Revised by Rev. Dr. Henry Marissen

Article 1	Article 2	Article 3	Article 4	Article 5
Article 6	Article 7	Article 8	Article 9	Article 10
Article 11	Article 12	Article 13	Article 14	Article 15
Article 16	Article 17	Article 18	Article 19	Article 20

May, 2000

NOTE: The intent of this revision is to remain within the bounds of the
original meaning of the articles, using basic English language that can
readily be comprehended by anyone who reads them.

Article 1. Of God

We believe in one God. This God is a Spirit who never changes, but always
remains the same. He is a perfect Being, almighty and eternal. God is love,
and completely Holy. He is a wise, and merciful God, who is always willing
to forgive with compassion.

God is known as the Trinity, which means that we worship and know Him in
three ways:

1. As the Father, or creator and sustainer of all things including humans.

2. As the Son, Jesus Christ, who lived among us as a human, and told us who
God really is.

3. As the Holy Spirit, who lives in one's heart to reveal God's will and
love to people.

The mystery of the Trinity lies in the oneness of the three principal
Characters, all being equally God, and never working separately from one
another.

Article 2. Of Revelation

We believe that God can be seen in nature. In history, and in our hearts.
This He does through the Holy Spirit, and through Jesus Christ His Son.

God also shows Himself in His word. We call this word the Bible. It is here
that we find God's will for us, and His commandments tell us how we should
live in this His world.

Article 3. Of the Divine Purpose

We believe that God is involved in all things that happen in the world. This
means that God is in total control of everything. One may wonder, if this is
so, why do so many bad things happen? The reason is that God did not take
away people’s freedom. Consequently, because of its sinful nature, humanity
itself has caused the bad things to take place. Thus all the ugly and bad
things that happen are the result of sin.

The best thing to remember about this article is the last part. God loves us
so much that He is always aware of what happens, and always there for us
when things go wrong.

Article 4. Of Creation and Providence

We believe that God has created, and is still creating all things. He did
not just create, and now is letting things “run down” like a spring in a
clock, but He continually provides for His creation.

God made humanity in His image, which means that we have the ability to know
God, and to love Him and to reject things that are not in line with God's
goodness, and hurtful to others.

Article 5. Of the Sin of Man

We believe that the first people who lived on this earth chose to do evil,
and fell away from God. By doing this they fell under the power of sin. All
people now are born with a sinful nature, and all need God to save them from
their sin. God’s promise of salvation is solely based on His benevolence and
grace.

Article 6 Of the Grace of God

We believe that God, out of His great love for the world, has given His only
Son to be the Saviour of sinners. We learn about this Saviour in the Bible.
It is the Good News of Jesus Christ that the church preaches, and anyone who
accepts this Good News becomes on of Christ’s people, set apart to serve
him, to live in obedience to him, and for eternal salvation.

Article 7 Of the Lord Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus is the only Mediator between God and people. This
means that Jesus stands between God and humanity, and Jesus only. Jesus,
as the Prophet, speaks to us on behalf of the Father, as Priest speaks to
the Father on our behalf, and as King He rules over us with love and perfect
justice.

Jesus was truly a human being when He lived on earth, but He had no sin in
Him. Because He had no sin, He could offer Himself as a perfect sacrifice on
the Cross, for our sins. The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed
to His perfect sacrifice. Jesus died on the Cross, but rose again on the
third day of His death, and He went to heaven where He now lives in glory
with God the Father.

Article 8. Of the Holy Spirit

We believe in the holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, the third person of the
Trinity. He comes from both God the Father, and God the Son. When we talk
about this, we are completely at a loss to understand, but that does not
mean it cannot be so. It only means that we can never fully understand God.
Yet it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the knowledge we need; the knowledge
that God loves us, wants to care for us, and save us from our sin.

Article 9. Of Regeneration

We believe that people must be regenerated, which simply means to be
renewed. Born again is a phrase that also works well here. Once we have
accepted Jesus as Saviour, we are regenerated and made new creatures in
Jesus Christ. We don't become new people, we just have new thoughts and a
new way of life.

Article 10. Of Faith and Repentance

We believe that Jesus is the one whom we must trust for salvation. It is by
the grace of God that this takes place. This saving faith is not enough
however. Along with it must come repentance, which means ”to turn around.”
We must turn our lives around and profess new obedience to God.

Article 11. Of Justification and Sonship

We believe that people are justified (made right with God) by faith, and
faith alone. It is through the work of Christ only that one is pardoned
from sin, and made right with God. Once we know and believe that we have
been made right with God, we will also know that we have become His
children, with all the perfect rights and privileges such a relationship
includes.

