Who we are:
King's Covenant is a reformed evangelical church in the Huon Valley, Tasmania. Our mission is summed up by the phrase “All of Christ for all of life.”
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Under the grace of God, we hope that the Huon Valley will become a place where Christ’s Kingship is acknowledged and consequently peace, liberty and prosperity abounds.
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The foundation for this transformation flows from worship where
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we approach the uncreated Creator God in a way that pleases Him first and foremost and are therefore guided and informed by Scripture.
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the authority of Scripture is upheld as the inerrant and infallible Word of God
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the good news of Christ as Saviour and King is preached and impacts all of life
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The only hope for peace and prosperity in our valley, our state, our nation is the Word of God and the affirmation of the cultural values that flow from it.
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What we believe:
As reformational evangelicals, Kings Covenant Church seeks to display our unity in truth with other faithful believers, not only in the present, but also with the historic Christian church throughout the centuries. We are in essential agreement with the historic confessions of the Reformation, including the Synod of Dordt, the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism (together known as the Three Forms of Unity), the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1646.
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THE TRIUNE MAJESTY
The Triune God is the one uncreated Creator of all things that exist; between the Creator and His creation is a fundamental divide. This one God is eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. His Majesty is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, and limited by nothing other than His own nature and character. He is holy, righteous, good, stern, loving, and full of mercy.
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REVELATION
The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, inerrant in all they affirm. The Word has divine authority in everything it addresses, and it addresses everything. In no way should the Scriptures be brought to the judgment seat of human reason; rather, we must rationally and submissively study the Word granted to us.
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CREATION
In the beginning, God created the material universe from nothing. He spoke, and by the Word of His power, it was. Our science on the nature and time of this event must be determined in full submission to the Word of God.
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SIN
Our first father Adam was our federal head and representative. He was created innocent, but through his rebellion against the express Word of God, plunged himself and his entire posterity, represented in him, into the hopelessness of death in sin. This sin is lawlessness—an attempt to live apart from the Law and Word of God. Since that first great apostasy, no descendant of Adam has escaped from the death of lawlessness apart from efficacious grace.
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THE INCARNATE CHRIST
The Lord Jesus Christ is, according to the flesh, a descendant of David, and sits on David’s throne. He is, at the same time, God enfleshed. He is one individual with two natures—fully man and fully God. As a man, He is our elder brother and High Priest before God, representing us to God the Father. As God, He is the visible image of the invisible Father, representing God to us.
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SALVATION
Because all sons of Adam are spiritually dead, they are consequently incapable of saving themselves. But out of His sovereign mercy, God the Father elected a countless number to eternal salvation, leaving the remainder to their sinful desires. When the time was right, the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and was raised to life as an efficacious redemption for the elect. Thus He secured the salvation of His church, for which He laid down His life. And at the point of each individual’s conversion, the Holy Spirit brings resurrecting grace, effectually calling him by His power, with the result of repentance and faith.
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LAW
The grace of God in the gospel does not set aside the law of God; rather, it establishes it. To the one who believes, the law of God is precious, and through faith the law is established. The law stands as God’s testimony of His own righteous character; as such, it cannot be altered by anything other than God’s express Word. Consequently, we receive the entire Bible, Old and New Testaments, as fully containing the will of God for us. To all who do not believe, the law of God condemns them in self- righteousness.
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COVENANT
When God is pleased to bless the proclamation of His gospel, the result will always be a visible collection of saints bound in covenant to Him. They will be characterized through their assembly around the preached Word, their faithful administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and their orderly and disciplined government according to the Word of God.
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WITNESS
As believers present the gospel to those who remain in rebellious unbelief, there must be no halfway compromise with that unbelief. The ground and precondition for all creaturely ventures is the Word of God, which necessarily includes our teaching, apologetics, and evangelism. Every thought is to be made captive to the Lord Christ, and every tongue is to glorify the Father.
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ESCHATOLOGY
As the gospel of Christ is proclaimed throughout the world, the result will be the gradual transformation and salvation of the world. Prior to Christ’s return, the earth will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, and the whole earth will be full of His glory.
OUR CREEDS AND CONFESSIONS
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The Apostles' CreedA Summary of the teachings of the Apostles, this creed is probably the earliest of the main Christian creeds, its earliest form dates from c.215. _____ I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
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The Nicene Creedthis creed was originally formulated in 325 at the council of Nicea. At the time the church was struggling with the Arian heresy, which denied that Christ was truly God, but rather that he was a created being. The creed was formulated to repudiate Arianism and clearly states that Christ is eternal and part of the trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. ____ We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of the same essence as the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.
