as The Dubuque Declaration. It
states the following: "We declare our continuing commitment to the
truths set forth in the Basis of Union and the Constitution of the
United Church of Christ. We perceive an erosion and denial of these
truths in our church. Because of our concern for the people of our
churches and the well-being of our denomination as a member of the body
of Christ, we are called by God to make this confession:
1. We confess our faith in the triune God--Father , Son and Holy
Spirit.
2. We confess that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man. Because
of our sin and estrangement from God, at the Father's bidding the Son of
God took on flesh. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin
Mary, He became like us in all things apart from sin. He died on the
cross to atone for our sin and reconcile us to God and on the third day
rose bodily from the dead. He is the sole head of the church, the Lord
and Savior of us all, and will one day return in glory, power and
judgement to usher in the kingdom of God in its fullness.
3. We hold that the Bible is the written Word of God, the infallible
rule of faith and practice for the church of Jesus Christ. The
Scriptures have binding authority on all people. All other sources of
knowing stand under the judgement of the Word of God.
4. We affirm that the central content of the Scriptures is the gospel
of reconciliation and redemption through the atoning sacrifice of Christ
and His glorious resurrection from the grave. The good news is that we
are saved by the grace of God alone, the grace revealed and fulfilled in
the life and death of Jesus Christ, which is received only by faith. Yet
this faith does not remain alone but gives rise to works of piety,
mercy, and justice. The Holy Spirit who spoke through the prophets and
apostles, calls us today, as in the past, to seek justice and peace for
all races, tongues and nations.
5. We confess as our own the faith embodied in the great ecumenical
and Reformation creeds and confessions, finding them in basic conformity
with the teaching of the Holy Scriptures.
6. We confess that the mission of the church is to bear witness to
God's law and gospel in our words and deeds. We are sent into the world
as disciples of Christ to glorify God in every area of life and to bring
all peoples into submission to the Lordship of Christ, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We seek to
obey this commission in the full assurance that our Lord and Savior is
with us always, even to the end of the age.
Areformer@aol.com
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