1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ claimed to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, he willed that we receive him and confess him as such, being vindicated by his glorious resurrection from the dead.
2. Since he is the Way, we go astray if we ignore him.
3. Since he is the Truth, we are gravely deluded if we deny him.
4. Since he is the Life, we choose death if we reject him.
5. There is only one God almighty to whom all worship is due: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
6. There is only one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, truly man and truly God.
7. A house of worship where the triune God is prayed to alongside other gods is not a ‘house of one’ ^[1] but a den of many devils, for there is no fellowship between Christ and Belial.
8. A gathering where prayers are lifted to both the Holy Trinity and to another god is either a spiritual conflict or the offering of a hideous aroma to the Lord.
9. A Christian house of prayer is a sacred space to worship the God that put on flesh in Jesus Christ. To place objects that explicitly evoke worship to a false god—let alone to display pictures of sexual immorality within its walls—is to put the Lord our God to the test.
   
   

   Regarding the essence of the Church

10. With Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven has come down to earth: He calls all the world, whether Jews or non-Jews, to receive him as the promised Messiah and so to escape the domain of darkness.
11. Fellowship with God is neither the achievement of an elite nor a worthless commodity. It is grace, since it is freely offered to undeserving sinners, and yet it is costly, since it requires us to deny ourselves as it also required Christ to shed his blood.
12. The Kingdom of Heaven has its narrow door open for anyone to enter—no repentant sinner is discriminated against.
13. The Kingdom of Heaven welcomes men and women of all ages and nations who wish to sit at the feet of Christ, be baptised into him, and receive his body and blood.
14. The Kingdom of Heaven celebrates the diversity of all cultural expressions, languages, and phenotypes of the human race, which are brought together into one family when being baptised into Christ.
15. The Kingdom of Heaven particularly welcomes all the poor and lonely to come and share a meal with the believers—no participation in our worship is required.
16. The world has no further need of vain entertainment and ought not to find it in a parish. 
17. What the world deeply needs is the Bread of Life and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, which it ought to find in every parish.
18. Just as Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, so his Church is compelled by his love both to tirelessly do mercy and to boldly preach the message of salvation.
19. If the Church becomes ashamed of the gospel, she crucifies Christ and perishes with the world; if the Church bears witness to the gospel, she is crucified together with Christ and saves the world. 
20. The faithful Church reforms herself continuously into the image of Christ; an unfaithful church distorts herself in her attempt to reform God into the image of man.
21. The Church that holds on firmly to Jesus as her Head shall abide; she is the body of Christ.
22. A church that denies Jesus severs herself from the Head; she is dust and returns to dust.

     
    Regarding the gospel
    

23. On Good Friday, Jesus Christ was pierced for our transgressions, offering himself as a sacrifice to God in our stead.
24. On Easter Sunday, Jesus Christ rose from the dead, triumphing over sin, death and the devil.
25. If our wrongdoings entailed no eternal damnation, or if they could be compensated by our own good deeds, then Jesus shed his blood for no purpose.
26. It is by faith in Jesus Christ, not by any merits of our own, that we, former children of disobedience, are reconciled to God and have access to his grace.
27. It is by faith in Jesus Christ that we have the boldness to approach the throne of God and confess our sins, for the blood of Christ is enough to cover all our transgressions.
28. It is by faith in Jesus Christ that we strive to put to death our sinful passions, for we have been granted all things that pertain to life and godliness.
29. It is by faith in Jesus Christ that we resist all temptation to commit apostasy, for if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth we can only expect a fearful judgement.
30. The word of the cross teaches us that life is hidden in death: those who are crucified together with Christ will find life.
31. The word of the cross teaches us that glory is hidden in humility: those who humble themselves before God will be exalted.
32. The word of the cross teaches us that freedom is hidden in bondage: those who become slaves for Christ’s sake will be truly free.
33. The word of the cross teaches us that privilege is hidden in marginalisation: those who are marginalised together with the crucified King will be privileged in the City to come.
34. The word of the cross teaches us that justice is hidden in guilt: those who are judged by this world for Christ’s sake will find justice.
35. The word of the cross teaches us that peace is hidden in chaos: those who follow Christ through the chaos and tribulations of this world will find peace.
     
