1. Faith in the
Holy Trinity
There is only one living and true God, eternal and
without body, parts or passions. He is of infinite power,
wisdom, and goodness, the maker and preserver of all
things, both visible and invisible. Within the unity of
the Godhead there are three persons who are of one
substance, power, and eternity -- the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
2. The Word, or
Son of God, who became truly human
The Son, who is the Word of the Father, was begotten from
eternity of the Father, and is the true and eternal God,
of one substance with the Father. He took humanity's
nature in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary, of her
substance, in such a way that two whole and perfect
natures, the Godhead and humanity, were joined together
in one person, never to be divided. Of these two natures
is the one Christ, truly God and truly human. He truly
suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried, to
reconcile his Father to us and to be a sacrifice, not
only for original guilt but also for all actual sins of
men and women.
3. The descent of
Christ into hell
Just as Christ died for us and was buried, so also it is
to be believed that he descended into hell.
4. The
resurrection of Christ
Christ truly rose again from death and took again his
body, with flesh, bones, and all that belongs to the
perfection of human nature. In this body he ascended into
heaven, where he is now seated until the last day, when
he will return to judge all people.
5. The Holy
Spirit
The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. He
is of one substance, majesty, and glory with the Father
and the Son, true and eternal God.
PART II: The Rule of Faith (Articles 6-8)
6. The
Sufficiency of the Scriptures for salvation
Holy Scripture contains all things necessary for
salvation. So whatever is not read in Scripture nor can
be proved from Scripture cannot be demanded from any
person to be believed as an article of the faith. Nor is
any such thing to be thought necessary or required for
salvation. By Holy Scripture is meant those canonical
books of the Old and New Testaments whose authority has
never been doubted within the church. Listing of 66
canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, along with
a listing of other books which the church reads for
example of life and instruction of behaviour but not for
establishing of any doctrine.
7. The Old
Testament
The Old Testament is not contrary to the New, for in both
the Old and New Testaments eternal life is offered to
mankind through Christ, who, being both God and a man, is
the only mediator between God and humanity. Therefore
those who pretend that the Patriarchs only looked for
transitory promises must not be listened to. Although the
law given by God through Moses is not binding on
Christians as far as its forms of worship and ritual are
concerned and the civil regulations are not binding on
any nation state, nevertheless no Christian is free to
disobey those commandments which may be classified as
moral.
8. Of the Three
Creeds
The three creeds, the Nicene Creed, Athanasian
Creed, and that known as the Apostles' Creed,
ought to be wholeheartedly accepted and believed. This is
because their contents may be proved by definite
statements of Holy Scripture.
PART III The Life of Faith (Articles 9-18)
Personal Religion
A. Its Commencement (Articles 9-14)
9. Original or Birth-sin
Original sin is not found merely in the following of
Adam's example (as the Pelagians foolishly say). It is
rather to be seen in the fault and corruption which is
found in the nature of every person who is naturally
descended from Adam. The consequence of this is that
humanity is far gone from it's original state of
righteousness and is of its own nature predisposed to
evil, the sinful nature in us always desiring to behave
in a manner contrary to the Spirit. In every person born
into this world there is found this predisposition which
rightly deserves God's anger and condemnation. This
infection of our nature persists even within those who
are regenerate. This desire of the sinful nature, which
in Greek is called phronema sarkos and is
variously translated the wisdom or sensuality or
affection or desire of the sinful nature, is not under
control of God's law. Although there is no condemnation
for those that believe and are baptized, nevertheless the
apostle states that any such desire has of itself the
nature of sin.
10. Free Will
The condition of humanity since the fall of Adam is such
that we cannot turn and prepare ourself by our own
natural strength and good works for faith and for calling
upon God. So we have no power to do good works which are
pleasing and acceptable to God, unless the grace of God
through Christ goes before us so that we may have a good
will, and continues to work with us after we are given
that good will.
