3.
Our Mission
The mission for Institute for Christian Counseling of Virginia
Christian University is to provide Christian Counseling to help
pastors, churches, and individuals reach their abundant life
as a christian in Jesus Christ; to reduce christian's stress
and conflicts: to remove their guilty feelings by God's Love
and charity: to understand clients and love each others with
Jesus Christ's love: to promote spiritual growth in churches
and their whole life, thereby leading Christians to maturity
like Jesus Christ's personality and to the Kingdom of God together.
For those goals we use the Bible for our Text and accept any
useful theories of psychology and other studies which doesn't
against the Truth of God.
4.
Statement of faith
We
believe that the Bible is God's inspired Word. We believe in
the triune living God and true God existing eternally as three
persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God eternal and equal
with God the Father. Human beings were created in the image
of God, but became sinners by nature and deed, and therefore
hopelessly lost. Salvation, restoration to membership in God's
family, is by grace through faith alone for those who trust
in the saving work of Christ at the Cross.
5.
Core Values
We
are committed to addressing the holistic development of our
clients, physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual. We wholeheartedly
believe and commit to our Statement of Faith. All counseling
theory and techniques utilized will be consistent with our Statement
of Faith:
(1) We are committed to demonstrating respect for all clients.
(2) We are committed to being a counseling resource for local
churches.
(3) We are committed to benefiting our local community.
(4) We are committed to making every attempt to be affordable
to clients in need.
(5) We are committed to ensuring that all clients are afforded
the right to a counselor with whom they have no other ongoing
relationship, and who is competent to treat their issues.
(6) We are committed to ongoing personal, professional, and
organizational growth (physically, emotionally, cognitively,
and spiritually).
6. Research Field
1) Counseling theoretical model
- study and develop our own model in counseling theory based
on the Bible and Jesus Christ's counseling characters, principles
in His physical lifetime. Study counseling cases in Bible and
extract principles of Biblical counseling theory. Research Jesus
Christ's counseling model.
2)
Personal counseling research and practice -
With our counseling theoretical model which was developed with
us personal counseling should be processed in most cases. And
all cases should be recorded and reviewed by counselors in our
institute. All cases should be analysed with scientific tools
and references. We try to find out the best way let them know
Jesus Christ's salvation and peace of Him in their soul and
spirit.
3)
Group Counseling - Same with personal counseling,
same issue group counseling or same sex group counseling, drinking
group, smoking group etc. are available for the group counseling
research. We try to new approach method and find out best method
which is adequate for christian's conflicts and the principle
of Bible.
4)
Youth Counseling - Understanding youth's unique
characters and their conflict which is come from developmental
task, how they could be reach to the Love of Jesus Christ. how
they could be accept Gospel of God. Control their immature conflict
are all issues of Youth Counseling division. Led them to prepare
leadership for christian life and discipline of Jesus Christ
for all nations.
5)
Online Counseling - We provide 2 kinds online
counseling method. One is by phone, another is internet web-site.
The line should be open anytime for emergency rescue. All recording
should be used for research. All informations and data to develop
best principles and technique for the practice of christian
counseling.
6)
Research for Counseling related studies - Research
for counseling related studies must be develop by christian
counseling researchers. To understand individuals spirit and
soul, to understand their thought and conflict our researcher
must involve the division of psychology, sociology, philosophy,
anthropology and other studies. To establish our thoughts and
mind right way to God we must set-up our point of sight with
Bible, so researching about related studies are followed for
christian counseling.
7)
Organizational works with co-operational organization.
We cooperate and work with My Good Shepherd, American Association
of Pastoral Counseling, Korean Association of Christian counseling,
American Psychological Association etc.
3.
The Institute for
Reformed Theology- top
1.
Administrative Official of IRT
Executive Director: Dr Kang, Woong-Joe
Director: Dr Rhee, Thomas
Staffs: Rev. Chang, Min-Wook. Kwon,
Dae-Sup.
2. Researcher and Adviser
Researcher: Dr Chang, Kook-Won.
Dr Chung, Seung-Ho. Dr Lee,Sun-Il.
Dr Chang, Suk-Jin. Rev. Chung, Chung-Woong.
Dr Paul S.Yang. Hwang,Hi-Young.
Advisory Committee or Institutes:
Korean Association for Creation Reseach (www.kacr.or.kr)
Washinton Association for Creation Reseach (www.ark353.com)
T:(703) 927-5116. 3809 Sand Wood Ct Fairfax. VA 22031.
Institution for Creation Reseach (www.icr.org).888-337-0375.
10946 Woodside Ave. North. Santee. CA 92071.
Henry M. Morris Center;(888-337-0375).
3.
Mission(goal) of the Institute.
The
Mission of the Institute is to model thoughtful conversation
concerning conservative reformed theology using the resources
of the Reformed Theology or Calvinism for glory of God. The
Institute of VCU has committed itself and its resources to supporting
the growth of these conversations in the congregations and governing
bodies of Reformed churches around the world in our Lord Christ.
Our goal is to support reformed theology and conversation that
enhance eangelist and pastor of the church of The Lord in Jesus
Christ.
Our Institute is dedicated to providing biblically sound online
resources for the edification of God's people. The Institute
is committed to the system of doctrine known as Calvinism, which
we see to be the most biblically faithful systematization of
the Bible's teachings. This Institute of VCU is a Reformed Christian
committed to a strict subscriptionist view of the Westminster
Standards Confesion of Faith).
4.
Research Field
(1) Systematic Theology
(2) Church History
(3) Biblical Theology(OT, NT)
(4) Creation Reseach in Scriture
5.
Site Name or Institutes for Reformed Theology
(1)
Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics( www.reformed.org)...The
Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics (CRTA) is dedicated
to providing biblically sound online resources for the edification
of God's people.
(2) Reformed Institute of Metropolitan
Washington (www.reformedinstitute.org)... The
Reformed Institute of Metropolitan Washington is a consortium
of seven Presbyterian churches in the Maryland, Northern Virginia,
and Washington, DC area. Their purpose is to promote understanding
and appreciation of the Reformed tradition among Presbyterians
living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Po. Box. 1928. Alexandria, VA 22313. Tell(703)518-5125.
(3)
World Alliance of Reformed Churches(WARC. www.warc.jaib.de))....
WARC is a fellowship of churches with roots in the 16th-century
Reformation led by John Calvin, John Knox, Ulrich Zwingli and
many others, and the earlier reforming movements of Jan Hus
and Peter Valdes. The Alliance is an interdependent network
of people and churches working and worshipping together with
faith in God's promise always to be with his creation.
(4)
The Calvin Institute for Christian Worship(www.calvin.edu/worship)...
The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (associated with Calvin
College of Grand Rapids, MI) aims to promote the scholarly study
of the theology, history, and practice of Christian worship
and the renewal of worship in local congregations.
1855 Knollcrest Circle SE Grand Rapid. MI 49546. Tell.(616)526-6088.
(5)
The International Reformed Theology Institute...(IRTI)
The International Reformed Theological Institute is a network
of scholars involved in Reformed theology in order to promote
common research, mutual support and exchange of ideas. Inspired
by our Reformed background, we focus on living theology in order
to sustain the development of a viable expression of Christian
faith in word and action. They also publish, through Brill Academic
Publisher, The Journal of Reformed Theology (http://www.brill.nl/jrt)
and the book series, Studies in Reformed Theology (http://www.brill.nl/srt).
(6) The H. Henry Meeter Center
for Calvin Studies... The H. Henry Meeter Center
for Calvin Studies is a research center specializing in John
Calvin and Calvinism, located at Calvin College and Calvin Theological
Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The goal for the book collection is to acquire everything written
by and about John Calvin in all extant editions, in addition
to works by and about other reformers close to Calvin.
The Meeter Center rare book room contains one of the largest
collections of sixteenth-century imprints of the works in North
America of Calvin and other reformers. The Center also houses
the Calvin Article File (nearly 17,000 articles) and a microform
collection of sixteenth-century imprints of Protestant and Catholic
authors.
(7)
The Calvin Studies Society(www.calvinstudiessociety.org)....
The primary purpose of the Calvin Studies Society is to engage
in and promote the study of the thought, life, and times of
John Calvin. The Society also focuses on other figures and subjects
related to the Reformed movement of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries.
David Foxgrover.
685 N. Van Nortwick. Batavia.IL. 60510. (Tell) 630-406-0182.
Fax.630-879-0187.
6. The Five Points of Calvinism(Reformed
Theology)
1)
This system of theology was reaffirmed by the Synod of Dordt
in 1619 as the doctrine of salvation contained in the Holy Scriptures.
The system was at that time formulated into "five points"
in answer to the unscriptural five points submitted by the Arminians
to the Church of Holland in 1610.
2)
According to Calvinism: Salvation is accomplished by the almighty
power of the triune God. The Father chose a people, the God
the Son died for them, God the Holy Spirit makes Christ's death
effective by bringing the elect to faith and repentance, thereby
causing them to willingly obey the Gospel. The entire process
(election, redemption, regeneration) is the work of God and
is by grace alone. Thus God, not man, determines who will be
the recipients of the gift of salvation.
3)
The Five Points of Calvinism are easily remembered by the acrostic
TULIP
(1)
T-Total Depravity (Total Inability) of Man.
Total Depravity is probably the most misunderstood tenet of
Calvinism. When Calvinists speak of humans as "totally
depraved," they are making an extensive, rather than an
intensive statement. The effect of the fall upon man is that
sin has extended to every part of his personality -- his thinking,
his emotions, and his will. Not necessarily that he is intensely
sinful, but that sin has extended to his entire being.
The unregenerate (unsaved) man is dead in his sins (Romans 5:12).
Without the power of the Holy Spirit, the natural man is blind
and deaf to the message of the gospel (Mark 4:11f). This is
why Total Depravity has also been called "Total Inability."
The man without a knowledge of God will never come to this knowledge
without God's making him alive through Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5).
(2)
U-Unconditional Election of God the Father.
Unconditional Election is the doctrine which states that God
chose those whom he was pleased to bring to a knowledge of himself,
not based upon any merit shown by the object of his grace and
not based upon his looking forward to discover who would "accept"
the offer of the gospel. God has elected, based solely upon
the counsel of his own will, some for glory and others for damnation
(Romans 9:15,21). He has done this act before the foundations
of the world (Ephesians 1:4-8).
This doctrine does not rule out, however, man's responsibility
to believe in the redeeming work of God the Son (John 3:16-18).
Scripture presents a tension between God's sovereignty in salvation,
and man's responsibility to believe which it does not try to
resolve. Both are true -- to deny man's responsibility is to
affirm an unbiblical hyper-calvinism; to deny God's sovereignty
is to affirm an unbiblical Arminianism.
The elect are saved unto good works (Ephesians 2:10). Thus,
though good works will never bridge the gulf between man and
God that was formed in the Fall, good works are a result of
God's saving grace. This is what Peter means when he admonishes
the Christian reader to make his "calling" and "election"
sure (2 Peter 1:10). Bearing the fruit of good works is an indication
that God has sown seeds of grace in fertile soil.
(3)
L- Limited Atonement (Particular Redemption) of God the Son.
Limited Atonement is a doctrine offered in answer to the question,
"for whose sins did Christ atone?" The Bible teaches
that Christ died for those whom God gave him to save (John 17:9).
Christ died, indeed, for many people, but not all (Matthew 26:28).
Specifically, Christ died for the invisible Church -- the sum
total of all those who would ever rightly bear the name "Christian"
(Ephesians 5:25).
This doctrine often finds many objections, mostly from those
who think that Limited Atonement does damage to evangelism.
We have already seen that Christ will not lose any that the
father has given to him (John 6:37). Christ's death was not
a death of potential atonement for all people. Believing that
Jesus' death was a potential, symbolic atonement for anyone
who might possibly, in the future, accept him trivializes Christ's
act of atonement. Christ died to atone for specific sins of
specific sinners. Christ died to make holy the church. He did
not atone for all men, because obviously all men are not saved.
Evangelism is actually lifted up in this doctrine, for the evangelist
may tell his congregation that Christ died for sinners, and
that he will not lose any of those for whom he died!
(4)
I- Irresistible Grace of the Holy Spirit.
The result of God's Irresistible Grace is the certain response
by the elect to the inward call of God the Holy Spirit, when
the outward call is given by the evangelist or minister of the
Word of God. Christ, himself, teaches that all whom God has
elected will come to a knowledge of him (John 6:37).
