From the
opening words of “A Brief Statement of Faith” of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.), we affirm that:
In
life and in death we belong to God.
Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel,
whom alone we worship and serve.
We believe that God created the heavens and earth and all that is in them, seen
and unseen, and called creation good. God created all humankind in God’s image
and gave us the breath of life. We believe that sin came into the world through
our rebellion against God. We broke God’s commandments, violated God’s image in
ourselves and others, and hurt the creation entrusted to our care. Even so, God
loved us still, and continues to act with love and mercy to redeem all of
creation.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. For humankind and for our salvation, he came down from heaven and became man. God’s word made incarnate, Jesus lived among us, healing the sick, preaching good news to the poor, calling sinners to repent, and teaching about the kingdom of Heaven by word and by deed. Unjustly condemned, Jesus was crucified, giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised Jesus from the dead, breaking the power of sin and death, so that we may also be dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who justifies us by
grace through faith. The Spirit binds us together with all believers in
the one body of Christ, the Church. The Spirit engages us with the word of God
written, which is the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the
Church universal, and God’s word to us.
In worship together, we joyfully ascribe all praise and honor, glory and power, to the triune God. We share two sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We respond to God’s action in Jesus Christ by offering ourselves and are equipped for God’s service in the world. The Spirit helps us to grow to be more like Christ, the head of the church, as we seek to show and share his love with courage and thanksgiving.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit,
we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks
and to live holy and joyful lives,
even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth,
praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
With
believers in every time and place,
we rejoice that nothing in life or in death
can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Glory
be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Updated
August 22, 2023
As a
congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), we invite you to the webpage:
What We Believe, which you may access here. https://www.presbyterianmission.org/what-we-believe/