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The Chalcedon CreedThis creed was formulated at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The council met to resolve the issue of the 'natures' in Christ. The creed states that whilst Christ had two natures (one human, the other divine), they were distinct and Christ was truly one person. ____ We then, following the holy fathers, all with one consent teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a rational soul and body; coessential with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the mother of God, according to the manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one person and one subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning have declared concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the creed of the holy fathers has handed down to us.
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The Athanasian CreedWhoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith: That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence. For the person of the Father is a distinct person, the person of the Son is another, and that of the Holy Spirit still another. But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal. What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated. The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable, the Holy Spirit is immeasurable. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being. So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings; there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being. Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty. Yet there are not three almighty beings; there is but one almighty being. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three gods; there is but one God. Thus the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord. Yet there are not three lords; there is but one Lord. Just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually as both God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords. The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone. The Son was neither made nor created; he was begotten from the Father alone. The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten; he proceeds from the Father and the Son. Accordingly there is one Father, not three fathers; there is one Son, not three sons; there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits. Nothing in this trinity is before or after, nothing is greater or smaller; in their entirety the three persons are coeternal and coequal with each other. So in everything, as was said earlier, we must worship their trinity in their unity and their unity in their trinity. Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the trinity. But it is necessary for eternal salvation that one also believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully. Now this is the true faith: That we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and human, equally. He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity. Although he is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God's taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person. For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human. He suffered for our salvation; he descended to hell; he arose from the dead; he ascended to heaven; he is seated at the Father's right hand; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. At his coming all people will arise bodily and give an accounting of their own deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire. This is the catholic faith: one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.
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The 39 Articles of ReligionThe articles were not intended as a complete statement of the Christian faith, but of the position of the Church of England vis-a-vis the Roman Catholic Church and dissident Protestants. The articles also argue against some Anabaptist positions such as the holding of goods in common, and the necessity of believers' baptism. The articles were established by Convocation of the Church in 1563, under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who used the Forty-two Articles of Thomas Cranmer as inspiration. Click HERE for more.
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The Belgic ConfessionDuring the sixteenth century the churches in this country were exposed to the most terrible persecution by the Roman Catholic government. Guido de Bräs prepared this confession in the year 1561 to protest against this cruel oppression, and to prove to the persecutors that the adherents of the Reformed faith were not rebels, as was laid to their charge, but law-abiding citizens who professed the true Christian doctrine according to the Holy Scriptures, Click HERE for more.
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The Heidelberg CatechismFirst published in Heidelberg, the capitol of a German territory called the Palatinate in 1563, the Heidelberg Catechism has been used by Christians around the world ever since. The Catechism summarizes the major teachings of Holy Scripture in one hundred and twenty-nine memorable questions and answers, divided across 52 Lord's Day lessons. Its two main authors, Zacharius Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus, worked closly on it with theological professors, church superintendents, and church leaders, both ordained pastors and laymen over number of years. Click HERE for more.
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The Canons of DordtThe Synod of Dordt was held in the city of Dordrecht in 1618-19 in order to settle a serious controversy in the Dutch churches initiated by the rise of Arminianism. Although this was a national synod of the Reformed churches of the Netherlands, it had an international character, since it was composed not only of Dutch delegates but also of twenty-six delegates from eight foreign countries. Each of the main points consists of a positive and a negative part, the former being an exposition of the Reformed doctrine on the subject, the latter a repudiation of the corresponding errors. Click HERE for more.
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The Westminster ConfessionThe Westminster Confession of Faith was produced by the Westminster Assembly, which was called together in 1643, and met regularly in Westminster Abbey, completing the confession in 1646. It draws heavily upon the Reformed tradition of the European continent and the creedal heritage of the early Christian Church. Click HERE for more.
Our various creeds and confessions express an important part of who we are as a church. We confess and believe together with our fathers in the faith, and our brothers throughout the world. We are baptised into their company as members of the same body, the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with them we eat of a common loaf and drink from a common cup. Their creed is our creed, even as their life is our life—one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.
The elders of King’s Covenant Church therefore subscribe to these creeds and confessions, holding them to be a faithful witness to what the Scriptures teach, and as a means of identifying with the broader Church.