Men come to Christ in salvation when the Father calls them (John
6:44), and the very Spirit of God leads God's beloved to repentance
(Romans 8:14). What a comfort it is to know that the gospel
of Christ will penetrate our hard, sinful hearts and wondrously
save us through the gracious inward call of the Holy Spirit
(I Peter 5:10)!
(5) P-Perseverance of the Saints
Perseverance of the Saints is a doctrine which states that the
saints (those whom God has saved) will remain in God's hand
until they are glorified and brought to abide with him in heaven.
Romans 8:28-39 makes it clear that when a person truly has been
regenerated by God, he will remain in God's stead.
The work of sanctification which God has brought about in his
elect will continue until it reaches its fulfillment in eternal
life (Phil. 1:6). Christ assures the elect that he will not
lose them and that they will be glorified at the "last
day" (John 6:39). The Calvinist stands upon the Word of
God and trusts in Christ's promise that he will perfectly fulfill
the will of the Father in saving all the elect.
This description of the Five Points of Calvinism was written
by Jonathan Barlow who acknowledges that not all those bearing
the name "Calvinist" would agree with every jot and
tittle of this document.
7.
Historic Church Documents
1) Creeds
(1) The Apostles' Creed...The
basic creed of Reformed churches, as most familiarly known,
is called the Apostles' Creed. It has received this title because
of its great antiquity; it dates from very early times in the
Church, a half century or so from the last writings of the New
Testament;
"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of
heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived
of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell. [See Calvin] The third day He arose
again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the
right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy *catholic church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection
of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
(2)
The 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 the 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 Spirit 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 sits
on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with
glory, to judge 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 proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father
and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke
by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic 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. Amen. Whosoever
will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold
the catholic faith;Which faith except every one do keep whole
and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
(3)
The Athanasian Creed.
And the catholic faith is this: That we
worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding
the persons, nor dividing the substance. For there is one Person
of the Father, another of the Son and another of the Holy Spirit.
But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son and such is the Holy
Spirit. The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy
Spirit uncreate. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible,
and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible. The Father eternal, the
Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet they are not
three eternals, but one eternal. As also there are not three
uncreated nor three incomprehensibles, but one uncreated and
one incomprehensible.
So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the
Holy Spirit almighty; And yet they are not three almighties,
but one almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is
God; And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit
Lord; And yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord.
For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge
every person by himself to be God and Lord; so are we forbidden
by the catholic religion to say: There are three Gods or three
Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made,
nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three
Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
And in this Trinity none is afore, nor after another; none is
greater, or less than another. But the whole three persons are
co-eternal, and co-equal. So that in all things, as aforesaid,
the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he
also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man. God of the
substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and made
of the substance of His mother, born in the world. Perfect God
and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to
the Father as touching His manhood. Who, although He is God
and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ. One, not by conversion
of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of the manhood into
God. One altogether, not by the confusion of substance, but
by unity of person.
For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and
man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation, descended
into hell, rose again the third day from the dead; He ascended
into heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God
Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the living and
the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their
bodies; And shall give account of their own works. And they
that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they
that have done evil into everlasting fire.
This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully,
he cannot be saved.
(4) The Definition of Chalcedon
Therefore, following the holy fathers,
we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the
same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead
and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting
also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the
Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance
with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart
from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before
the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men
and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one
and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in
two natures, without confusion, without change, without division,
without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way
annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each
nature being preserved and coming together to form one person
and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons,
but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord
Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke
of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the
creed of the fathers has handed down to us.
(5)
The Anathemas of the Second Council of Constantinople (553 A.D.)
The Second Council of Constantinople was called to resolve certain
questions that were raised by the Definition of Chalcedon ,
the most important of which had to do with the unity of the
two natures, God and man, is Jesus Christ. The Second Council
of Constantinople confirmed the Definition of Chalcedon, while
emphasizing that Jesus Christ does not just embody God the Son,
He is God the Son.
1. If anyone does not confess that the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit are one nature or essence, one power or authority,
worshipped as a trinity of the same essence, one deity in three
hypostases or persons, let him be anathema. For there is one
God and Father, of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom are all things, and one Holy Spirit, in whom are
all things.
2.
If anyone does not confess that God the Word was twice begotten,
the first before all time from the Father, non-temporal and
bodiless, the other in the last days when he came down from
the heavens and was incarnate by the holy, glorious, God-bearer,
ever-virgin Mary, and born of her, let him be anathema.
3. If anyone says that God the Word who performed miracles is
one and Christ who suffered is another, or says that God the
Word was together with Christ who came from woman, or that the
Word was in him as one person is in another, but is not one
and the same, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, incarnate
and become human, and that the wonders and the suffering which
he voluntarily endured in flesh were not of the same person,
let him be anathema.
4.
If anyone says that the union of the Word of God with man was
only according to grace or function or dignity or equality of
honor or authority or relation or effect or power or according
to his good pleasure, as though God the Word was pleased with
man, or approved of him, as the raving Theodosius says; or that
the union exists according to similarity of name, by which the
Nestorians call God the Word Jesus and Christ, designating the
man separately as Christ and as Son, speaking thus clearly of
two persons, but when it comes to his honor, dignity, and worship,
pretend to say that there is one person, one Son and one Christ,
by a single designation; and if he does not acknowledge, as
the holy Fathers have taught, that the union of God is made
with the flesh animated by a reasonable and intelligent soul,
and that such union is according to synthesis or hypostasis,
and that therefore there is only one person, the Lord Jesus
Christ one of the holy Trinity -- let him be anathema.
As the word "union" has many meanings, the followers
of the impiety of Apollinaris and Eutyches, assuming the disappearance
of the natures, affirm a union by confusion. On the other hand
the followers of Theodore and of Nestorius rejoicing in the
division of the natures, introduce only a union of relation.
But the holy Church of God, rejecting equally the impiety of
both heresies, recognizes the union of God the Word with the
flesh according to synthesis, that is according to hypostasis.
For in the mystery of Christ the union according to synthesis
preserves the two natures which have combined without confusion
and without separation.