    

    Regarding the authority of the holy Scriptures
    

36. To him who is wise in his own eyes the secrets of God are withheld, such that the message of the cross appears to him to be foolishness.
37. To him who sits at the feet of Jesus like a child the treasures of God are revealed, such that, despite being a fool in his own eyes, he is able to contemplate the mystery of the cross.
38. When critical reason is led by faith, it is used by God to cleanse our minds from devilish deceit as we ponder upon divine revelation.
39. When critical reason is led by unbelief, it is used by Satan to darken our minds as he casts doubts on the sayings of God.
40. God spoke many times through his prophets and fulfilled his word; the Son of God announced his death and resurrection and fulfilled his word; the Spirit of God has preserved the Church according to his word. It is impossible for God to lie.
41. The power of God is made manifest both in the orderly fashion in which he rules over nature and in the extraordinary events in which he transcends natural order to display his glory.
42. We cannot explain how the Israelite nation was delivered by means of miraculous signs, but it was certainly witnessed by many; we cannot explain how the Lord Jesus resurrected on the third day, but it was certainly witnessed by many; we cannot explain how the Lord Jesus will return and establish his eternal Kingdom, but it will be certainly witnessed by all.
43. Just as the righteousness of God and his grace are eternal, so his commandments and promises remain as valid today as on the day that they were revealed. Only God himself has the authority to supersede them according to the unfolding of the economy of salvation.
44. We cannot distinguish between the written word of God and the holy Scriptures, for God spoke through his messengers.
45. The holy Scriptures were authored both by human messengers and by the Spirit of God; they are fully trustworthy and have binding authority over our consciences.
46. The holy Scriptures were written with Prophetic and Apostolic authority; denying their witness is to make God a liar.
47. The holy Scriptures ought to be interpreted with reverence and submission, not as mere fables nor as mere records.
48. The holy Scriptures are and remain the only infallible norm by which to judge the teaching and behaviour of the Church.
49. If the Church is not firmly grounded on the word of God, she is not anymore a pillar and buttress of the truth.
50. A Jesus that did not come from heaven cannot give us eternal life.
51. A Jesus that did not rise from the dead cannot raise us on the last day.
52. Anyone who disbelieves the return of Jesus Christ has forsaken all hope.
53. To publicly deny the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, his bodily resurrection, or his future coming, is to preach a different gospel and thus to come under a curse by Apostolic decree.
54. It is the sacred task of all ordained ministers to preach the faith in Jesus Christ rightly: as revealed in the holy Scriptures, set forth in the catholic Creeds, and attested by confessions of their Church. Those who swear to do so, and yet willfully teach otherwise from the pulpit, commit false witness and prove to be untrustworthy.

     
    Regarding the Word and the Sacraments
    

55. No other message is worthy to be expounded from the pulpit other than the word of God; no other gift is worthy to be offered at the Lord’s table other than the body and blood of Christ.
56. The sheep of Christ hunger for his word, not for the socio-political speeches of men.
57. It is the faithful exposition of the word of God what empowers us Christians to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before our God.
58. Just as the Name of the Holy Trinity and the body and blood of Christ are worthy of utmost respect, so the sacraments ought to be administered with due reverence.
59. The command to baptise cannot be untied from the command to teach to observe all that the Lord has commanded us.
60. To pronounce the saving promises attached to holy Baptism upon a manifest unbeliever, just for the sake of granting him a perishable benefit through the Church, is an abuse of the thrice holy Name.
61. To baptise infants without bringing them up in the life of the Church is not only an abuse of the sacrament, it betokens a disgusting frivolity in dealing with the souls of the children themselves.
62. The susceptibilities of the spirit of the time are of no concern when proclaiming the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, especially during holy Baptism; it is far more harmful to render the sacrament invalid than to disturb a few hearers.
63. If an individual has not put his trust in Christ and surrendered to his lordship, what can he confess in a confirmation?
64. Christ is just as present in every rightful celebration of the holy Communion as when he instituted it on the night that he was betrayed, offering his own body and blood to us.
65. If we disbelieve that Christ himself is present in the holy Communion, our gathering is vain and our partaking thereof unprofitable.
66. Unbelievers ought not to be invited to partake in the holy Communion, as they cannot discern the Lord’s body; instead, they ought to be called to repent and be baptised for the forgiveness of their sins.
67. Unrepentant believers should be warned not to partake in the holy Communion, for he who does not discern the Lord’s body eats and drinks damnation to himself.

