The Helvetic Confession of Faith: Summary
Chapter 1 - Of the Holy Scripture Being The True Word of God Canonical Scripture Scripture Teaches Fully All Godliness The Preaching of the Word of God Is the Word of God Inward Illumination Does Not Eliminate External Preaching Heresies Apocrypha
Chapter 2 - Of Interpreting the Holy Scripture; and of the Fathers The True Interpretation of Scripture Interpretations of the Holy Fathers Councils Traditions of Men
Chapter 3 - Of God, His Unity and Trinity God Is One God Is Three Heresies
Chapter 4 - Of Idols or Images of God, Christ and The Saints Images of God Lactantius
Chapter 5 - Of the Adoration, Worship and Invocation of God's Name God Alone Is To Be Adored and Worshipped God Alone Is To Be Invoked Through the Mediation of Christ Alone The Saints Are Not To Be Adored, Worshipped or Invoked The Due Honor To Be Rendered to the Saints Relics of the Saints Swearing by God's Name Alone
Chapter 6 - Of the Providence of God All Things Are Governed by the Providence of God The Epicureans Means Not To Be Despised
Chapter 7 - Of the Creation of all Things: Of Angels, the Devil, and Man God Created All Things Of Angels and the Devil Of Man The Sects
Chapter 8 - Of Man's Fall, Sin and the Cause of Sin The Fall of Man Sin Death Original Sin The Sects God Is Not the Author of Sin, and How Far He Is Said to Harden Curious Questions
Chapter 9 - Of Free Will, and Thus of Human Powers What Man Was Before the Fall After the Fall Man Does Evil by His Own Free Will Man Is Not Capable of Good Per se Understanding of the Arts Of What Kind Are the Powers of the Regenerate, and in What Way Their Wills Are Free The Regenerate Work Not Only Passively but Actively The Free Will Is Weak in the Regenerate In External Things There Is Liberty Heresies
Chapter 10 - Of the Predestination of God and the Election of the Saints God Has Elected Us Out of Grace We Are Elected or Predestinated in Christ We Are Elected for a Definite Purpose We Are to Have a Good Hope for All Whether Few Are Elect What in This Matter Is To Be Condemned Admonitions Are Not in Vain Because Salvation Proceeds from Election Whether We Are Elected Temptation in Regard to Predestination
Chapter 11 - Of Jesus Christ, True God and Man, the Only Savior of the World Christ Is True God The Sects Christ Is True Man, Having Real Flesh A Rational Soul in Christ Two Natures in Christ Not Two but One Christ The Sects The Divine Nature of Christ Is Not Passible, and the Human Nature Is Not Everywhere The Sects Our Lord Truly Suffered Impartation of Properties Christ Is Truly Risen from the Dead Christ Is Truly Ascended Into Heaven The Sects The Fruit of Christ's Death and Resurrection Jesus Christ Is the Only Savior of the World, and the True Awaited Messiah The Creeds of Four Councils Received The Sects
Chapter 12 - Of the Law of God The Will of God Is Explained for Us in the Law of God The Law of Nature The Law Is Complete and Perfect Why the Law Was Given The Flesh Does Not Fulfill the Law How Far the Law Is Abrogated
Chapter 13 - Of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, of the Promises, and of the Spirit and Letter The Ancients Had Evangelical Promises The Promises Twofold The Fathers Also Had Not Only Carnal but Spiritual Promises What Is the Gospel Properly Speaking? Of the Spirit and the Letter The Sects The Teaching of the Gospel Is Not New, but Most Ancient Doctrine
Chapter 14 -Of Repentance and the Conversion of Man What Is Repentance? True Repentance Is Conversion to God Sacerdotal Confession and Absolution Of the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven Opening and Shutting (the Kingdom) The Ministry of Reconciliation Ministers Remit Sins How Ministers Absolve Diligence in the Renewal of Life Errors The Sects Papal Indulgences Satisfactions
Chapter 15 -Of the True Justification of the Faithful What Is Justification? We Are Justified on Account of Christ Imputed Righteousness We Are Justified by Faith Alone We Receive Christ By Faith James Compared with Paul
Chapter 16 -Of Faith and Good Works, and of Their Reward, and of Man's Merit What Is Faith? Faith Is the Gift of God Faith Efficacious and Active Concerning Good Works Works of Human Choice The End of Good Works Good Works Not Rejected We Are Not Saved by Good Works Good Works Please God We Teach True, Not False and Philosophical Virtues God Gives a Reward for Good Works There Are Not Merits of Men
