We believe that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God for faith and life. Every word is “God-breathed”, inerrant, infallible and eternally preserved.
We believe there is one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three Divine Persons in the Godhead are distinct and yet equal in all respects, being of one essence.
We believe that God is the sovereign Creator and Ruler of the universe, sustaining and preserving all creation by His eternal counsel and Providence and directing all things to His everlasting glory.
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. He was born of the virgin Mary, suffered all the time he lived on earth, was crucified dead and buried. He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is reigning at the right hand of God the Father. He will come again to receive His church and to judge the world.
We believe that by the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, all mankind fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, making them enslaved to sin and to Satan. Being thus totally depraved in all parts of body and soul, mankind is in a state of sin and condemned by the just judgment of God.
We believe that mankind in a state of sin is saved from eternal condemnation by the grace of God alone, through repentance and faith alone in Jesus Christ who has satisfied the justice of God in the place of sinful men.
We believe that those truly converted to God by the Holy Spirit will be led by that same Spirit to a life of practical godliness, not according to the traditions of men but according to the Word of God as well as to prayer wherein adoration is given to God, sins are confessed, thanksgiving is tendered for His blessings and petitions made for His grace and favor.
We believe that the church is the body Christ and comprised of believers and their children, who by true faith are partakers of salvation through Jesus Christ. This church is distinguished by three marks: the preaching of the Word, the proper observance of the sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) and Christian discipline, and is ruled through the offices of Pastor, Elder and Deacon.
We believe that though physical death is God’s judgment upon man’s sin, the “sting of death” has been removed by salvation; upon death the Christian’s soul (spirit) goes immediately to heaven to live in conscious communion with Christ. Those who die in their sins unsaved will also live and suffer in hell, in alienation from God. At the last day, at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the bodies of both the saved and the unsaved will be reunited with their souls. All mankind will then be judged, and body and soul will enter their final state of eternal heavenly bliss or eternal punishment.
Worship
Heritage Reformed Church practices weekly worship every Lord’s Day, in accordance with the New Testament practice, and in which the reading and preaching of God’s word are the central elements. The prayers, hymns and offerings of the congregation are necessary responses to God’s word. The Scriptures teach us that God seeks those who worship him in Spirit and in truth. Accordingly, we are called to worship God in an orderly manner, “with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Worship is to be carried out according to God’s commandments and not according to the commandments of men. (Mark 7:7Mark 7:7
English: World English Bible - WEB
301 Moved Permanently
Moved Permanently
The document has moved .
WP-Bible plugin)
Marks of a Church
We seek to uphold, by the grace of God, the marks of a true Church: The preaching of the pure teaching of the Gospel, the proper distribution of the sacraments, and the faithful exercise of Christian discipline.
Sacraments
The Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are seen as secondary but necessary physical symbols of God’s grace in Christ. Baptism is a sign of God’s covenant and is properly administered to children of believers in their infancy as well as to those who come as adults to trust in Christ. The proper recipients of the Lord’s Supper are members of the Church who have made a profession of their faith in Christ.
Membership
All Christians are called on to join in the membership and fellowship of a true Church. The local church consists of Christian believers and their children. The members of Heritage Reformed Church hold to the classic formulations of Reformed theology which came out of the reformation period, The Three Forms of Unity consisting of the Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession of Faith, and Canons of Dort.
God has given us His Word as the preeminent source of all teaching and instruction in righteousness. No confession can exhaust the knowledge of God as it is set forth in the Bible. But, with the church of all ages, we treasure the confessions because they contain a systematic statement of the Bible’s teachings.
Covenant Youth Instruction
We strive to pass down to our children “the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Covenantal training by parents, and through Catechism classes prepare our youth for public profession of faith, and equip them for a life of service to God.
Evangelism
In addition to growing in our own understanding of the faith, the Scriptures exhort us to spread the Gospel news and call the lost to Christ. This we do in prayerful and confident expectation that God will be pleased to call many to faith in His Dear Son through the ministry of Heritage Reformed Church.
Discipleship
We labor to counsel, comfort, and edify believers by God’s Word and Spirit so their lives are conformed to the will of God, and out of thankfulness serve Him in His kingdom until Christ returns.
Covenant
The Biblical notion of covenant theology, as interpreted by the historic Reformed tradition, provides us with a solid theological basis from which to discuss marriage, family, children and other personal relationships within the church.