5. If anyone understands the expression -- one hypostasis of
our Lord Jesus Christ -- so that it means the union of many
hypostases, and if he attempts thus to introduce into the mystery
of Christ two hypostases, or two persons, and, after having
introduced two persons, speaks of one person according to dignity,
honor or worship, as Theodore and Nestorius insanely have written;
and if anyone slanders the holy synod of Chalcedon, as though
it had used this expression in this impious sense, and does
not confess that the Word of God is united with the flesh hypostatically,
and that therefore there is but one hypostasis or one person,
and that the holy synod of Chalcedon has professed in this sense
the one hypostasis of our Lord Jesus Christ; let him be anathema.
For the Holy Trinity, when God the Word was incarnate, was not
increased by the addition of a person or hypostasis.
6.
If anyone says that the holy, glorious, and ever-virgin Mary
[Note: The claim that Mary is "ever-virgin" is Roman
Catholic folklore. (Jonathan Barlow)] is called God-bearer by
misuse of language and not truly, or by analogy, believing that
only a mere man was born of her and that God the Word was not
incarnate of her, but that the incarnation of God the Word resulted
only from the fact that he united himself to that man who was
born of her; if anyone slanders the Holy Synod of Chalcedon
as though it had asserted the Virgin to be God-bearer according
to the impious sense of Theodore; or if anyone shall call her
manbearer or Christbearer, as if Christ were not God, and shall
not confess that she is truly God-bearer, because God the Word
who before all time was begotten of the Father was in these
last days incarnate of her, and if anyone shall not confess
that in this pious sense the holy Synod of Chalcedon confessed
her to be God-bearer: let him be anathema.
7.
If anyone using the expression, "in two natures,"
does not confess that our one Lord Jesus Christ is made known
in the deity and in the manhood, in order to indicate by that
expression a difference of the natures of which the ineffable
union took place without confusion, a union in which neither
the nature of the Word has changed into that of the flesh, nor
that of the flesh into that of the Word (for each remained what
it was by nature, even when the union by hypostasis had taken
place); but shall take the expression with regard to the mystery
of Christ in a sense so as to divide the parties, let him be
anathema. Or if anyone recognizing the number of natures in
the same our one Lord Jesus Christ, God the Word incarnate,
does not take in contemplation only the difference of the natures
which compose him, which difference is not destroyed by the
union between them -- for one is composed of the two and the
two are in one -- but shall make use of the number two to divide
the natures or to make of them persons properly so called, let
him be anathema.
8.
If anyone confesses that the union took place out of two natures
or speaks of the one incarnate nature of God the Word and does
not understand those expressions as the holy Fathers have taught,
that out of the divine and human natures, when union by hypostasis
took place, one Christ was formed; but from these expressions
tries to introduce one nature or essence of the Godhead and
manhood of Christ; let him be anathema. For in saying that the
only-begotten Word was united by hypostasis personally we do
not mean that there was a mutual confusion of natures, but rather
we understand that the Word was united to the flesh, each nature
remaining what it was. Therefore there is one Christ, God and
man, of the same essence with the Father as touching his Godhead,
and of the same essence with us as touching his manhood. Therefore
the Church of God equally rejects and anathematizes those who
divide or cut apart or who introduce confusion into the mystery
of the divine dispensation of Christ.
9.
If anyone says that Christ ought to be worshipped in his two
natures, in the sense that he introduces two adorations, the
one peculiar to God the Word and the other peculiar to the man;
or if anyone by destroying the flesh, or by confusing the Godhead
and the humanity, or by contriving one nature or essence of
those which were united and so worships Christ, and does not
with one adoration worship God the Word incarnate with his own
flesh, as the Church of God has received from the beginning;
let him be anathema.
10.
If anyone does not confess that our Lord Jesus Christ who was
crucified in the flesh is true God and the Lord of Glory and
one of the Holy Trinity; let him be anathema.
11.
If anyone does not anathematize Arius, Eunomius, Macedonius,
Apollinaris, Nestorius, Eutyches and Origen, together with their
impious, godless writings, and all the other heretics already
condemned and anathematized by the holy catholic and apostolic
Church, and by the aforementioned four Holy Synods and all those
who have held and hold or who in their godlessness persist in
holding to the end the same opinion as those heretics just mentioned;
let him be anathema.
2) Confessions
(1)
The Canons of Dordt (1618 A.D.)
The
Decision of the Synod of Dordt on the Five Main Points of Doctrine
in Dispute in the Netherlands is popularly known as the Canons
of Dordt. It consists of statements of doctrine adopted by the
great Synod of Dordt which met in the city of Dordrecht in 1618-19.
Although this was a national synod of the Reformed churches
of the Netherlands, it had an international character, since
it was composed not only of Dutch delegates but also of twenty-six
delegates from eight foreign countries.
The Synod of Dordt was held in order to settle a serious controversy
in the Dutch churches initiated by the rise of Arminianism.
Jacob Arminius, a theological professor at Leiden University,
questioned the teaching of Calvin and his followers on a number
of important points. After Arminius's death, his own followers
presented their views on five of these points in the Remonstrance
of 1610. In this document or in later more explicit writings,
the Arminians taught election based on foreseen faith, universal
atonement, partial depravity, resistible grace, and the possibility
of a lapse from grace. In the Canons the Synod of Dordt rejected
these views and set forth the Reformed doctrine on these points,
namely, unconditional election, limited atonement, total depravity,
irresistible grace, and the perseverance of saints.
The Canons have a special character because of their original
purpose as a judicial decision on the doctrinal points in dispute
during the Arminian controversy. The original preface called
them a "judgment, in which both the true view, agreeing
with God's Word, concerning the aforesaid five points of doctrine
is explained, and the false view, disagreeing with God's Word,
is rejected." The Canons also have a limited character
in that they do not cover the whole range of doctrine, but focus
on the five points of doctrine in dispute.
Each
of the main points consists of a positive and a negative part,
the former being an exposition of the Reformed doctrine on the
subject, the latter a repudiation of the corresponding errors.
Each of the errors being rejected is shown in bold maroon type.
Although in form there are only four points, we speak properly
of five points, because the Canons were structured to correspond
to the five articles of the 1610 Remonstrance. Main Points 3
and 4 were combined into one, always designated as Main Point
III/IV.
The
First Main Point of Doctrine, Divine Election and Reprobation,
The Judgment Concerning Divine Predestination Which the Synod
Declares to Be in Agreement with the Word of God and Accepted
Till Now in the Reformed Churches, Set Forth in Several Articles
Article
1: God's Right to Condemn All People...Since all people have
sinned in Adam and have come under the sentence of the curse
and eternal death, God would have done no one an injustice if
it had been his will to leave the entire human race in sin and
under the curse, and to condemn them on account of their sin.
As the apostle says: The whole world is liable to the condemnation
of God (Rom. 3:19), All have sinned and are deprived of the
glory of God (Rom. 3:23), and The wages of sin is death (Rom.
6:23).*
Article
2: The Manifestation of God's Love...But this is how God showed
his love: he sent his only begotten Son into the world, so that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Article
3: The Preaching of the Gospel...In order that people may be
brought to faith, God mercifully sends proclaimers of this very
joyful message to the people he wishes and at the time he wishes.
By this ministry people are called to repentance and faith in
Christ crucified. For how shall they believe in him of whom
they have not heard? And how shall they hear without someone
preaching? And how shall they preach unless they have been sent?
(Rom. 10:14-15).
Article
4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel...God's anger remains on
those who do not believe this gospel. But those who do accept
it and embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith
are delivered through him from God's anger and from destruction,
and receive the gift of eternal life.
Article
5: The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith...The cause or blame
for this unbelief, as well as for all other sins, is not at
all in God, but in man. Faith in Jesus Christ, however, and
salvation through him is a free gift of God. As Scripture says,
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this
not from yourselves; it is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). Likewise:
It has been freely given to you to believe in Christ (Phil.
1:29).
Article
6: God's Eternal Decision...The fact that some receive from
God the gift of faith within time, and that others do not, stems
from his eternal decision. For all his works are known to God
from eternity (Acts 15:18; Eph. 1:11). In accordance with this
decision he graciously softens the hearts, however hard, of
his chosen ones and inclines them to believe, but by his just
judgment he leaves in their wickedness and hardness of heart
those who have not been chosen. And in this especially is disclosed
to us his act--unfathomable, and as merciful as it is just--of
distinguishing between people equally lost. This is the well-known
decision of election and reprobation revealed in God's Word.
This decision the wicked, impure, and unstable distort to their
own ruin, but it provides holy and godly souls with comfort
beyond words.
Article
7: Election...Election [or choosing] is God's unchangeable purpose
by which he did the following....Before the foundation of the
world, by sheer grace, according to the free good pleasure of
his will, he chose in Christ to salvation a definite number
of particular people out of the entire human race, which had
fallen by its own fault from its original innocence into sin
and ruin. Those chosen were neither better nor more deserving
than the others, but lay with them in the common misery. He
did this in Christ, whom he also appointed from eternity to
be the mediator, the head of all those chosen, and the foundation
of their salvation. And so he decided to give the chosen ones
to Christ to be saved, and to call and draw them effectively
into Christ's fellowship through his Word and Spirit. In other
words, he decided to grant them true faith in Christ, to justify
them, to sanctify them, and finally, after powerfully preserving
them in the fellowship of his Son, to glorify them.
God did all this in order to demonstrate his mercy, to the praise
of the riches of his glorious grace. As Scripture says, God
chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world, so that
we should be holy and blameless before him with love; he predestined
us whom he adopted as his children through Jesus Christ, in
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the
praise of his glorious grace, by which he freely made us pleasing
to himself in his beloved (Eph. 1:4-6). And elsewhere, Those
whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called,
he also justified; and those whom he justified, he also glorified
(Rom. 8:30).
Article
8: A Single Decision of Election....This election is not of
many kinds; it is one and the same election for all who were
to be saved in the Old and the New Testament. For Scripture
declares that there is a single good pleasure, purpose, and
plan of God's will, by which he chose us from eternity both
to grace and to glory, both to salvation and to the way of salvation,
which he prepared in advance for us to walk in.
Article
9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith...This same election
took place, not on the basis of foreseen faith, of the obedience
of faith, of holiness, or of any other good quality and disposition,
as though it were based on a prerequisite cause or condition
in the person to be chosen, but rather for the purpose of faith,
of the obedience of faith, of holiness, and so on. Accordingly,
election is the source of each of the benefits of salvation.
Faith, holiness, and the other saving gifts, and at last eternal
life itself, flow forth from election as its fruits and effects.
As the apostle says, He chose us (not because we were, but)
so that we should be holy and blameless before him in love (Eph.
1:4).
Article
10: Election Based on God's Good Pleasure...But the cause of
this undeserved election is exclusively the good pleasure of
God. This does not involve his choosing certain human qualities
or actions from among all those possible as a condition of salvation,
but rather involves his adopting certain particular persons
from among the common mass of sinners as his own possession.
As Scripture says, When the children were not yet born, and
had done nothing either good or bad..., she (Rebecca) was told,
"The older will serve the younger." As it is written,
"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated" (Rom. 9:11-13).
Also, All who were appointed for eternal life believed (Acts
13:48).
Article
11: Election Unchangeable...Just as God himself is most wise,
unchangeable, all-knowing, and almighty, so the election made
by him can neither be suspended nor altered, revoked, or annulled;
neither can his chosen ones be cast off, nor their number reduced.
Article
12: The Assurance of Election....Assurance of this their eternal
and unchangeable election to salvation is given to the chosen
in due time, though by various stages and in differing measure.
Such assurance comes not by inquisitive searching into the hidden
and deep things of God, but by noticing within themselves, with
spiritual joy and holy delight, the unmistakable fruits of election
pointed out in God's Word-- such as a true faith in Christ,
a childlike fear of God, a godly sorrow for their sins, a hunger
and thirst for righteousness, and so on.
Article
13: The Fruit of This Assurance...In their awareness and assurance
of this election God's children daily find greater cause to
humble themselves before God, to adore the fathomless depth
of his mercies, to cleanse themselves, and to give fervent love
in return to him who first so greatly loved them. This is far
from saying that this teaching concerning election, and reflection
upon it, make God's children lax in observing his commandments
or carnally self-assured. By God's just judgment this does usually
happen to those who casually take for granted the grace of election
or engage in idle and brazen talk about it but are unwilling
to walk in the ways of the chosen.
