|
We
believe...
First and foremost we believe that the Bible
is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule
of faith and practice.
In the Bible we learn that (1) human beings are
inherently sinful and cannot be completely obedient to God's perfect
Will. (2) Therefore the natural death of human beings is the precursor
to the eternal separation of Man from God. (3) But God in his great
and mysterious love decided that he would transfer the sins of His
people onto the only one who could bear His full wrath, Jesus Christ.
(4) Jesus Christ, being fully God and one with the Father, came
down and was born as a baby and became fully Man as well.
(5) By living a perfectly obedient life, Jesus provides
His people with the righteousness they never could do on their own.
Finally (6) to absorb the sins of His people, Jesus Christ was crucified
and died on the cross at Calvary where he then suffered the penalties
of sin. (7) On the third day, celebrated as Easter, Jesus arose
from the dead with the free offer of forgiveness to all who would
believe. He appeared to many who marveled at his reappearance, until
(8) He ascended into heaven where He is seated at the right hand
of the Father. (9) Jesus Christ promised that he will return to
judge the living and the dead, but that all who put their faith
in Him alone will be freed from all their sins and will receive
His righteousness as their own so that His people can return to
their Father's house in heaven.
As heirs to the Reformed tradition of Faith- the
leadership of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox, we also
abide by secondary standards of faith listed here:
For a more complete statement of our beliefs, we
have reprinted the following from the homepage of the Presbyterian
Church in America, of which we are a member church:
1. The Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of
God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
2. There is one God, eternal and self-existing in
three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) who are to be equally
loved, honored, and adored.
3. All mankind participated in Adam's fall from
his original sinless state and is thus lost in sin and totally helpless.
4. The Sovereign God, for no other reason than His
own unfathomable love and mercy, has chosen lost sinners from every
nation to be redeemed by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit
and through the atoning death and resurrection of His son, Jesus
Christ.
5. Those sinners whom the Spirit quickens, come
to believe in Christ as Savior by the Word of God, are born again,
become sons of God, and will persevere to the end.
6. Justification is by faith and through it the
undeserving sinner is clothed with the righteousness of Christ.
7. The goal of God's salvation in the life of the
Christian is holiness, good works, and service for the glory of
God.
8. At death the Christian's soul passes immediately
into the presence of God and the unbeliever's soul is eternally
separated from God unto condemnation.
9. Baptism is a sign of God's covenant and is properly
administered to children of believers in their infancy as well as
to those who come as adults to trust in Christ.
10. Jesus Christ will return to earth, visibly and
bodily, at a time when He is not expected, to consummate history
and the eternal plan of God.
11. The Gospel of God's salvation in Jesus Christ
must be published to all the world as a witness before Jesus Christ
returns.
|
