Him alone as it interprets His holy will.

V

We receive, as given by the Lord to His Church on earth, the Holy
Scriptures, the Sacraments of the Gospel, and the Christian
Ministry.

The Scriptures, delivered through men moved by the Holy Ghost,
record and interpret the revelation of redemption, and contain the
sure Word of God concerning our salvation and all things necessary
thereto. Of this we are convinced by the witness of the Holy Spirit
in the hearts of men to and with the Word; and this Spirit, thus
speaking from the Scriptures to believers and to the Church, is the
supreme Authority by which all opinions in religion are finally to
be judged.

The Sacraments--Baptism and the Lord's Supper--are instituted by
Christ, Who is Himself certainly and really present in His own
ordinances (though not bodily in the elements thereof), and are
signs and seals of His Gospel not to be separated therefrom. They
confirm the promises and gifts of salvation, and, when rightly used
by believers with faith and prayer, are, through the operation of
the Holy Spirit, true means of grace.

The Ministry is an office within the Church--not a sacerdotal
order--instituted for the preaching of the Word, the ministration
of the Sacraments and the care of souls. It is a vocation from God,
upon which therefore no one is qualified to enter save through the
call of the Holy Spirit in the heart; and this inward call is to be
authenticated by the call of the Church, which is followed by
ordination to the work of the Ministry in the name of the Church.
While thus maintaining the Ministry as an office, we do not limit
the ministries of the New Testament to those who are thus ordained,
but affirm the priesthood of all believers and the obligation
resting upon them to fulfil their vocation according to the gift
bestowed upon them by the Holy Spirit.

VI

We affirm the sovereign authority of our Lord Jesus Christ over
every department of human life, and we hold that individuals and
peoples are responsible to Him in their several spheres and are
bound to render Him obedience and to seek always the furtherance of
His Kingdom upon earth, not, however, in any way constraining
belief, imposing re