Introduction to Anglican Theology - Articles Six Through Twenty

Lesson Two
In the previous lesson we studied the first five articles of the Articles of Religion. In this lesson we will study articles 6-20.

As we study Articles 6-20, two matters will be at the forefront of our investigation. They are, “How do we know God?” and second, “What is the nature of the church?”

For Anglicans, and for Christians in general, God has made himself known, first and foremost, in the Lord Jesus Christ. But how can we come to know the Lord Jesus? There are many answers to this question. Most Protestants believe that the Lord Jesus is known in Scripture. Rome believed that Christ was known in Scripture, but in addition to Scripture, there were other Christian truths given and developed in the church that were not in Scripture. According to Rome, believers had to believe these truths as well. Others believed that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and alive in experience, and therefore, God can give revelations directly to the heart, revelations that were not found in Scripture. In our day, for example, the Mormons believe that God spoke to Joseph Smith, telling him truths not found in Scripture. Over against these views, early Anglicans believed that God had revealed himself in Jesus Christ as known in Scripture. Anglicans did not believe there were other truths given to the church that must be believed. Anglicans also believed that even though one can experience the Lord Jesus Christ, religious experiences cannot supersede or go beyond Scripture. Even if we believe, however, that God has revealed himself in Jesus Christ, and that the true revelation of the Lord Jesus is in Scripture and not in the church or our immediate experience, we still might wonder who has the authority to rightly interpret Scripture.

In regard to who has the authority to rightly interpret Scripture, there is a continuum of answers. On one end there are those who claim that the church has the right to interpret Scripture, and on the other end, there are those who believe that the individual, guided by the Spirit, can rightly interpret Scripture. Anglicans believe that Scripture is the decisive revelation of God, and although each person is called to read and study Scripture, it is the body of Christ who finally decides the meaning of the biblical revelation.

There is another question that we might consider. Is the church simply a gathering together of individuals who have the same beliefs, or is it an organism with lines of authority, structure, and order? In the first case, an individual might discover what they take to be an unrecognized truth of Scripture, and then form a church composed of those convinced of this new truth. If, however, the church is an organism with lines of authority and responsibility, then no one is free to start their own church on the basis of their particular understanding of Christian truth. Since the Reformation there have been hundreds of new denominations, sects, and parties formed by those who believed they had discovered a new truth in Scripture, and from there, convinced others to join then to form a new church. Anglicans, however, do not believe that just anyone can start a new religious movement, or decide on their own how to order the life of the church, or interpret Scripture to find new truths without serious consultation with others. As a result, historically, there have been few church divisions among Anglicans. Having said that, however, Anglicans separated themselves from Rome at the time of the Reformation, and therefore, it must be said that when the essentials of the faith are at stake, Anglicans are willing to hold to the ancient faith and refuse to follow those who arrive at a new truth.

Let us now look at the articles of this lesson, beginning with Article 6.

Article 6. This article is of supreme importance as it provides the norm by which Anglicans come to know Jesus Christ, and through him, God. The article also distinguishes Anglicanism from Rome who claimed to posses special truths not found in Scripture, and from certain Protestant sects who claimed the direct illumination of the Holy apart from Scripture.

Article 7. At the time of the Reformation there were some Protestants who claimed they had been so liberated by the grace of God in Christ Jesus that they were no longer bound by certain Old Testament laws, such as, for example, the Ten Commandments.

Article 8. At the time of the Reformation there were certain Protestants who said that the creeds should not be received as Christian truth because none of them are directly stated in Scripture. Anglicans are, however, willing to adopt practices not directly stated in Scripture, provided they are derived from Scripture and lead to Christian life and truth. For example, Anglicans recite the Nicene Creed in worship. Scripture does not command this practice, nor does it deny the practice. Were it denied, Anglicans could not do it.