11. The
justification of men and women
We are accounted righteous before God solely on account
of the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through
faith and not on account of our own good works or of what
we deserve. Consequently the teaching that we are
justified by faith alone is a most wholesome and
comforting doctrine. This is taught more fully in the
homily on Justification.
12. Good works
Although good works, which are the fruits of faith and
follow on after justification, can never atone for our
sins or pass the strict justice of God's judgment, they
are nevertheless pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ
and necessarily spring from a true and living faith. Thus
a living faith is as plainly known by its good works as a
tree is known by its fruit.
13. Works before
justification
Works done before receiving the grace of Christ and the
inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasing to God to the
extent that they do not spring out of faith in Jesus
Christ, nor do they make people fit to receive grace or
(as the schoolmen say) to deserve grace of congruity. On
the contrary, because they are not done as God has willed
and commanded that they should be done, it is undoubtedly
the case that they have the nature of sin.
14. Works of
supererogation
The value of voluntary works besides, over and above
God's commandments, which are sometimes called works of
supererogation, cannot be taught without arrogance and
impiety. By them people declare not only that they render
to God their proper duty but that they actually do more
than their duty. Yet Christ says: 'So you also, when you
after done everything you were told to do, should say,
"We are unprofitable servants."
B. Its Course
(15-18)
15. Of Christ alone without sin
Christ, who truly took our human nature, was made like us
in every respect except that of sin. From this he was
clearly free in both body and spirit. He came to be the
Lamb without blemish who, by the sacrifice of himself
once made, should take away the sins of the world. Sin,
as St. John says, was not in him. But all the rest of us,
even though baptized and born again in Christ, still
offend in many ways and if we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
16. Sin after
baptism
Not every sin knowingly committed after baptism is sin
against the Holy Spirit and unforgivable. Therefore the
gift of repentance is not to be declared impossible for
those who fall into sin after baptism. After we have
received the Holy Spirit we may depart from the grace
given to us and fall into sin, and we may also by the
grace of God return and amend our lives and therefore
those who say that they are incapable of sinning any more
in this life are to be condemned, as are those who deny
the opportunity of forgiveness to those who truly repent.
17.
Predestination and election
Predestination to life is the eternal purpose of God,
whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid)
he has consistently decreed by his counsel which is
hidden from us to deliver from curse and damnation those
whom he has chosen in Christ out of mankind and to bring
them through Christ to eternal salvation as vessels made
for honor. Hence those who are endued with such an
excellent benefit by God are called according to God's
purpose by his Spirit working at the appropriate time; by
grace they obey the calling; they are freely justified,
are made children of God by adoption, they are made like
the image of his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ, they
walk faithfully in good works and in the end by God's
mercy attain eternal happiness.
The reverent consideration of predestination and of our election in Christ is full of sweet, pleasant, and inexpressible comfort to the godly and to those who feel within themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, putting to death the deeds of the sinful and earthly nature and lifting their minds up to high and heavenly things. This consideration establishes and confirms their belief in the eternal salvation to be enjoyed through Christ and kindles a fervent love towards God. But for inquisitive and unspiritual persons who lack the Spirit of Christ to have the sentence of God's predestination continually before their eyes is a most dangerous downfall which the devil can use to drive them either into desperation or into recklessly immoral living (a state no less perilous than desperation).
Furthermore we need to receive God's promises in the manner in which they are generally set out to us in holy Scripture, and in our actions we need to follow that will of God which is clearly declared to us in the Word of God.
18. Obtaining
salvation only by the name of Christ
Those who presume to say that every person shall be saved
by the rule of life, religion, or sect that they
professe, provided they make diligent efforts to live by
that rule and the light of nature, must be regarded as
accursed. For holy Scripture declares to us that it is
only in the name of Jesus Christ that we must be saved.