     
    Regarding human nature
    

68. Every human being bears the image of God as either male or female.
69. Every human heart is plagued with deceitful desires that make us love and seek what is evil.
70. Neither a pre-born state nor a near-death condition remove the image of God from a human so as to withhold his due protection or to justify his murder. 
71. Every human zygote has a definite gender. The conception of a human other than male or female cannot be proven either by natural inquiry or by examination of the holy Scriptures.
72. The Church ought to show love to those who suffer from identity disorders by reminding them that they have been wonderfully made by God, so that they may reconcile with their body as a gift from him.
73. In harmony with the command and the blessing of God to be fruitful and multiply as humans, a man and a woman may make a public, lifelong covenant whereby they become one flesh. Only this type of bodily union can legitimately be known as marriage.
74. Marriage and abstinence are the two paths of a chaste life; both are honourable lifestyles whose paramount example is the Lord Jesus himself, who lived in celibacy and yet is also the bridegroom of the Church.
75. Without exception, sexual intercourse outside of marriage is a grievous sin that defiles the human body.
76. The Church ought to show love to those suffering from same-sex attraction by empowering them in their pursuit of chastity and surrounding them with deep friendships.
77. Lust is lust; love is love.
78. Lust takes for itself; love gives itself.
79. Lust takes hold of the neighbour’s spouse; love honours the neighbour’s covenant.
80. Lust takes hold of a virgin’s body; love courts a virgin into a covenant.
81. Lust leads men and women to exchange natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; love empowers men and women to exchange indulgence for chastity.
82. God was righteous to give us up to our vile affections because we regarded his gifts, and not him, to be the ultimate source of joy. But he is merciful to deliver us from our lusts by his power, if we only listen to his voice and turn to him.
83. The public covenant of a sexual union that is contrary to nature is condemned by the Lord; a minister who blesses it commits treason by elevating himself above divine law.

    
    Regarding the civil authorities
    

84. Given that Christ has received all authority in heaven and on earth, we Christians submit to the present civil authorities as servants instituted by him. But for the same reason, we Christians must obey God more than men if the civil authorities require us to act against our conscience.
85. As long as there is poverty and injustice in the world, it is our duty as Christians to do mercy to the needy and to protect the vulnerable as if they were Jesus himself, regardless of whether the civil authorities commend or condemn us.
86. The Church will be relevant in the world if she follows the word of the cross, but she will be useless to God if she follows the world.
87. It is the duty of the Church to remind the government and all of society that there is a higher, immortal, almighty, and only wise ruler: the triune God. He loves justice, as the Holy Scriptures often say, and brings judgement upon the violation of his good commandments.
88. It does not concern the government, but the Spirit of God, to speak into the conscience of an individual and convict him of evil; it does not concern the Church, but the government, to exercise punitive justice in order to resist immorality.
89. It concerns the Church, both to cooperate with the government when it seeks to fulfil its God-given duties, and to resist the government as a martyr when it seeks to advance evil.
90. It does not concern the Church to influence the election or removal of the present civil authorities; it does not concern the civil authorities to influence the election or removal of the shepherds of the Church.
91. The teaching of the Church is subject to the word of God, not to the decrees of the government nor to the consensus of the culture.
92. The sacraments of the Church are administered in accordance with the will of God, not in accordance with the whim of men.
93. The hope of the Church rests on the inalterable promises of God, not on the predictions, threats, nor ambitions of the spirit of the time.
94. It is not the fear of the forecasts but the fear of God that will lead us Christians to gain the wisdom that we need for a proper preservation and dominion of creation.
95. Above any natural catastrophe, the message that should make the world tremble, which the Church must proclaim, is the imminent coming of the King of kings, who will judge the living and the dead, and whose kingdom shall never end.

Soli Deo gloria