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"The Word became flesh and made
his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and
Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We are ministers and members in the Reformed Church in America
and we write to share with you from our hearts. We worship our heavenly
Father. We confess that Jesus is Lord. We pray for the power of the
Holy Spirit. We delight in the Word of God. We are committed to church
multiplication and revitalization. We are passionate about local
evangelism. We are broken hearted over injustice and unrighteousness.
We rejoice in ministries of mercy done in Jesus’ name. We
long for the gospel to be proclaimed among those who have never heard
the good news of salvation found in Jesus Christ alone. We love the
church.
And we love the Reformed Church in America. In the walls and ministries
of her churches thousands of believers have been built up, thousands of
mourners comforted, and thousands of sinners brought to repentance and
faith in Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God for these and a million
other blessings. We are grateful for the gospel work that has been and
continues to be done in and through our little household of faith.
But a house is only as strong as their foundation. And we fear that our
foundation is deteriorating. The bricks and mortar of biblical doctrine
and reformed theology are being eroded. The message of grace that we
proclaim and the ministry of grace that we embody can only be strong
and solid when they are built upon the foundation of truth. Truth
without grace, however courageous and principled, is nothing but
belligerence, which is not the gospel. Grace without truth, however
accepting and welcoming, is nothing but unconditional affirmation,
which is also not the gospel.
Jesus, who came from the Father full of grace and truth, calls us to a
better way.
Jesus is all grace. He reached out to sinners - prostitutes, drunks,
and outcasts. He had compassion on the crowds when they were hungry and
far from home. He welcomed little children to come to his arms. He
healed lepers, the lame, and the blind. He saved the criminal on the
cross, who, in his dying breath, confessed that Jesus was truly the Son
of God.
Jesus is all truth. He fulfilled the law and obeyed his heavenly
Father. He talked about hell more than he talked about heaven. He
prophesied judgment on Jerusalem for their unrepentant hearts. He
exhorted the crowds to repent and regarded the Scriptures as
unbreakable. He believed himself to be the way, the truth, and the
life, and the only path to the Father.
We call upon all those who worship Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior to declare and demonstrate his grace, built upon the foundation
of his truth.
We write this letter out of a spirit of concern and hope. We are
concerned by the creeping moral relativism, theological compromise, and
doctrinal ambiguity we find in many churches in North America and even
in parts of our own denomination. We see, at times, a discounted truth
which affirms only the most nebulous and undefined doctrinal
parameters. And we see a counterfeit grace which offers inclusion in
place of redemption and acceptance instead of transformation. Because
of these concerns, we are compelled to contend for the faith that was
once for all entrusted to the saints.
We are also full of hope. There are many wonderful missionaries, godly
lay people, committed staff members, thriving churches, effective
pastors, and promising young leaders in the RCA. In some ways we are a
stronger body of churches than we were a generation ago. But we need
the integrity of truth and grace. That is why we are praying for
reformation and revival in the RCA. We believe in the power of the Holy
Spirit to show us our sin, bring us to repentance, and lead us into all
truth. We want to be a denomination that boldly stands for lavish grace
in the context of unswerving truth.
Therefore, it is in hope that we pledge ourselves to a Covenant
for Integrity in the RCA. Our Covenant is not meant
to replace the Bible or the Standards of Unity. At times in the life of
the church, however, it becomes necessary to clarify doctrinal
boundaries and re-establish cherished truths. At times we must preserve
and strengthen the foundation. We have pledged ourselves to this
Covenant for such a time as this.
If you share these same hopes and concerns, please take time to read
through the Covenant for Integrity in the RCA. A brochure
of this Covenant which includes information on the purposes and
commitments of RCA Integrity is available for download at our website.
Please share the brochure with your elders, consistory, congregation,
and classis. Our goal is to raise up and bring together hundreds of
Integrity churches, ministers, missionaries, and members in the RCA.
For more information on RCA Integrity, including how you and your
church can join RCA Integrity, visit our website at: www.integrityrca.org.
Yours in Christ,
RCA Integrity is not officially affiliated with nor sanctioned by the
Reformed Church in America
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