Article 9. Pelagius taught that Adam was born free to sin or not sin, and that his descendants have this same freedom. Although he taught all persons were free to sin or not sin, he did recognize that all persons, “merely in the following of Adam's example,” choose to sin just as Adam did. The article, however, is disagreeing with Pelagius. It is saying that sin is a deep fault and corruption that is found in all the descendents of Adam (which is all of us), and this corruption exists in us from birth, before we have acted one way or another. In other words, when we are born, we are not free to sin or not sin. Rather, because of our original corruption, we are doomed to sin. This Anglican view was asserted against the Roman view that sin was not that deeply engrained at birth in every human being, and therefore, in certain ways, each person has the power to sin or not sin.

Article 10. This article is connected to the previous article. If a human being is born corrupt, even their apparently good deeds have their origin in their corrupt nature and are therefore sinful. There are, for example, many people who apparently do good things, but their motives are always tainted with sin. All persons are like this, Jesus being the only exception.

Article 11. From the previous three articles we learned that all our deeds are tainted with sin. How then can we ever be right with a righteous God if all our actions are corrupt? The answer is that we are justified by faith in Christ Jesus. Justification means to be put in right relationship with God. This right relationship is established by Christ dying in our place, paying the penalty for our sins, satisfying God’s justice, and setting us right we God.

Article 12. Our good works do not contribute to our being in right relationship with God. Only Christ can set us right with God, and we receive this right relationship by faith, believing that his action on the cross atoned for our sins, enabled our forgiveness, and set us right with God. In Lesson Five we will study this doctrine more thoroughly as it is one of the most important doctrines of the Anglican Reformation.

Articles 9, 10, and 11 were written against the Roman position that sin is not that deeply engrained in the human heart and that our good deeds can justify us before God.

Article 13. In light of the previous articles, there are only three things that are acceptable to God. First, the sacrifice that Christ made for our sins. That and only that is pleasing to God. Second, we please God if we believe that Christ atoned for our sins as this belief gives honor to the Lord Jesus. That also is pleasing to God. Third, as we believe we are justified by faith in Christ, good deeds which come from this faith are pleasing to God. Since no one can have faith in Christ unless they first hear the good news of Christ, that is, receive the grace of Christ and the power of the Spirit, it follows that everything we did before we heard that message of salvation is not acceptable to God since it did not come from faith.

Article 14. This article was written to counter the Roman view that one could please God by fulfilling certain special acts of goodness. Once those actions were carried out, one was pleasing to God. According to this view, certain persons earned special honor because they did more than what God commanded. These deeds, such as giving all one has to the poor, or risking one’s life by attending those sick with a deadly disease, or dying as a martyr rather than denouncing Christ, or forgiving someone who killed your child, were called works of supererogation. These works made certain people special Christians, more pleasing to God than others as their actions merit God’s favor.

Article 15. This article was written to counter the beliefs of certain Protestant individuals who thought that they had become so holy through baptism and new birth that they could no longer sin. Also, indirectly, the article may have been against the belief held by certain Roman theologians that the Virgin Mary was without sin.

Article 16. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to Christians the kindness, mercy, and pardon of God. To sin against the Holy Spirit would then mean the willful and continuing unwillingness to receive the mercy and kindness of God. Such persons persist in doing evil, they refuse to repent, and they will not accept forgiveness. Many people have sins that trouble them. The Article is saying that whatever the sin may be, no matter how deep or terrible, it can be forgiven. The only thing that can block the forgiveness is to deny that one has sinned, or refuse to believe in the mercy and pardon of God.

We need to remember that it is the sacrifice of Christ that sets us right with God, not our own righteousness. Just as our good works do not set us right with God, our evil deeds will not bring God’s condemnation if we repent and ask forgiveness. Sometimes this process of repentance can take a long time. For example, sinful addictions such as drugs or alcohol often do not give way easily, and require the continual forgiveness of God as well as the help of others. Or, certain feelings such as anger or envy may live in the soul for years. Constant repentance is often required, but God always forgives those who seek his pardon.

Notice also that those who say they cannot sin after baptism are wrong. The tendency to sin, as stated in Article 9, lives in all of us. Therefore, it is wise not to think too highly of our freedom from sin, nor to think we cannot be forgiven.

Article 17. This is a very complex article and addresses matters that have been controversial and intensely debated for centuries. As a result, in this short introduction to Anglican theology, we are not able to really consider this article. Rather, let us reflect on only one aspect of the article. Please read the article it carefully.