Article
14: Teaching Election Properly....Just as, by God's wise plan,
this teaching concerning divine election has been proclaimed
through the prophets, Christ himself, and the apostles, in Old
and New Testament times, and has subsequently been committed
to writing in the Holy Scriptures, so also today in God's church,
for which it was specifically intended, this teaching must be
set forth--with a spirit of discretion, in a godly and holy
manner, at the appropriate time and place, without inquisitive
searching into the ways of the Most High. This must be done
for the glory of God's most holy name, and for the lively comfort
of his people.
Article
15: Reprobation....Moreover, Holy Scripture most especially
highlights this eternal and undeserved grace of our election
and brings it out more clearly for us, in that it further bears
witness that not all people have been chosen but that some have
not been chosen or have been passed by in God's eternal election--
those, that is, concerning whom God, on the basis of his entirely
free, most just, irreproachable, and unchangeable good pleasure,
made the following decision: to leave them in the common misery
into which, by their own fault, they have plunged themselves;
not to grant them saving faith and the grace of conversion;
but finally to condemn and eternally punish them (having been
left in their own ways and under his just judgment), not only
for their unbelief but also for all their other sins, in order
to display his justice. And this is the decision of reprobation,
which does not at all make God the author of sin (a blasphemous
thought!) but rather its fearful, irreproachable, just judge
and avenger.
Article
16: Responses to the Teaching of Reprobation...Those who do
not yet actively experience within themselves a living faith
in Christ or an assured confidence of heart, peace of conscience,
a zeal for childlike obedience, and a glorying in God through
Christ, but who nevertheless use the means by which God has
promised to work these things in us--such people ought not to
be alarmed at the mention of reprobation, nor to count themselves
among the reprobate; rather they ought to continue diligently
in the use of the means, to desire fervently a time of more
abundant grace, and to wait for it in reverence and humility.
On the other hand, those who seriously desire to turn to God,
to be pleasing to him alone, and to be delivered from the body
of death, but are not yet able to make such progress along the
way of godliness and faith as they would like--such people ought
much less to stand in fear of the teaching concerning reprobation,
since our merciful God has promised that he will not snuff out
a smoldering wick and that he will not break a bruised reed.
However, those who have forgotten God and their Savior Jesus
Christ and have abandoned themselves wholly to the cares of
the world and the pleasures of the flesh--such people have every
reason to stand in fear of this teaching, as long as they do
not seriously turn to God.
Article
17: The Salvation of the Infants of Believers....Since we must
make judgments about God's will from his Word, which testifies
that the children of believers are holy, not by nature but by
virtue of the gracious covenant in which they together with
their parents are included, godly parents ought not to doubt
the election and salvation of their children whom God calls
out of this life in infancy.
Article
18: The Proper Attitude Toward Election and Reprobation....To
those who complain about this grace of an undeserved election
and about the severity of a just reprobation, we reply with
the words of the apostle, Who are you, O man, to talk back to
God? (Rom. 9:20), and with the words of our Savior, Have I no
right to do what I want with my own? (Matt. 20:15). We, however,
with reverent adoration of these secret things, cry out with
the apostle: Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom
and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments,
and his ways beyond tracing out! For who has known the mind
of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Or who has first
given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through
him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever!
Amen (Rom. 11:33-36).
(2)
The Belgic Confession (1618 A.D.)
The
oldest of the doctrinal standards of the Christian Reformed
Church is the Confession of Faith, popularly known as the Belgic
Confession, following the seventeenth-century Latin designation
"Confessio Belgica." "Belgica" referred
to the whole of the Netherlands, both north and south, which
today is divided into the Netherlands and Belgium. The confession's
chief author was Guido de Bras, a preacher of the Reformed churches
of the Netherlands, who died a martyr to the faith in the year
1567.
During the sixteenth century the churches in this country were
exposed to the most terrible persecution by the Roman Catholic
government. To protest against this cruel oppression, and to
prove to the persecutors that the adherents of the Reformed
faith were not rebels, as was laid to their charge, but law-abiding
citizens who professed the true Christian doctrine according
to the Holy Scriptures, de Bras prepared this confession in
the year 1561.
In the following year a copy was sent to King Philip II, together
with an address in which the petitioners declared that they
were ready to obey the government in all lawful things, but
that they would "offer their backs to stripes, their tongues
to knives, their mouths to gags, and their whole bodies to the
fire," rather than deny the truth expressed in this confession.
Although the immediate purpose of securing freedom from persecution
was not attained, and de Bras himself fell as one of the many
thousands who sealed their faith with their lives, his work
has endured and will continue to endure. In its composition
the author availed himself to some extent of a confession of
the Reformed churches in France, written chiefly by John Calvin,
published two years earlier.
The work of de Bras, however, is not a mere revision of Calvin's
work, but an independent composition. In 1566 the text of this
confession was revised at a synod held at Antwerp. In the Netherlands
it was at once gladly received by the churches, and it was adopted
by national synods held during the last three decades of the
sixteenth century. The text, not the contents, was revised again
at the Synod of Dort in 1618-19 and adopted as one of the doctrinal
standards to which all officebearers in the Reformed churches
were required to subscribe. The confession stands as one of
the best symbolical statements of Reformed doctrine. The translation
presented here is based on the French text of 1619.
Contents of The Belgic Confession
Article 1: The Only God
Article 2: The Means by Which We Know God
Article 3: The Written Word of God
Article 4: The Canonical Books
Article 5: The Authority of Scripture
Article 6: The Difference Between Canonical and Apocryphal Books
Article 7: The Sufficiency of Scripture.
Article
8: The Trinity;
In keeping with this truth and Word of God we believe in one
God, who is one single essence, in whom there are three persons,
really, truly, and eternally distinct according to their incommunicable
properties-- namely, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father
is the cause, origin, and source of all things, visible as well
as invisible.
The Son is the Word, the Wisdom, and the image of the Father.
The Holy Spirit is the eternal power and might, proceeding from
the Father and the Son.
Nevertheless, this distinction does not divide God into three,
since Scripture teaches us that the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit each has his own subsistence distinguished by characteristics--
yet in such a way that these three persons are only one God.
It is evident then that the Father is not the Son and that the
Son is not the Father, and that likewise the Holy Spirit is
neither the Father nor the Son.
Nevertheless, these persons, thus distinct, are neither divided
nor fused or mixed together.
