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Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article XIII
Article XIII. Of Works before Justification. WORKS done before the Grace of Christ, and the inspiration of His Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ; neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the school-authors say) deserve grace of congruity; yea, rather,…
Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article XII
Article XII. Of Good Works. ALBEIT that good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God’s judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith; insomuch that…
Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article XI (Part 2)
Section II. — Scriptural Proof. I. SENSE of the word Justification. The word which we render just or righteous (namely, δίκαιος, or in the Hebrew צַדִּיק) has two principal significations: the one popular, the other accurate. In its popular signification, it is nearly equivalent to good, holy, pious, (ἄγαθος, εὐσεβὴς, חָסִיד); and is used commonly…
Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article XI (Part 1)
Article XI. Of the Justification of Man. WE are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works or deservings: Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more…
Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article X
Article X. Of Free Will. THE condition of man, after the fall of Adam, is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works to faith, and calling upon God; wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace…
Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article IX
Article IX. Of Original, Or Birth-Sin. ORIGINAL Sin standeth not in the following of Adam (as the Pelagians do vainly talk), but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is…
Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article VIII
Article VIII. Of the Three Creeds. THE Three Creeds, Nicene Creed, Athanasius’ Creed, and that which is commonly called the Apostles’ Creed, ought thoroughly to be received and believed: for they may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture. De Tribus Symbolis. SYMBOLA tria, Nicenum, Athanasii, et quod vulgo Apostolorum appellatur, omnino…
Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article VII
Article VII. Of the Old Testament. THE old Testament is not contrary to the new; for both in the old and new Testament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man, being both God and man. Wherefore they are not to be heard, which feign…
Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article VI (Part 3)
Section III. — On the Real Value of Tradition, and the Reading of the Apocrypha. I. THE Church of England then holds, in conformity with the Church of old, that Scripture is absolutely perfect in relation to the end to which it tends, namely, the teaching us all things necessary to salvation. She denies the…
Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article VI (Part 2)
Section II. — On the Canon of Scripture.[1] AS Scripture is determined by our Church to be the final appeal and only infallible authority concerning matters of faith and practice, it becomes next a subject of the deepest importance to determine, what is Scripture, and what is not. And, as this subject is so important,…