“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42–47 (NKJV)
“In the year of 1708, eight persons agreed together to establish a covenant of a good conscience with God, to accept all ordinances of Jesus Christ as an easy yoke and thus follow after their Lord Jesus–their good and loyal Shepherd–as true sheep in joy or sorrow until the blessed end.” Durnbaugh, Donald F. European Origins of the Brethren pg. 121.
One thing that has always impressed me is that the true and faithful Brethren have always been “People of the Book.” From the early church in the book of Acts, through the Protestant Reformation, through the Schwarzenau Brethren, to our present–day Covenant Brethren Church.
The passage above said the early church “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.” The Lord “who added to the church daily” created the church to be a place where the Word of the living God would be declared and expounded. The Apostle Paul encouraged young Timothy to be “nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine” 1 Timothy 4:6, (NKJV).
Prayer Point: One of the core principles of the Protestant Reformation centered around Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone). In a nutshell, it states that the Bible is the sole infallible, fully sufficient, and final authority for the Church in faith and practice. “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture:” Westminster Confession of Faith: Chapter 1, Section 6.
The Brethren, in being “People of the Book,” view the Book as the entirety of the Word of God, from the book of Genesis to the book of the Revelation. The New Testament is observed as “our rule for faith and practice.” And the Gospels are the life and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May I lovingly say that our Statement of Faith is greatly loved and well respected around the world and within the Church. “We believe the original writings of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are fully inspired by God, and are without error and completely trustworthy. We believe that God has faithfully preserved His Word throughout all generations and that it is fully authoritative and final. We believe it is our ultimate source for all information about Almighty God, the world He has created, and is our sole rule of faith and practice.”
Preach the Word!
John Collins – CBC EX Board