Article 12. Of Sanctification

We believe that those who are regenerated, and justified will grow to love
Christ, and even have His qualities, such as kindness and concern for
others. This is the result of being sanctified, which means to be made holy.

A holy, faithful life is the result, and God promises to help us grow in
this holiness so that we will share it with others by letting God's love be
shown through us.

Article 13. Of Prayer

We believe that prayer is an important part of our Christian life. In prayer
we come before God, not only for ourselves but also on behalf of others. We
come to give God glory, to thank Him for His goodness, confess our sins, and
to ask for forgiveness. True prayer comes about by the Holy Spirit, and
therefore we may sure that God will respond in a way that is best for us.

Article 14. The Law of God

We believe that we are to obey the ten commandments as found in the Old
Testament of the Bible. It is this law that the prophets spoke about, and
Jesus lived by this law perfectly. Every person in the world is responsible
for living according to the will of God, as specifically stated in these
commandments, for the good of all humanity.

Article 15. Of the Church

We believe that there is one catholic (universal) church, meaning one
church under the headship of Christ, found in every part of the world. We
should not think of a world church however, because the church of Jesus
Christ remains uniquely Christian. There are two things required for
membership. One is Baptism, and the other is Profession of faith.

The church does not exist just to be a social club, or just an organization
that helps others, although these are important things the church does.
There is a great deal of socializing, and a great deal of helping others.

The main work of the church is to administer the sacraments, and to preach
the Good News, so that the whole world may learn to know Jesus and come to
live in obedience to Him as Lord and Saviour.

Article 16. Of the Sacraments

We have two sacraments. The one is called baptism, and the other is the
Lord's Supper. A sacrament is a sign and seal of the covenant God made with
His people. There are several such covenants in the Bible. Jesus brought the
Old Testament church and the New Testament church together and made its
benefits available to everyone. When Jesus died on the cross, He ”sealed the
new covenant with His blood.”

Seals are often used to make certain documents official. This is what the
word seal means in this case..

The outward signs of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper are the bread and
wine, (or grape juice) which signify Christ’s broken body, and His poured
out blood at Calvary. For the sacrament of baptism it is water, which
signifies the washing away of sins. It is these sacraments that distinguish
the Christian faith from all others.

The Sacraments

1. Baptism with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit,
means that we become part of the people with whom God made the everlasting
covenant. God promises to be our God, and we promise obedience to Him. In
the United Church, babies may be baptized as well as adults. Parents who
feel that they are part of the ”covenant people” will want their child to be
a part as well. It is their responsibility to always help their child grow
in the Christian faith.

2. The Lord's Supper is the Sacrament of Communion of Jesus and His people.
Bread and wine are the outward signs of Christ's broken body and poured out
blood on the cross. People take the bread and wine (grape Juice) in thankful
remembrance of the sacrifice Jesus made for them on the cross. As a New
Testament Church, we look back to that sacrifice when we celebrate
communion. The Old Testament church looked forward to that sacrifice when
they made their sacrifices to God.

The United Church allows anyone to take communion, as long as a profession
of faith in Jesus is made, with the promise to live in obedience to Him.

Article 17. Of the Ministry

We believe that Jesus, as the only and Supreme Head of the church has
called, and appointed certain people to minister in His name under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit. These people, in whatever category of ministry
within the United Church of Canada, are to be ordained, commissioned, or
appointed to faithfully carry out the work of ministry.

Article 18. Of Church and Fellowship

We believe that there should be order and discipline in the church. Even
though there are those who might not live up to the standards of, or in
obedience to Christ, as they have promised in their profession of faith, we
should not remove ourselves from the Church, knowing that none of us are
very good at keeping our promises.

Article 19. Of the Resurrection, The Last Judgment, and the Future Life.

We believe that there will be a resurrection of all people, just as Christ
resurrected from the dead. It is on this day that the last judgment shall
take place. People who have refused to repent, will go away into eternal
punishment, while those who have been obedient to God's ways, and believed
in Jesus will have eternal life.

Article 20. Of Christian Service and the Eternal Triumph

We believe that we as Christians must live as examples to all people by
doing good, and living a Christian life. That way all people will know that
we love God, and are willing to live in obedience to Him. This includes
doing evangelism, maintaining public worship on Sundays, preserving the
sanctity of marriage and family, and to obey the civil law. We joyfully want
to share the word of Christ with others all over the world, making people
aware of the love God has for them by offering them the Good News of
salvation through Jesus Christ. We believe that in the end, God will be the
only ruler of all the kingdoms in the world, and that all kingdoms will
become one Kingdom of our God, and His Christ.

Return to Table of Contents

.