Anglican/Episcopalian Churches (Source 39 Articles of Religion)
In
the United States the denomination is called Episcopal, and in most
of the rest of the world it is called Anglican. The Church of England
is headed by the king or queen of England and the Archbishop of
Canterbury. Outside of England, Anglican churches are led on the
national level by a primate, then by archbishops, bishops, priests
and deacons. Anglicanism is characterized by a middle ground between
Catholicism and Protestantism. Due to significant freedom and
diversity allowed by the Anglican churches in the areas of Scripture,
reason and tradition, there are many differences in doctrine and
practice among the churches within the Anglican Communion. Anglican
practices and rituals are primarily found in the Book of Common
Prayer, Some Anglican churches accept the ordination of women to the
priesthood while others do not.
Below
you will learn about the beliefs of Episcopalians and Scripture
showing their truth or error.
Beliefs of The Episcopalians:
God: There is one God in a unity of three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God is the Creator of all things, humans are created in the image of God. We are born with the knowledge of God at birth, but lifestyles and ignorance blind us from it if we are not brought up to know God. Our covenant with God is through His Son, Jesus Christ.“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” - Romans 1:19-21.Jesus: The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father, took Man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance: so that two whole and perfect Natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one Person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God, and very Man; who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.
Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God, born of a virgin through the Holy Ghost. He died on a cross, was buried, and three days later resurrected and is the only door to eternal life.“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” - John 3:15,16.The Holy Spirit: The Holy Ghost, the Third Person of the Trinity, God at work in the world and in the Church, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.
The Holy Spirit is a part of the Godhead, known as God the Father, God, the Son (Jesus, the Word), and God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives in those whom have accepted Christ as their Savior and becomes adamant after baptism. Until one is baptized they really do not acknowledge the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised to send a comforter to all who believe in Him in His place and that comforter is the Holy Spirit. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” - John 14:26.
Sin: Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam, (as the Pelagians do vainly talk;) but it is the fault and corruption of the Nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam; whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit; and therefore in every person born into this world, it deserveth God's wrath and damnation.
Every person born, except Jesus Christ is automatically born with a sin nature, due to the curse that was given upon all mankind with the first sin of Adam and Eve. While we are to follow the will of God, it is not a sin if we fall out of it. We reconcile our relationship with God when we accept His Son, Jesus Christ as our Savior, but it is our choice, our own free will to decide whether or not we receive Him. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.” - Romans 5:10-14.
Heaven and Hell: Heaven, is eternal life in our enjoyment of God, hell, is eternal death in our rejection of God.
Heaven is the Kingdom of God promised to all who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Eternal life is given to all who accept Christ. Eternal damnation is passed on to all who have not accepted Christ. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” - John 5:28-29.
Christ's Death, Burial, & Resurrection: As Christ died for us, and was buried, and raised from the dead three days later, it also to be believed that he descended down into Hell to save people.
The only people that are redeemed are the ones who accepted Christ as their Savior while they are alive. If you died today and have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior you will end up in hell. Sin is what sends people to hell, we are only saved from hell when we believe in and accept Christ while we are alive. People before Jesus came to earth in the flesh also lived by faith that He would come here. “For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.” - Isaiah 38:18,19.
Salvation: They also are to be had accursed that presume to say, That every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that Law, and the light of Nature. For Holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.
Grace is God's favor toward those who have called on Christ to save them to give them the gift of eternal life or salvation.“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:23.
Eternal Life: At judgment day all people will be resurrected bodily, the faithful to eternal life, the unfaithful to eternal death.
When Christ returns all the bodies of those whom have gone to heaven will resurrect, reuniting the body with the soul. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” - I Thessalonians 4:16,17.
Baptism: Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened, but it is also a sign of Regeneration or New-Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed; Faith is confirmed, and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God. The Baptism of young Children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ.
Baptism is a command from Jesus to be done after we are saved as a public profession of our faith. Infants are not required to be baptized, in order to be baptized a person needs to be saved which can only happen when a person is accountable for their sins. An infant has no idea what sin is, when a child recognizes what sin is that is when they are accountable.“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” - Mark 16:16. This is the verse that many misinterpret, it does not say that you have to be baptized to be saved, it says you must believe to be saved.
Bible: Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.
The Bible is both Old and New Testaments and it was written by about forty men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Apocrypha books were in a few English speaking Bibles, but were taken out of most of them when learned they were not the inspired Word of God. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” - II Timothy 3:16,17.
