Get a copy of "Being Faithful" today! You will not regret it.

The Theological Resource Group of GAFCON has produced a remarkable commentary on the Jerusalem Declaration entitled Being Faithful: The Shape of Historic Anglicanism Today. I have found it to be a remarkably helpful read and urge all of this blog's readers to obtain a copy.

For example, I found this list of "core commitments" of the Christian faith on pages 86-87 to be an excellent summary of the doctrines of Catholic Christianity:

The non-negotiable core of these commitments includes:

--the goodness, love, and mercy of the living God who eternally exists in three Person, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

--the creation of men and women by God in his image, with all that this means for the dignity and value of every human life;

--the distortion of creation, at all levels, by the decision of the first man and woman to turn aside from trust in God's goodness, expressed in the word he had given them;

--the lostness of the human race, as the result of the fall into sin, which manifests itself in our natural guilt, corruption and enslavement to sinful desire;

--the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God, and as the only Saviour for sinful men and women;

--the central saving reality of judgement being borne in our place by Jesus Christ on the cross, which is his great victory over all that stands against us, and that also stands opposed to the rightful rule of God;

--the historical actuality and theological indispensability of the bodily resurrection of the Jesus Christ from the dead, on the third day after his crucifixion, leaving empty the tomb in which he had been laid;

--the necessity of the Spirit's work in bringing about the repentance and faith in the human heart, so as to unite us to Christ and enable us to share in the salvation he has won;

--the right standing with God which is given freely, and which now belongs to all who, by faith, are united to Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection;

--the expectation of the bodily return of Jesus Christ, to bring God purposes of salvation and judgement to their consummation;

--the significance of the Church as the gathering of the redeemed people of God around the word of God and in the Spirit of God;

--the supreme authority of the Scriptures as the word of God written, and as the source of true teaching about God, his purposes, and the appropriate response to God's mercy in Jesus Christ;

--the purpose of Christian ministry within the churches to nourish faith and obedience through careful teaching of the Bible in the context of genuine personal relationships;

--the generous provision of the Lord's Supper and baptism which, as sacraments, visibly represent the promises of the gospel of Jesus Christ to his people;

--the legitimate exercise of authority within the churches which is characterized by the unreserved obedience to the teaching of Scripture and Jesus Christ's own pattern of service;

--the importance of fellowship between Christian congregations in the common cause of living as disciples of Jesus Christ and as his ambassadors in the world;

--the priority of evangelism for all Christians in response to the great commission of Jesus Christ.