What We Believe
The Big Picture...
We are a church created by and committed to the Bible! We summarize that commitment to the teaching of Scripture by being a confessional church. Our church leaders confess, or pledge agreement in good faith to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms as accurately summarizing the teaching of the Bible. The Confession is subordinate to Scripture but drawn from Scripture. It does not have the same authority as the Bible, but it is biblical and therefore holds serious authority for Presbyterians. ‘Confessional’ means that we are not making things up as we go… we have been handed down a clearly articulated theology drawn from Scripture and applicable for Christian living.
This is terribly confusing for many evangelical Christians who are likely to say, “I believe in no creed but Christ.” But what about Christ do you exactly believe? The no creed but Christ slogan means well but it is short-sighted. The church has always needed to state definitively what it believes about Christ, and so we have always used creeds and confessions.
The Westminster "Standards" as they are collectively known, were written in the 1640's over a period of several years by pastors, theologians, and Bible scholars who worked to come up with a clear and reliable summary of the Christian faith. The Standards have been modified in minor ways over the past 350+ years as new light from Scripture has been given, but have largely stood the test of time and scrutiny by generations of Christians as being a solid summary of the essentials of Christian doctrine and practice.
For more on the Westminster Confession and Catechisms....
- You can find a copy of the Westminster Confession of Faith on the PCA's website by clicking here
- You can also find copies of the Confession and Catechisms and some historical information by clicking here
In Brief...
Here is a quick summary of some of the key beliefs contained in our Confession and Catechisms:
- Man's primary purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. (Genesis 1:27, 1 Corinthians 10:31)
- The only authority for glorifying and enjoying God is the Bible, which is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, and is made up of the Old and New Testaments only. (Psalm 19:7-8, 2 Timothy 3:16)
- There is only one eternal God, who exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who are equally loved, honored, worshipped, and obeyed. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19)
- All people are born sinners, separated from God, naturally objects of His wrath, and unable to save themselves. (Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23)
- God mercifully did not leave mankind in this condition. Instead, out of His infinite love and grace, God the Father chose a people to whom He will give eternal life. (Genesis. 17:1-7, Ephesians 1:4-7)
- Jesus Christ, the eternal and perfect Son of God, is the only Savior of these people. (John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5)
- The Holy Spirit enables these people to believe in Jesus Christ and grants them new life. (John 15:26, Titus 3:5)
- God's people are saved through faith in Jesus Christ alone. God's people, having been saved by grace through this faith, continue by the grace of God to exhibit holiness, good works, and service to the glory of God. (Philipians 2:12-13, Ephesians 2:8-10)
- The Christian continues securely in grace until the end of life and, at death, their soul is made perfect and passes immediately into the presence of God. (Romans 8:30, 2 Corinthians 5:8)
- Baptism is properly administered to those who trust in Jesus Christ, and to their children, with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38-39, Acts 16, Colossians 2:11-12)
- Jesus Christ will return to earth, viably and bodily, to judge both the living and the dead. (2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
- The Good News of eternal life in Jesus Christ must be proclaimed to the entire world before Jesus Christ returns to establish His eternal Kingdom. (Matthew 24:14, 28:18-20)