Delta Fellowship Church
Creed and Confession
Home
Ministries
Values
Staff
Calendar
Sermons
Photo Gallery

Nicene Creed

 

  I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;

     And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

     And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord, and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets.  And I believe one holy Catholic[1] and Apostolic Church; I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.[2]


[1] The word "catholic" refers not to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[2] The Nicene Creed - This creed was first formulated at the First Ecumenical Council, held at Nicea, located in what is now Turkey, in 325, as a response to the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ.  It was revised at the Second Ecumenical Council, held at Constantinople in 381 as a response to the Macedonian or Pneumatomachian heresy, which denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit.  The Western church later made a few additional changes which were not accepted in the Eastern church.  The Western version is given here, but the differences between the versions are not shown.  It states the doctrine of the Trinity.

     The sources are the Institute for Christian Leadership website with a link to a page on the Apologia website and minor references to Volume I of Philip Schaff's The Creeds of Christendom and The Reformed Confessions as Adopted by the Reformed Church in the U.S.

 

Confession of Faith
 

We Believe:

The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life.

In the Holy Trinity. There is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

That Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  Through His perfect life and sacrificial death he atoned for the sins of all who will trust in Him, alone, for salvation. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate.

That the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service.

That man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost, and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.

That the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection provides the only ground for salvation for all who believe. Salvation, which is our justification, sanctification and glorification, is by God alone as He sovereignly chooses those He will save. We believe His choice is based on His grace, not on any human individual merit. .

That water baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation.

That God is gracious and faithful to His people not simply as individuals but as families in successive generations according to His Covenant promises.

That Jesus Christ is the Lord and Head of the Church and that every local church has the right, under Christ, to decide and govern its own affairs.

That Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind and to receive His people to Himself. and that this "Blessed Hope" has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.

In the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment.

 

That all aspects of our lives are to be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

 

That although we do not hold to them in every detail, the historic Protestant confessions (Westminster, Belgic, and 1689 London Baptist ) and catechisms (Heidelberg, Larger, and Shorter) accurately reflect Biblical Christianity and serve as resources in guiding the faith, teaching and practice of the church.

Delta Fellowship Church 276 Richmond Hill, West Helena, AR 72390
phone: 870.572.1120
fax: 870.572.1102