PART IV: THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH (Articles 19-39)
Corporate
Religion
A. The Church (19-22)
19. The church
The visible church of Christ is a congregation of
believers in which the pure Word of God is preached and
in which the sacraments are rightly administered
according to Christ's command in all those matters that
are necessary for proper administration.
As the churches of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch have erred, so also the church of Rome has erred, not only in their practice and forms of worship but also in matters of faith.
20. The authority
of the church
The church has authority to decree forms of worship and
ceremonies and to decide in controversies concerning the
Faith. However, it is not lawful for the church to order
anything contrary to God's written Word. Nor may it
expound one passage of Scripture so that it contradicts
another passage. So, although the church is a witness to
and guardian of Holy Scripture, it must not decree
anything contrary to Scripture, nor is it to enforce
belief in anything additional to Scripture as essential
to salvation.
21. The authority
of general councils
Councils may not be gathered together without the
commandment and will of those with the necessary
authority. And when they be gathered together,
(given that they are an assembly of men and women and as
such not all may be governed by the Spirit and Word of
God,) they may err, and sometimes have erred, even in
things pertaining to God. Therefore things ordained
by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength
nor authority, unless it may be declared that they be
taken out of Holy Scripture.
22. Purgatory
The Roman doctrine concerning purgatory, pardons,
worshipping, and adoration (both of images and of
relics), and the invocation of saints is a futile thing
foolishly conceived and grounded on no evidence of
Scripture. Rather, this teaching is repugnant to the Word
of God.
B. Ministry
(23-24)
23. Ministering in the congregation
It is not right for anyone to take upon themself the
office of public preaching or of administering the
sacraments in the congregation before they are lawfully
called and sent to perform these tasks. Those lawfully
called and sent are they who have been chosen and called
to this work by those who have had a public authority
given to them in the congregation to call and send such
ministers into the Lord's vineyard.
24. Speaking in
the congregation in a language that people understand
It is plainly repugnant to the Word of God and to the
custom of the early church to pray publicly or to
administer the sacraments in a language not understood by
the people.
The Sacraments
(25-31)
25. The sacraments
The sacraments instituted by Christ are not only badges
or tokens of the profession of Christians but are also
sure witnesses and effectual signs of God's grace and
good will towards us. Through them he works invisibly
within us, both bringing to life and also strengthening
and confirming our faith in him.
There are two sacraments instituted by Christ our Lord in the Gospel, that is, Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
The five that are commonly called sacraments (confirmation, penance, ordination, marriage, and extreme unction) are not to be regarded as Gospel sacraments. This is because they have come about partly as a corruption of apostolic practice and partly as states of life as allowed in the Scriptures. They are not of the same nature as the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper since they do not have any visible sign or ceremony instituted by God.
The sacraments were not instituted by Christ to be gazed at or carried about but to be used properly. It is only in those who receive them worthily that they have a beneficial effect or operation. As Paul the apostle says, those who receive them in an unworthy manner bring condemnation upon themselves.
Nevertheless, it belongs to the discipline of the church that investigation be made into evil ministers, that their evl deeds be exposed by those who have knowledge of their offenses and that in the end they, being justly found guilty, should be deposed.
27. Baptism
Baptism is not only a sign of profession and a mark of
difference by which Christians are distinguished from
those who are not baptized. It is also a sign of
regeneration or new birth, through which, as through an
instrument, those who receive baptism in the right manner
are grafted into the church, the promises of the
forgiveness of sin and of our adoption as sons of God by
the Holy Spirit are visibly signed and sealed, faith is
confirmed, and grace is increased by virtue of prayer to
God. The baptism of young children is undoubtedly to be
retained in the church as thoroughly agreeable with
Christ's institution.
28. 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. Rather,
it is a sacrament of our redemption through Christ's
death such that to those who rightly, worthily, and with
faith receive it, the bread which we break is a partaking
of the body of Christ, and similarly the cup of blessing
is a partaking of the blood of Christ.