Election, the idea that God chooses certain people to receive his call and love, is an important theme in Scripture. God chose Israel, Jesus Christ, and those who believe in him, Romans 8:28-31 being a key verse. What is the nature of this election? The article begins with the phrase, "Predestination to Life," that is, it claims that God elects to life. It does not say that God decides to elect some to death. If you have heard the message of salvation, you are called to believe it regardless of your circumstances. You are called to life. Now, as you think about this you may wonder if you are really called by God. All sorts of questions may come into your mind. Did God really choose me? Am I really responding to this call? Do I really walk faithfully in good works? What will happen to some of my loved ones who do not believe in Christ? What if I am overwhelmed by temptation and lose my faith? Have I committed a sin that will invalidate God’s choice of me as predestined to life? People who worry constantly about these sorts of questions are described in the article as “inquisitive and unspiritual persons who lack the Spirit of Christ.”

We really cannot answer many of these questions and the article is telling us that we need to stop thinking we can answer them. Predestination to life is described in the article as “his counsel which is hidden from us,” which means we cannot fully understand it. If we hold fast to what God has done in Christ, to the claim of Scripture that God has chosen us who believe, and if we stop there and hold fast to God’s love as known in Jesus, then no matter what happens, even if we sin, we can receive forgiveness because God has decreed to always forgive us and never let us go. That is his purpose, a purpose he established before the foundation of the world. Therefore, we need to hold to that purpose, even when God may seem far away and our difficulties are many, because his choice of us can never be shaken. We may waver, but he will never waver. We may at times fall off the path, but he always works to bring us back. Once we realize that God has chosen us, predestined us for eternal salvation, and then believe this, then the doctrine of predestination will become for us a “sweet, pleasant and inexpressible comfort to the godly and to those who feel within themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, …”

The work of the Spirit is to make God’s goodness, revealed in Christ, real to us, and as you hold fast to God’s choice of you, given to you by Christ’s justifying work and received in faith, you will have the Spirit at work in you. In other words, forget yourself and hold on to God. That is the doctrine of election. And if you find yourself starting to slip and fall, remember, God is holding on to you, and therefore, he will help you repent and start anew. In other words, have faith in God’s choice of you, not faith in your always having faith.

Article 18. The article refers to salvation by the name of Christ. Those who hear the name and believe are saved. Further, the article addresses those “who presume to say that every person shall be saved by the rule of life, religion or sect that he professes, …” In other words, the article is addressed to those who, contrary to the truth of the Christian religion, presume to say that the truth of Christ can be ignored. The article does not say anything about those who never heard the name or know nothing of the Christian faith. However one may understand the matter, the Christian faith has always commanded Christians to share the gospel with those who have never heard it. This article strongly rejects the belief that the truth of Christ can be ignored by those who hear it, even using the word “accursed.”

Article 19. This article speaks of the visible church. Before we understand the visible church, we need to learn what is meant by the invisible church. The invisible church is composed of those who truly believe in the Lord Jesus and will thereby be saved by God. Persons who truly believe in Christ come together in a visible church, the church we see when people come together to worship. Not everyone, however, who comes to the visible church actually believes in Christ. They belong to the visible church, but not to the invisible church. Only God knows the human heart and is able to discern who are in the visible church, or who are truly in the invisible church of the saved. It must be said, however, that we can rest assured that God forgives us of our sins as we repent and turn in faith to the Lord Jesus. All who do this can trust God to make them a part of the invisible church, the body of the saved, and such persons will work to form a visible church. The article was written against the Roman position which claimed that the invisible church was only manifested in the visible Roman Church. In this view, there was no salvation unless one was a part of the visible Roman Church under the authority of the pope. Article 19 does not define the invisible church. That is left to God. The article does define the visible church.

