Table of Contents
Production Notes
Front Matter
PREFACE
  1. OUR HERITAGE AS PRESBYTERIANS
    1. The Organization of the Presbyterian Church
      1. The Session
      2. The Presbytery
      3. The Synod
      4. The General Assembly
      5. Deacons and Trustees
      6. Presbyterianism as a New Testament Form of Church Organization
    2. Some Highlights in the History of the Church
      1. Key Dates and Events
      2. The Early Church
      3. The Protestant Reformation
      4. Persecution and the Flight to America
      5. The Westminster Assembly
      6. The Establishment of Presbyterianism in America
      7. The Northern and Southern Branches of Presbyterianism
      8. Other Presbyterian Bodies in the United States
  2. OUR RULE OF FAITH AND LIFE
    1. The Bible Contains a Revelation from God
    2. The Bible Is an Inspired Record of God’s Revelation of Himself to Man
      1. Inspiration, Communication and Selection
      2. Preservation
      3. Translation
    3. The Bible Is Our Rule of Faith and Life (its authority)
    4. The Bible Must Be Properly Interpreted and Put to Work
  3. OUR SOVEREIGN GOD
    1. Views of the Universe that Reject a Sovereign God
      1. Naturalism
      2. Pantheism
      3. Deism
    2. The Biblical Point of View
      1. The Creator of the Universe
      2. The Actor in the Universe
    3. Predestination and Human Freedom in God’s Universe
      1. Predestination
      2. Human Freedom and Responsibility
      3. Declaratory Statement of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
  4. OUR TRIUNE GOD
    1. The difficulty of Understanding the Trinity
    2. The Meaning of the Trinity
    3. The Functions of the Three Persons in the God-head
    4. The Difference the Trinity Makes to Believers
  5. OUR NEED OF GOD’S REDEMPTION
    1. The Meaning of the Fall
      1. Three Kinds of World Are Unsatisfactory
      2. The World of the Bible
      3. God Is Not Responsible for the Evil in the World
      4. Reasons Why Moral Choices Are Important
      5. The Significance of the Fall to Adam and His Posterity
    2. The Subtle and Destructive Power of Sin
      1. The Downward Path of Man
      2. The Psychological Effects of Sin
      3. Rationalization as an Escape from the Reality of Sin
        1. Attributing the Best Motives to Ourselves
        2. Finding Good Reasons for Unworthy Acts
    3. Consideration of the Punishment which is Due for Sin
      1. What Men Deserve
      2. What Men Ought to Do
  6. OUR MEANS OF SALVATION
    1. The Meaning of Election
      1. Characteristics of the Covenant of Grace
      2. The Doctrine of Election Does Not Exclude Believers
      3. Key Points Summarizing the Doctrine of Election
    2. The Meaning of Effectual Calling
      1. Five Features of Effectual Calling
      2. The Calling of Elect Infants
    3. The Meaning of Justification
    4. The Meaning of Adoption
    5. The Meaning of Sanctification
  7. OUR EXPERIENCE OF SALVATION
    1. The Place of Christ in Our Experience
    2. The Meaning of Repentance unto Life
      1. It Begins with the Holy Spirit and the Word
      2. It Roots in a Realization of the Heinousness of Sin
      3. It Claims Christ’s Mercy for Us as Sinners
      4. It Issues in a New Turning to God for Obedience
    3. The Meaning of a Saving Faith
      1. It Is the Commitment of the Whole Life to Christ
      2. It Is a Continuous Habit and Practice of Life
    4. The Joy of Perseverance by His Grace
      1. The Experience of True Believers
      2. The Keeping Power of God’s Love
      3. The Inseparable Union with Christ
      4. The Continual Intercession of Christ
      5. The Indwelling Seed of Christ
    5. The Assurance of Salvation
      1. The Importance of Christian Experience
      2. The Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit
      3. The Habit of Obedience
  8. OUR FELLOWSHIP IN THE CHURCH
    1. The Invisible Church
    2. The Visible Church
      1. Includes All True Believers in Christ
      2. Includes Members of Other Evangelical Churches
      3. Includes Fellowship with Other Church Bodies
    3. The Head of the Church
    4. The Place of the Church in God’s Plan
      1. In the Old Testament
      2. In the New Testament
    5. Presbyterian and Dispensational Views of the Church
      1. Good Points of Many Dispensationalists
      2. Basic Differences Between Dispensationalism and Presbyterianism
      3. These Differences Lead to Different Interpretations of Scripture
      4. The Purpose of this Presentation
    6. The Relation of Christ to the Church
    7. The Mission of the Church
    8. The Source of Power for the Church
  9. OUR MEANS OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
    1. Obedience to the Law of God
    2. Christian Education
    3. Prayer and Worship
      1. Private Prayer and Worship
      2. Public Worship
        1. Sanctifying the Sabbath Day
        2. Worshiping God in His Sanctuary
    4. The Sacraments
      1. Why Presbyterians Observe Only Two Sacraments
      2. The Sacrament of Baptism
      3. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
    5. The Communion of Saints
  10. OUR TASK IN THE HOME
    1. Preparing to Establish Christian Homes
    2. Family Worship, Example and Teaching
      1. The Vows of Parents
      2. The Teaching Responsibility of the Home
    3. The Relation Between Parents and Children
    4. The Church and the Home as Allies
      1. Helping to Protect the Sacredness of Marriage
      2. Cooperating in Christian Education and Service
  11. OUR TASK IN SOCIETY
    1. The Individual and Society
    2. The Work of Calvin in Geneva
    3. The Transformation of Society by the Gospel
      1. Through Transformed Individuals
      2. Through the Application of Christian Principles
      3. Through the Abiding Worship and Service of the Church
  12. OUR EXPECTATION OF FUTURE LIFE
    1. The Relation of the Life Here to the Life Hereafter
    2. The Body of Believers Here and Hereafter
    3. The Return of Christ
      1. The Standards Not Explicit Concerning Details of Christ’s Return
      2. The Millenarian Views of Christ’s Return
    4. The Last Judgment
      1. It is the Judgment of Christ
      2. It is Universal
      3. It is According to the Thoughts, Words and Deeds of Men
      4. It is Final
    5. The Experience of the Righteous and the Wicked in Eternity
  13. OUR AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
    1. In the Scriptures by Diligent Study
    2. In God by Faith and Obedience
    3. In Christ by Claiming Salvation
    4. In the Church by Realizing its Mission
    5. In the Home by Making it More Christian
    6. In Society by Practicing Our Gospel
    7. In the Future by Living Eternally in Time