Transubstantiation (the change of the substance of the bread and wine) in the Supper of the Lord cannot be proved from holy Scripture, but is repugnant to the plain teaching of Scripture. It overthrows the nature of a sacrament and has given rise to many superstitions. The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper only in a heavenly and spiritual manner. The means by which the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is by faith.
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried out, lifted up or worshipped.
29. The wicked
who partake of the Lord's Supper do not eat the body of
Christ
The wicked and those who lack a living faith, although
they physically and visibly 'press with their teeth' (as
St. Augustine says) the sacrament of the body and blood
of Christ, nevertheless are in no way partakers of
Christ. Rather, by eating and drinking the sign or
sacrament of so great a thing, they bring condemnation
upon themselves.
30. Reception in
both kinds
The cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the laity, for
by Christ's institution and commandment both parts of the
Lord's sacrament ought to be administered to all
Christian people alike.
31. The oblation
of Christ finished upon the cross
The offering of Christ made once is the perfect
redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the
sins of the whole world, both original and actual. There
is no other satisfaction for sin but this alone.
Consequently, the sacrifices of masses, in which it was
commonly said that the priest offered Christ for the
living and dead so as to gain remission of pain or guilt,
were blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits.
D. Discipline
(32-36)
32. Marriage of Priests
It is not commanded by any decree of God that bishops,
presbyters, or deacons take a vow of celibacy or abstain
from marriage. So it is lawful for them, as for all other
Christians, to marry at their own discretion when they
judge that this will better promote godliness
33. The
excommunicated: how they are to be avoided
Any person who has openly been denounced by the church
and justly cut off from its fellowship and excommunicated
is to be regarded by the whole body of the faithful as a
'pagan and swindler' until he is openly reconciled by
repentance and received back into the church by a judge
who has the necessary authority in such matters.
34. The customs
of the church
It is not necessary that customs and forms of worship be
exactly the same everywhere. Throughout history they have
differed. They may be altered according to differences in
nations, times, and habits of people provided that
nothing is commanded contrary to God's Word. Whoever by
their own private judgment openly, willingly, and
deliberately breaks those customs and forms of worship of
the church which do not contradict the Word of God and
are approved by common authority, is to be openly rebuked
(that others may be afraid to act similarly) as one who
offends against the common order of the church,
undermines the authority of the state's representative
and wounds the consciences of weak Christians.
Every particular or national church has authority to ordain, change, or abolish the ceremonies or forms of worship of the church which are appointed by human authority provided that every thing is done for the building up of the Church.
35 The Homilies
The second Book of Homilies (as contained in the list)
contains godly and wholesome teaching which is necessary
for these times, as does the first book of Homilies
published during the reign of Edward VI. We therefore
judge that they ought to be read diligently and
distinctly in the churches by the ministers so that they
may be understood by the people. (List then appended)
36. The
consecration of bishops and ministers
The Book of Consecration of Bishops, and Ordering of
Priests and Deacons, as set forth in the time of Edward
the Sixth and confirmed at the same time by authority of
Parliament, contains all things necessary to such
Consecration and Ordering; neither has it any thing that
of itself, is superstitious and ungodly. And, therefore,
whosoever are consecrated or ordered according to the
rites of that Book, we decree all such to be rightly,
orderly, and lawfully consecrated and ordered.
E. Church-State
Relations (37-39)
37. The state and its civil representatives
The King's Majesty has the chief power in the realm of
England and his other possessions. The supreme
government of all in this realm, whatever their station,
whether ecclesiastical or civil, and in all matters,
belongs to him and is not, nor ought to be, subject to
any foreign jurisdiction.
39. A Christian's
Oath
We believe that the vain and rash swearing of oaths is
forbidden to Christians by our Lord Jesus Christ and St.
James. However, we judge that the Christian faith does
not prohibit the swearing of an oath when the state
requires it if in a cause where the faithfulness and love
justify it, and according to the prophet Jeremiah's
teaching, in justice, judgment and truth.