For the Father did not take on flesh, nor did the Spirit, but
only the Son.
The Father was never without his Son, nor without his Holy Spirit,
since all these are equal from eternity, in one and the same
essence. There is neither a first nor a last, for all three
are one in truth and power, in goodness and mercy.
Article
9: The Scriptural Witness on the Trinity;
All
these things we know from the testimonies of Holy Scripture
as well as from the effects of the persons, especially from
those we feel within ourselves.
The testimonies of the Holy Scriptures, which teach us to believe
in this Holy Trinity, are written in many places of the Old
Testament, which need not be enumerated but only chosen with
discretion.
In the book of Genesis God says, "Let us make man in our
image, according to our likeness." So "God created
man in his own image"-- indeed, "male and female he
created them."^6 "Behold, man has become like one
of us."^7
It
appears from this that there is a plurality of persons within
the Deity, when he says, "Let us make man in our image"--
and afterwards he indicates the unity when he says, "God
created."
It is true that he does not say here how many persons there
are-- but what is somewhat obscure to us in the Old Testament
is very clear in the New.
For when our Lord was baptized in the Jordan, the voice of the
Father was heard saying, "This is my dear Son";^8
the Son was seen in the water; and the Holy Spirit appeared
in the form of a dove.
So, in the baptism of all believers this form was prescribed
by Christ: "Baptize all people in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."^9
In the Gospel according to Luke the angel Gabriel says to Mary,
the mother of our Lord: "The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and
therefore that holy one to be born of you shall be called the
Son of God."^10
And in another place it says: "The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit be with you."^11
"There are three who bear witness in heaven-- the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Spirit-- and these three are one."^12
In all these passages we are fully taught that there are three
persons in the one and only divine essence. And although this
doctrine surpasses human understanding, we nevertheless believe
it now, through the Word, waiting to know and enjoy it fully
in heaven.
Furthermore, we must note the particular works and activities
of these three persons in relation to us. The Father is called
our Creator, by reason of his power. The Son is our Savior and
Redeemer, by his blood. The Holy Spirit is our Sanctifier, by
his living in our hearts.
This doctrine of the holy Trinity has always been maintained
in the true church, from the time of the apostles until the
present, against Jews, Muslims, and certain false Christians
and heretics, such as Marcion, Mani, Praxeas, Sabellius, Paul
of Samosata, Arius, and others like them, who were rightly condemned
by the holy fathers.
And so, in this matter we willingly accept the three ecumenical
creeds-- the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian-- as well as
what the ancient fathers decided in agreement with them.
^6
Gen. 1:26-27 ^7 Gen. 3:22 ^8 Matt. 3:17 ^9 Matt. 28:19 ^10 Luke
1:35 ^11 2 Cor. 13:14 ^12 1 John 5:7 (KJV)
Article
10: The Deity of Christ
Article 11: The Deity of the Holy Spirit
Article 12: The Creation of All Things
Article 13: The Doctrine of God's Providence
Article 14: The Creation and Fall of Man
Article 15: The Doctrine of Original Sin
Article
16: The Doctrine of Election
We believe that-- all Adam's descendants having thus fallen
into perdition and ruin by the sin of the first man-- God showed
himself to be as he is: merciful and just.
He is merciful in withdrawing and saving from this perdition
those whom he, in his eternal and unchangeable counsel, has
elected and chosen in Jesus Christ our Lord by his pure goodness,
without any consideration of their works.
He is just in leaving the others in their ruin and fall into
which they plunged themselves.
Article
17: The Recovery of Fallen Man
Article 18: The Incarnation
Article 19: The Two Natures of Christ
Article 20: The Justice and Mercy of God in Christ
Article 21: The Atonement
Article 22: The Righteousness of Faith
Article 23: The Justification of Sinners
Article 24: The Sanctification of Sinners
Article 25: The Fulfillment of the Law
Article 26: The Intercession of Christ
Article 27: The Holy Catholic Church
Article 28: The Obligations of Church Members
Article 29: The Marks of the True Church
Article 30: The Government of the Church
Article 31: The Officers of the Church
Article 32: The Order and Discipline of the Church
Article 33: The Sacraments
Article 34: The Sacrament of Baptism
Article 35: The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
Article 36: The Civil Government
Article 37: The Last Judgment
(3) The Westminster Confession
of Faith (1646)
Chapter
I. Of the holy Scripture
Chapter II. Of God, and of the Holy Trinity
Chapter III. Of God's Eternal Decree
Chapter IV. Of Creation
Chapter V. Of Providence
Chapter VI. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment
thereof
Chapter VII. Of God's Covenant with Man
Chapter VIII. Of Christ the Mediator
Chapter IX. Of Free Will
Chapter X. Of Effectual Calling
Chapter XI. Of Justification
Chapter XII. Of Adoption
Chapter XIII. Of Sanctification
Chapter XIV. Of Saving Faith
Chapter XV. Of Repentance Unto Life
Chapter XVI. Of Good Works
Chapter XVII. Of The Perseverance of the Saints
Chapter XVIII. Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
Chapter XIX. Of the Law of God
Chapter XX. Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience
Chapter XXI. Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
Chapter XXII. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows
Chapter XXIII. Of the Civil Magistrate
Chapter XXIV. Of Marriage and Divorce
Chapter XXV. Of the Church
Chapter XXVI. Of the Communion of the Saints
Chapter XXVII. Of the Sacraments
Chapter XXVIII. Of Baptism
Chapter XXIX. Of the Lord's Supper
Chapter XXX. Of Church Censures
Chapter XXXI. Of Synods and Councils
Chapter XXXII. Of the State of Man After Death, and of the Resurrection
of the Dead
Chapter XXXIII. Of the Last Judgment
(4)
The Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) w. Scripture Proofs
(5) The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) w. Scripture
Proofs
You can download this MS Word.rtf (zipped) file for personal
use on your word processor. It is the original 1646, and is
complete with full scripture proof texts. Also available in
Word [doc], PDF, and HTML (all zipped). The Word.rtf version
is also avaliable as a Macintosh [sit] archive.
The Westminster Confession of Faith's Additional Documents
(6) Catechisms- Catechism for
Young Children. This document contains the Catechism
for Young Children, a catechism used in many denominations as
an introduction to the Smaller Catechism.