Article 20. This article was written to define the Anglican position against two alternatives. First, there were certain Protestant groups, later called Puritans, who insisted that unless a practice was found in Scripture, it could not be practiced in the church. For example, Puritans would object to such things as using a creed, having a wedding ritual that used a wedding ring, using written ceremonies for worship such as a prayer book, or having written homilies, and many other practices. None of these customs are explicitly found in Scripture. The Anglican position is that nothing can be done that is prohibited in Scripture, and further, everything that is done must be done for edification. The article was also written against the Roman church which tended to make the church, not Scripture, the supreme authority.

Review Questions

1. What, for Anglicans, is the final authority in the Church?

2. For Anglicans, who interprets Scripture -- individuals or the church as a whole?

3. Do you know of any churches in your area that were started by individuals who believed that they were called to start a church apart from other churches? If so, tell me in three or four sentences something about this church.

4. Article 6. What phrase in Article 6 denies the Roman belief that there are truths not found in Scripture that must be believed by faithful Christians?

5. What phrase, perhaps the same phrase as found in the previous question, would deny that the Holy Spirit can illumine the church or the individual to see new truths not found in Scripture?

6. Article 7. At the time of the Reformation there were some Protestants who claimed they had been so liberated by the grace of God in Christ Jesus that they were no longer bound by certain Old Testament laws. What in this article would deny this belief?

7. Article 8: What is the Anglican position on saying the creeds even though they are not directly stated in Scripture? Be brief.

8. Does Article 8 claim that one must recite the creeds in worship in order to be saved?

9. Article 9. What does the article say about sin in those who are regenerate, that is, those who have received Christ and been born again? State your thoughts in about three sentences.

10. Article 10. For this question you are asked to do the following: Pick a time when you can be alone and think clearly. Think about something you believe that you have done that is good. Ask God to show you how that good act was not purely good, that is, some of your motives for this act were selfish. Spend at least 15 minutes thinking about this. Question 14 is this: Did you do this spiritual exercise? Your answer is either yes or no.

11. Article 11. In three or four sentences, what connection do you see between justification and the previous two articles, Articles 9 and 10?

12. Article 12: Is it possible to have faith in Jesus Christ without that faith leading to works of love? Do these loving deeds justify one before God?

13. Article 13: State in a few sentences what you think about Article 13.

14. Article 14. Do you think some people are more Christian than others? Or, are there certain people in your church that are considered better Christians than others? Let me know what you think about this, and further, what Article 14 has to say about the matter.

15. Article 15. State in one simple sentence the essential teaching of this article.

16. Article 16: After reading the article and the comments in Lesson Two, state in three or four sentences your understanding of this article, including whether you think you have committed sins that cannot be forgiven.

17. Article 17. Have there ever been times in your life when you felt abandoned by God? In those dark times, can you hold on to God’s choice of you as the object of his love and faithfulness? In light of the article and the reading, write in a few sentences your response to these questions.

18. Article 18. Tell me in three or four sentences what you think of this article.

19. Article 19. There are two questions for this article.

a. What, according to Article 23, has to happen in a church for it to be a legitimate, visible church?

b. Does this article say that members of the Roman Church, or any other church for that matter, do not belong to the invisible church?

20. Article 20. There are four short questions for this article.

a. When deciding on a matter of faith, what standard should be used?

b. Who has the authority to determine the truth of that standard when deciding matters of faith?

c. The Anglican Church has always used an order of service in worship found in a prayer book, referred to here as “forms of worship and ceremonies.” Can any person decide on his or her authority how worship services are to be conducted?

d. Do you think each individual congregation should be free to worship as they please, or do you think the church as a whole, all Anglicans together, should decide? What is happening in your area of the church? Are all Anglicans using the same form of worship?

Discussion Questions
Gather a few people together for a discussion. Once you have found several people, describe to them how the Anglican Church broke away from the Roman Church, and at the same time, did not accept some of the beliefs and practices of other churches that broke with Rome. Show them, using the Articles of Religion as we have studied them, some of the ways the Anglican Church differs from other churches including the Roman Church. Of these differences, ask them to discuss which differences seem the most important for the life of the churches in your neighborhood. What do the members of your small group think of these differences? All Christian churches believe in Jesus. Isn’t that enough to show that we are all one, and do we really need to separate ourselves over differences that occurred over 400 years ago?