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Our pulpit is currently vacant, for more information please contact an Elder:
Phone: 0488 023 628
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OUR POSITIONAL PAPERS
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The Apostles' CreedA Summary of the teachings of the Apostles, this creed is probably the earliest of the main Christian creeds, its earliest form dates from c.215. _____ I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
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The Nicene Creedthis creed was originally formulated in 325 at the council of Nicea. At the time the church was struggling with the Arian heresy, which denied that Christ was truly God, but rather that he was a created being. The creed was formulated to repudiate Arianism and clearly states that Christ is eternal and part of the trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. ____ We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of the same essence as the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.
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The Chalcedon CreedThis creed was formulated at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The council met to resolve the issue of the 'natures' in Christ. The creed states that whilst Christ had two natures (one human, the other divine), they were distinct and Christ was truly one person. ____ We then, following the holy fathers, all with one consent teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a rational soul and body; coessential with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the mother of God, according to the manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one person and one subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning have declared concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the creed of the holy fathers has handed down to us.
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The Athanasian CreedWhoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith: That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence. For the person of the Father is a distinct person, the person of the Son is another, and that of the Holy Spirit still another. But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal. What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated. The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable, the Holy Spirit is immeasurable. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being. So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings; there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being. Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty. Yet there are not three almighty beings; there is but one almighty being. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three gods; there is but one God. Thus the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord. Yet there are not three lords; there is but one Lord. Just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually as both God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords. The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone. The Son was neither made nor created; he was begotten from the Father alone. The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten; he proceeds from the Father and the Son. Accordingly there is one Father, not three fathers; there is one Son, not three sons; there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits. Nothing in this trinity is before or after, nothing is greater or smaller; in their entirety the three persons are coeternal and coequal with each other. So in everything, as was said earlier, we must worship their trinity in their unity and their unity in their trinity. Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the trinity. But it is necessary for eternal salvation that one also believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully. Now this is the true faith: That we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and human, equally. He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity. Although he is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God's taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person. For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human. He suffered for our salvation; he descended to hell; he arose from the dead; he ascended to heaven; he is seated at the Father's right hand; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. At his coming all people will arise bodily and give an accounting of their own deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire. This is the catholic faith: one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.
-
The 39 Articles of ReligionThe articles were not intended as a complete statement of the Christian faith, but of the position of the Church of England vis-a-vis the Roman Catholic Church and dissident Protestants. The articles also argue against some Anabaptist positions such as the holding of goods in common, and the necessity of believers' baptism. The articles were established by Convocation of the Church in 1563, under the direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who used the Forty-two Articles of Thomas Cranmer as inspiration. Click HERE for more.
-
The Belgic ConfessionDuring the sixteenth century the churches in this country were exposed to the most terrible persecution by the Roman Catholic government. Guido de Bräs prepared this confession in the year 1561 to protest against this cruel oppression, and to prove to the persecutors that the adherents of the Reformed faith were not rebels, as was laid to their charge, but law-abiding citizens who professed the true Christian doctrine according to the Holy Scriptures, Click HERE for more.
-
The Heidelberg CatechismFirst published in Heidelberg, the capitol of a German territory called the Palatinate in 1563, the Heidelberg Catechism has been used by Christians around the world ever since. The Catechism summarizes the major teachings of Holy Scripture in one hundred and twenty-nine memorable questions and answers, divided across 52 Lord's Day lessons. Its two main authors, Zacharius Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus, worked closly on it with theological professors, church superintendents, and church leaders, both ordained pastors and laymen over number of years. Click HERE for more.
-
The Canons of DordtThe Synod of Dordt was held in the city of Dordrecht in 1618-19 in order to settle a serious controversy in the Dutch churches initiated by the rise of Arminianism. Although this was a national synod of the Reformed churches of the Netherlands, it had an international character, since it was composed not only of Dutch delegates but also of twenty-six delegates from eight foreign countries. Each of the main points consists of a positive and a negative part, the former being an exposition of the Reformed doctrine on the subject, the latter a repudiation of the corresponding errors. Click HERE for more.
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The Westminster ConfessionThe Westminster Confession of Faith was produced by the Westminster Assembly, which was called together in 1643, and met regularly in Westminster Abbey, completing the confession in 1646. It draws heavily upon the Reformed tradition of the European continent and the creedal heritage of the early Christian Church. Click HERE for more.
These are statements on various topics by our session, or by our wider CREC denomination.