(7) The Children's Catechism.
This document contains a simplified catechism useful for introducing
your child to the Reformed faith. It was written by Chris Schlect
(8) The Westminster Shorter Catechism.
This document contains the Westminster Shorter Catechism with
full Scripture references.
(9) The Westminster Larger Catechism.
This document contains the Westminster Larger
Catechism with full Scripture references.
8.
More Articles Defending/Explaining Calvinism
(1)
The Institutes of the Christian Religion By John Calvin
- Translated by: Henry Beveridge
(2)
Perspectives on Predestination by Rev. Barry Hofstetter
This is a sermon preached by Rev. Hofstetter attempting to give
a good perspective on what predestination is, what it is not,
and what it is for.
(3)
A Survey or Table Declaring The Order of Salvation and Damnation
by William Perkins 1558-1602 [image 210K]
(4)
The Reformed Faith by Loraine Boettner
(5)
The Five Points of Calvinism by R.L. Dabney
This is a defense of the five points of Calvinism by R.L. Dabney
(1820-1898)
(6)
The Sovereignty of God by A. W. Pink
This is the unabridged edition.
(7)
The Sovereignty of God (offsite) by Prof. John Murray
John Murray's penetrating article The Sovereignty of God, published
years ago in tract form by the Committee on Christian Education
(Fighting the Good Fight, p. 157) is now available on the OPC
website.
(8)
A Defense of Calvinism by C.H. Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) was a Reformed Baptist minister(37.6
K). Attractively Formatted Version (offsite)
(9)
Arminian Errors by Rev. William MacLean, M.A.
From the tract, Another Gospel.
(10)
Are There Two Wills in God?. Divine Election and God's Desire
for All to be Saved (Offsite) by John Piper. This is a great
article which appeared in a great two-volume refutation of Arminianism.
(11)
For Whom Did Christ Die? by John Owen
A tidbit of good ol' Puritan logic from the good doctor.
(12)
The Call of Christ by Arthur Pink.
To whom did Jesus address the following words? "Come unto
me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest." - The answer may surprise you. (See also Studies
on Saving Faith in our Books section)
(13)
A Brief and Untechnical Statement of the Reformed Faith by B.
B. Warfield.
A nice, 24-point bullet list of Reformed (Calvinistic) distinctives.
(14)
The Stone Lectures on Calvinism(Offsite) by Dr Abraham Kuyper.
Six Lectures Delivered at Princeton University, 1898 under the
auspices of the L. P. Stone Foundation. Dr Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920)
was a Dutch Calvinist theologian, philosopher and politician.
As leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party in the Netherlands
he served as Prime Minister of his country from 1901 to 1905.
(15)
The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner.
Infant Salvation - This article is excerpted from The Reformed
Doctrine of Predestination, by Loraine Boettner, Eleventh Printing,
The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, Philadelphia,
PA 1963 435 pages. This is Section 11. of chapter XI. Unconditional
Election, and is subtitled, Infant Salvation.
4.
Continuing Education Center - top
1.
Administrative Official of CEC
Executive Director: Dr Ko, Peter
Y
Director: Yi, Steve M
Staffs: Sam Lincoln.
2. Researcher and Adviser
Researcher: Lee, Min-Hee
Advisory Committee:
3.
Mission Statement
The primary mission of the Continuing Education Center at Virginia
Christian University is to provide innovative, quality, flexible
programs and services responsive to the learning needs of the
University community and external communities.
4. Vision Statement
Our vision is to extend the strengths of the Continuing Education
Center at Virginia Christian University so that it will become
the provider of choice for the lifelong learning essential to
economic development and quality of life. The Office of Continuing
Education Center will be responsive, convenient and relevant
to the needs of the Greater Washington Areas, and the regional
communities.
5.
Our Philosophy
We use a unique and proven adult learning theory approach to
training that will provide our students with the skills and
experience necessary to master the latest software packages
and soft skills. Our focus is to provide our students with highly
interactive, hands-on activities with top-rated trainers. By
combining these strengths with reasonably priced programs and
state-of-the-art facilities, we will be one of the top training
providers in the USA.
6.
Our Training Programs
1) Professional Development Program
(PDP): Virginia Christian University will offer
student professional skills in management, HR, Financial, and
Communication skills training that are required in today's Job
Sites. Professional Development Certificate (PDC) programs:
(1) Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS)
(2) Certificate Program in Financial Planning (CPFP)
(3) Accounting Program
(4) Banking Program
(5) Customer Services and Business relation Program
(6) Graduate Test Preparation (LSAT, GMAT, GRE)
(7) Business & Personal Finance
(8) Professional Seminars
(9) Human Resource Management Certificate Program
(10) Leadership Skills for Managers Certificate Program
(11) Project Management Certificate Program
(12) Principles of Marketing Certificate Series
(13) Process Management Certificate Program
(14) Health Cart Management Program
(15) Insurance Services Program
(16) Building and Facility Maintenance Program
(17) Athletic development Program
(18) Contractor Licensing Program(Basic & Advanced)
(19) Dental Clinic Practice Program
2)
English Language Program (ELP): The CEC will
offer students (beginners to high professional level English)
that will enable students to compete in today's job Site.
English for TESOL Certification
English for TOEFL/TOEIC Preparation
Our English program offers students a complete and comprehensive
curriculum that takes them form basic to specialty courses.
Our program has seven levels; each level consists of 30 hours
of classroom time. Students must take an assessment test to
place them in a suitable level.
3)
English for Special Purpose(ESP) : All ESP courses
are 30 hours long and take two weeks to complete. Students must
score up to level five on the placement test to be eligible
for registration for the ESP courses. The following is a list
of certificates that are offered by the ELC:
(1) English for Health Care Certificate
(2) English for Business Relation Certificate
(3) English for Higher Education
(4) English for International Relation
(5) English for Secretarial Certificate
(6) English for Drilling
(7) Technical Writer Certificate
(8) Copywriter Certificate
4) Computer Training Program (CTP)
:There are seven training themes. Each is comprised
of a number of related courses.
(1) Beginning Computers:
courses designed for people new to computers as well as for
those who may have specific questions about such things like,
purchasing a computer, how to do research on the Web, and how
use MS Office basic functions. This training such as ICDL.
(2) Computer Graphics:
