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Chapter 1 continues with the objection that if revelation has ceased, we have put God in a box. God finished creating and rested, and Christ finished his work and sat down; finishing is not weakness. God still speaks every time his word is read and preached. Peter, who heard the Father's voice on the mountain, calls Scripture something more sure. We work through what to say when someone says "God told me," and the freedom of resting on a word that does not change.

Westminster begins with Scripture. This lesson opens Chapter 1 of the Confession. Creation and conscience show every person that God exists and that they owe him, enough to leave us without excuse but not enough to save. God spoke in many ways: his own voice, the angel of the Lord, dreams, visions, the lot, and the prophets. He had his word written down to preserve the truth, to spread it, and to guard the church against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Now he has spoken in his Son, and those former ways have ceased.

How did an assembly called by Parliament in the middle of a civil war produce the confession Presbyterians still teach? This lesson tells how the Westminster Assembly met in 1643, argued every proposition and proof text from Scripture over 1,163 sessions, and gave the church three documents for three readers: the Confession, the Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism. We then compare Westminster with the Heidelberg Catechism, one faith in two approaches, and close with the spirit in which we hold a confession: humbly, gratefully, charitably, freely, and joyfully.

Every Christian carries a summary of the faith; the question is whether it is written down where it can be checked against Scripture. This first lesson asks what a confession is, why Scripture itself calls the church to confess, and why the Westminster Confession says it stands under the Word and can err. We then look at the vows ARP officers and members take, what it means for an elder to subscribe to the Standards, and how exceptions are judged.

The church doesn't grow through novelty, spectacle, or innovation — Christ grows his church through the ordinary means he appointed. We trace that conviction from the Huguenots to the Quakers, working through what the means of grace actually are.

Good church government doesn't just organize authority — it protects the congregation from human nature. We work through directories for public worship, why denominations allow the broader church to hold a bigger tent without everyone worshiping identically, and how Presbyterian polity's specific structures guard against the failure modes of one-man leadership.

Presbyterian convictions don't stop at church government — they shape how we worship, how we behave in the room, and even what the room looks like. We work through Acts 15 as the biblical model for elder deliberation, then trace how the same theology that governs the session also governs worship architecture, posture, and the question of who worship is actually designed for.

Where does Presbyterianism come from, and is it actually biblical? We survey the four major views of church government, trace the case for rule by elders from the Old Testament through the New, and show how those convictions shape the day-to-day life of Covenant of Grace.

What does it look like for a church to believe Scripture is, truly, the authority? We work through what it means to hold sola scriptura, where that conviction most commonly breaks down, and why getting it right shapes everything from how we counsel to how we teach our children. We close by connecting unconditional election to the only thing that can free a person from anxiety-driven obedience.

What does it mean that Christ's work is finished — and what shifts when that conviction is lost? We work through Solus Christus and all five points of TULIP, tracing how each doctrine connects to the way Covenant of Grace prays, preaches, practices discipline, and understands assurance.

Why does doctrine exist, and what's at stake when we get it wrong? We trace the Reformation's roots and work through two of the five solas — faith alone and grace alone —  showing how both doctrines shape the worship and community culture at Covenant of Grace.

Austin, Steven, and Paul continue the discussion on the theological convictions behind our approach to COG.

Jake, Steven, and Paul were part of the initial group that planted COG. What guided the decisions?

We render to each lord what they are due. What will you render to Jesus?