Listen to encouraging updates from churches and church plants both within our new association and beyond. Association of Reformed Baptist Churches in Western Canada: https://www.arbcwc.ca/ Conference website: https://www.confessingthefaith.ca Free Grace Baptist Church: https://www.freegrace.ca/

In this doctrinally rich session, Dr. Samuel Renihan explains how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are truly distinct yet fully and equally God. Using a "5–4–3–2–1" framework, he explores eternal relations and personal properties: five notions, four relations, three properties, two processions, and one divine essence. This session clarifies how classical Trinitarian theology avoids both tritheism and modalism. Rather than being distinguished by role or rank, each person is identified by eternal origin—such as the Father's begetting of the Son and the Spirit's procession. Dr. Renihan carefully guides listeners through the biblical foundations and confessional categories that safeguard orthodoxy. While the content is technical, it is deeply important for anyone seeking to understand and articulate the mystery and majesty of the Triune God. Key Scriptures: John 15:26; Psalm 2:7; Matthew 3:16–17 Speaker Bio: Dr. Samuel Renihan is pastor of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, California. He holds an MDiv from Westminster Seminary California and a PhD from the Free University of Amsterdam. He is the author of The Mystery of Christ, Deity and Decree, and Crux, Mors, Inferi. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter of the confession. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

Moderator: Pastor Cam Porter In this extended Q&A panel, the speakers answer theological questions submitted by conference attendees. Topics include: – Can we grieve the Holy Spirit if God has no emotions? – How can we speak to children about sin and God's "sadness"? – What does it mean to say "God is wrath" or "God is love"? – How should we understand the covenant of redemption? – Can theology be done without metaphysics or natural theology? – How does God relate to time and eternity? – What did Calvin believe about the Son's aseity? – Is there such a thing as "bad" suffering in God's plan? – What are good introductory books on the Trinity? Speaker Bios: Dr. James Dolezal is professor of theology at Cairn University and visiting professor at International Reformed Baptist Seminary. Dr. Samuel Renihan is pastor of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, California, and holds a PhD from the Free University of Amsterdam. Pastor Jim Butler has served Free Grace Baptist Church since 1997 and holds MDiv and ThM degrees from Whitefield Theological Seminary. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter of the confession. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

In this pastoral session, Pastor Jim Butler offers reflections on how the doctrine of God—His simplicity, eternity, immutability, and Trinity—shapes the daily life of the church. Drawing from decades of ministry, he shows how theology proper impacts preaching, shepherding, parenting, and church unity. Rather than being a distant or academic subject, classical theism is shown to be the very foundation for faithful, reverent ministry. Pastor Butler encourages church leaders to teach these truths with clarity and conviction—and to model a God-centered life before the congregation. This session is especially helpful for pastors and elders, but it is also accessible and practical for all believers who want to live and serve with a high view of God. Key Scriptures: John 1:1–18; 1 Timothy 3:14–15; Deuteronomy 4:9–10 Speaker Bio: Pastor Jim Butler has served as pastor of Free Grace Baptist Church in Chilliwack, British Columbia, since 1997. He trained under Dr. Richard Barcellos and holds MDiv and ThM degrees from Whitefield Theological Seminary. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter of the confession. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

Dr. Samuel Renihan presents a clear, biblical, and confessional overview of the doctrine of the Trinity—one God in three eternal subsistences: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He explains how the Second London Confession reflects both the unity and the distinctions within the Godhead, and why these distinctions are based on eternal relations of origin, not merely role or function. This session helps guard against errors such as tritheism or modalism, and instead reinforces historic orthodoxy. Listeners will come away with a better grasp of the biblical basis for the Trinity and why it matters for worship, salvation, and spiritual life. Key Scriptures: Matthew 28:19; John 1:1–3; 2 Corinthians 13:14 Speaker Bio: Dr. Samuel Renihan is pastor of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, California. He holds an MDiv from Westminster Seminary California and a PhD from the Free University of Amsterdam. He is the author of The Mystery of Christ, Deity and Decree, and Crux, Mors, Inferi. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter of the confession. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

In this session, Dr. James Dolezal teaches on the often misunderstood doctrine of divine impassibility—the truth that God does not undergo emotional change or suffering. While God is deeply relational and perfectly loving, He is not subject to mood swings, surprise, or reaction in the way creatures are. Dolezal walks through Scripture and the 1689 Confession to explain how impassibility safeguards God's immutability, sovereignty, and faithfulness. He demonstrates that this doctrine is not a cold abstraction, but a profound comfort: the God who saves does not change. This session challenges modern distortions of God's nature and helps restore a view of the Lord that is both high and holy. This message is especially helpful for pastors, teachers, and Christians seeking to recover the historic, biblical understanding of who God is and how He interacts with His creation. Key Scriptures: Malachi 3:6 – "For I am the Lord, I do not change." Numbers 23:19 – "God is not a man, that He should lie…" Job 35:6–7 – "If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him?" Speaker Bio: Dr. James Dolezal is professor of theology at Cairn University and visiting professor at International Reformed Baptist Seminary. He is the author of God Without Parts and All That Is in God, and contributor to Divine Impassibility and Classical Theism. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter of the confession. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

In this session, Dr. James Dolezal explores two glorious attributes of God: His eternity and incomprehensibility. God is not bound by time, nor can He be fully grasped by finite minds. Yet He has truly revealed Himself to us in Scripture, not in totality, but truly and sufficiently. Dr. Dolezal shows how these truths, rather than discouraging pursuit of God, drive us to reverent worship and theological humility. They remind us that God is not like us—and that's precisely what makes Him worthy of our trust. If God could be fully comprehended, He would not be infinite. This message calls us to embrace the mystery of God, not as a gap in knowledge, but as a reason for awe. It also helps protect the church from shallow or overly rationalistic approaches to theology. Key Scriptures: Psalm 90:2 – "From everlasting to everlasting, You are God." Isaiah 40:28 – "The Creator... neither faints nor is weary." Romans 11:33 – "Oh, the depth of the riches... of God!" Speaker Bio: Dr. James Dolezal is professor of theology at Cairn University and visiting professor at International Reformed Baptist Seminary. He is the author of God Without Parts and All That Is in God. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter of the confession. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

In this foundational session, Dr. James Dolezal teaches on the doctrine of divine simplicity—the truth that God is not made of parts or composed of differing attributes. He explains how simplicity safeguards God's unity, independence, immutability, and perfection. Far from being an abstract philosophical idea, divine simplicity is vital to understanding the God of Scripture and worshiping Him rightly. Through careful biblical reasoning and historical confessional support, Dr. Dolezal shows how this doctrine undergirds all others. Without simplicity, the God we profess becomes subject to change, complexity, or contradiction. This message calls the church to recover this essential aspect of theology proper and to rest in the unchanging wholeness of our God. Key Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:4 – "The Lord our God, the Lord is one." Exodus 3:14 – "I AM WHO I AM." James 1:17 – "The Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." Speaker Bio: Dr. James Dolezal is professor of theology at Cairn University and visiting professor at International Reformed Baptist Seminary. He is the author of God Without Parts and All That Is in God, and contributor to volumes like Divine Impassibility and Classical Theism. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca