# The URCNA's 9 Points re the FV



## R. Scott Clark (Jul 13, 2007)

We report, you decide. Fair and Balanced:

Synod affirms that the Scriptures and confessions teach the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone and that nothing that is taught under the rubric of covenant theology in our churches may contradict this fundamental doctrine. Therefore Synod rejects the errors of those:

1. who deny or modify the teaching that “God created man good and after His own image, that is, in true righteousness and holiness,” able to perform “the commandment of life” as the representative of mankind (HC 6, 9; BC 14);

2. who, in any way and for any reason, confuse the “commandment of life” given before the fall with the gospel announced after the fall (BC 14, 17, 18; HC 19, 21, 56, 60);

3. who confuse the ground and instrument of acceptance with God before the fall (obedience to the commandment of life) with the ground (Christ who kept the commandment of life) and instrument (faith in Christ) of acceptance with God after the fall;

4. who deny that Christ earned acceptance with God and that all His merits have been imputed to believers (BC 19, 20, 22, 26; HC 11-19, 21, 36-37, 60, 84; CD I.7, RE I.3, RE II.1);

5. who teach that a person can be historically, conditionally elect, regenerated, savingly united to Christ, justified, and adopted by virtue of participation in the outward administration of the covenant of grace but may lose these benefits through lack of covenantal faithfulness (CD, I, V);

6. who teach that all baptized persons are in the covenant of grace in precisely the same way such that there is no distinction between those who have only an outward relation to the covenant of grace by baptism and those who are united to Christ by grace alone through faith alone (HC 21, 60; BC 29);

7. who teach that Spirit-wrought sanctity, human works, or cooperation with grace is any part either of the ground of our righteousness before God or any part of faith, that is, the “instrument by which we embrace Christ, our righteousness” (BC 22-24; HC 21, 60, 86);

8. who define faith, in the act of justification, as being anything more than “leaning and resting on the sole obedience of Christ crucified” or “a certain knowledge” of and “a hearty trust” in Christ and His obedience and death for the elect (BC 23; HC 21);

9. who teach that there is a separate and final justification grounded partly upon righteousness or sanctity inherent in the Christian (HC 52; BC 37).


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## R. Scott Clark (Jul 13, 2007)

*Synod Also Said:*

Affirmed “that the Scriptures and confessions … teach the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, based upon the active and passive obedience of Christ alone.”

Affirmed “that the Scriptures and confessions teach that faith is the sole instrument of our justification apart from all works.”

Determined to “remind & encourage individuals and churches that, if there are office-bearers suspected of deviating from or obscuring the doctrine of salvation as summarized in our confessions, they are obligated to follow the procedure prescribed in Church Order Art. 29, 52, 55, 61, and 62 for addressing theological error.”


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## toddpedlar (Jul 13, 2007)

Thanks for posting these... seems there is little room at all for the likes of John Barach and company. Do you think there will be sufficient courage and zeal for the truth that he and others of like mind will be brought up on charges of teaching error?


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## R. Scott Clark (Jul 13, 2007)

We can pray and hope.

rsc


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## Poimen (Jul 13, 2007)

toddpedlar said:


> Thanks for posting these... seems there is little room at all for the likes of John Barach and company. Do you think there will be sufficient courage and zeal for the truth that he and others of like mind will be brought up on charges of teaching error?



I think this post is assuming that John is still among the URCs? In which case the assumption is incorrect since John is now in the CREC.


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## toddpedlar (Jul 14, 2007)

Poimen said:


> I think this post is assuming that John is still among the URCs? In which case the assumption is incorrect since John is now in the CREC.



You're correct... I wasn't aware he had moved on to his rightful home with the other "covenantally-faithful".


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