What Do We Believe?

At The Woodlands Reformed Church, we believe, first and foremost, that the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible are the authoritative, inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. The Apostle Paul writes in 2nd Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” As a result, we desire to be a church that lives in light of the teaching of Scripture in all we do. As we read and study God’s Word, we are convinced that the Westminster Confession of Faith and its Larger & Shorter Catechisms are the best expression of the system of doctrine contained in Scripture. While the Westminster Confession is not inerrant or infallible and is subservient to the authority of the Bible, we believe it is the best human expression of Biblical faith. Below you can find helpful links for reading and studying the Westminster Standards.

The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms:

The Westminster Confession of Faith

The Larger Catechism, part 1

The Larger Catechism, part 2

The Shorter Catechism

Below we offer a brief summary of our convictions:

The Bible
We believe that the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the revelation of God’s truth and is infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.

The Trinity
We believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God, infinite and unchanging, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Man and Sin
We believe that all people are sinners by nature, are guilty in God’s sight, and are totally unable to save themselves from God’s displeasure. His free grace alone provides a way of salvation.

Election
We believe that this salvation is the work of God alone. He sovereignly chooses whom He will save. We believe that His choice is based solely on His grace, not on any merit found in his people, their foreseen faith, or their religious activity.

Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect obedience and sacrificial death as the representative and substitute of his people, atoned for the sins of all who would trust in Him alone for salvation.

Justification
We believe that the only way to acceptance with God is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.

God’s Covenant Promises
We believe that God is gracious and faithful to His people not simply as individuals but as families in successive generations according to His covenant promises.

The Church
We believe that the church is the covenant community of God and the sphere within which the grace of God is available to all, through the preaching and teaching of the Bible, and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Outside the church there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.

The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people and enables them to trust Christ and follow Him. Faith is the gracious gift of God.

Perseverance of the Saints
We believe that having come to saving faith in Christ, believers can never be lost, but persevere to the end, being kept by the power of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This perseverance is both the responsibility of every believer, and the infallible promise of God to all his people.

The Return of Christ
We believe that Jesus will return at the last day, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind and to receive His people to Himself.

Living the Christian Life
We believe that all aspects of our lives are to be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ as we wait for the day of his glorious appearing.