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Statement and Doctrine of Faith

Reformed Confessional Heritage

At Covenant Reformed Institute, we joyfully affirm the essential doctrines of the Christian faith as summarized in the historic Reformed confessions. Our theological foundation is unapologetically biblical, Christ-centered, and aligned with the rich legacy of the Reformation.

Our faculty and curriculum are shaped by these time-tested truths, and all teaching is conducted in accordance with the authority of Scripture and the sovereignty of God.

Covenant Reformed Institute affirms the foundational truths of the Christian faith as expressed in the Reformed tradition. The following summarizes our core doctrinal commitments.

1. The Scriptures
We believe the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, and sufficient Word of God. It is the final authority for faith and practice.

2. The Triune God
We believe in one true and living God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each equal in power and glory, and distinct in their personal relations.

3. God's Sovereignty in Creation and Providence
We affirm that God is the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, working all things according to the counsel of His will, for His own glory.

4. The Fall of Man
We believe that Adam, as the federal head of humanity, sinned and fell from original righteousness. As a result, all humanity is born in sin and under the just condemnation of God.

5. The Five Solas of the Reformation
We believe salvation is by grace alone (Sola Gratia), through faith alone (Sola Fide), in Christ alone (Solus Christus), to the glory of God alone (Soli Deo Gloria), as taught in Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura). These are the heart of the gospel and shape our teaching and ministry.

6. The Person and Work of Christ
We believe in the full deity and full humanity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary atonement, bodily resurrection, and His current intercession for the elect.

7. The Holy Spirit
We affirm the person and work of the Holy Spirit in convicting of sin, regenerating the heart, indwelling believers, and sanctifying the church through the Word.

8. The Church
We believe the Church is the body of Christ, composed of all believers. The visible church is the local expression of this body, marked by the preaching of the Word, the administration of the sacraments, and church discipline.

9. The Sacraments
We affirm that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances instituted by Christ, to be administered in the church as signs and seals of the covenant of grace.

10. Eschatology
We believe in the bodily return of Jesus Christ, the final resurrection, the judgment of all people, and the eternal state—heaven for the redeemed, and eternal punishment for the unrepentant.

Confessional Alignment

We affirm the following confessional documents:

  • The Thirty-Nine Articles
  • The Westminster Confession of Faith
  • The Heidelberg Catechism
  • The Belgic Confession
  • The Canons of Dort

While we hold these confessions with conviction, we allow for thoughtful differences on non-essential matters, always in a spirit of charity and unity in Christ.