Chapter 17 -Of the Catholic (Global) and Holy Church of God, and of the One Only Head of the Church The Church Has Always Existed and It Will Always Exist What Is the Church? One Commonwealth Only One Church for All Times The Catholic Church Parts of Forms of the Church The Particular Church The Two Peoples The Church the Temple of the Living God Christ the Sole Head of the Church No Disorder in the Church Dissensions and Strife in the Church Of the Notes or Signs of the True Church Outside the Church of God There Is No Salvation The Church Is Not Bound to Its Signs The Church Appears at Times To Be Extinct Not All Who Are in the Church Are of the Church We Must Not Judge Rashly of Prematurely The Unity of the Church Is Not in External Rites
Chapter 18 -Of the Ministers of the Church, their Institution and Duties God Uses Ministers in the Building of the Church The Ministry Is Not To Be Despised Who the Ministers Are and of What Sort God Has Given the World Christ the Teacher Ministers of the New Testament Papal Orders Concerning Monks Ministers Are To Be Called and Elected Ordination Priesthood of All Believers Priests and Priesthood The Nature of the Ministers of the New Testament Ministers as Stewards of the Mysteries of God The Power of Ministers of the Church The Lord Reserves True Power for Himself The Power of the Office and of the Minister The Power of Ministers Is One and the Same, and Equal Order To Be Preserved When and How One Was Placed Before the Others The Duties of Ministers Discipline Even Evil Ministers Are To Be Heard Synods The Worker Is Worthy of His Reward
Chapter 19 -Of the Sacraments of the Church of Christ The Sacraments [Are] Added to the Word and What They Are Some Are Sacraments of the Old, Others of the New, Testaments The Number of Sacraments of the New People The Author of the Sacraments Christ Still Works in Sacraments The Author and the Ministers of the Sacraments To Be Distinguished The Substance or Chief Thing in the Sacraments The Similarity and Difference in the Sacraments of Old and New Peoples Our Sacraments Succeed the Old Which Are Abrogated In What the Sacraments Consist The Consecration of the Sacraments Signs Take Name of Things Signified The Sacramental Union The Sects The Thing Signified Is Neither Included in or Bound to the Sacraments The Purpose for Which Sacraments Were Instituted
Chapter 20 - Of Holy Baptism The Institution of Baptism One Baptism What it Means To Be Baptized We Are Baptized with Water The Obligation of Baptism The Form of Baptism The Minister of Baptism Anabaptists
Chapter21 -Of the Holy Supper (Communion) of the Lord The Supper of the Lord The Author and Consecrator of the Supper A memorial of God's Benefits The Sign and Thing Signified Spiritual Eating of the Lord Christ as Our Food Sustains Us in Life Christ Received by Faith Spiritual Food Eating Necessary for Salvation Sacramental Eating of the Lord Unbelievers Take the Sacrament to Their Judgment The Presence of Christ in the Supper Other Purposes of the Lord's Supper Preparation for the Supper The Observance of the Supper with Both Bread and Wine
Chapter 22 -Of Religious and Ecclesiastical Meetings What Ought To Be Done in Meetings for Worship Meetings for Worship Not To Be Neglected Meetings Are Public Decent Meeting Places Modesty and Humility To Be Observed in Meetings The True Ornamentation of Sanctuaries Worship in the Common Language
Chapter 23 -Of the Prayers of the Church, of Singing and of Canonical Hours Common Language Free Prayer The Method To Be Employed in Public Prayers Singing Canonical Hours
Chapter 24 -Of Holy Days, Fasts and the Choice of Foods The Time Necessary for Worship The Lord's Day Superstition The Festivals of Christ and the Saints Fasting Public and Private Fasting Characteristics of Fasting Lent Choice of Food Sects
Chapter 25 -Of Catechizing and of Comforting and Visiting the Sick Youth To Be Instructed in Godliness The Visitation of the Sick
Chapter 26 - Of the Burial of the Faithful, and of the Care to Be Shown for the Dead; of Purgatory, and the Appearing of Spirits The Burial of Bodies The Care of the Dead The State of the Soul Departed from the Body Purgatory The Apparition of Spirits
Chapter 27 -Of Rites, Ceremonies & things Indifferent Ceremonies and Rites Diversity of Rites Things Indifferent
Chapter 28 -Of the possessions of the Church The Possessions of the Church and Their Proper Use The Misuse of the Church's Possessions
Chapter 29 -Of Celibacy, Marriage and the Management of Domestic Affairs Single People Marriage How Marriages Are To Be Contracted Matrimonial Forum The Rearing of Children
Chapter 30 -Of the Magistracy The Magistracy Is from God The Duty of the Magistrate War The Duty of Subjects Sects and Seditions
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