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Our Beliefs
As a Christian, Protestant, and Presbyterian Church, we believe:
1. That Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church:
a. All power in heaven and earth is given to Jesus Christ by
Almighty God, who raised Christ from the dead and set him above
all rule and authority, all power and dominion, and every name that
is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
God has put all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and has made Christ Head of the Church, which is his body.
b. Christ calls the Church into being, giving it all that is
necessary for its mission to the world, for its building up, and for
its service to God. Christ is present with the Church in both Spirit
and Word. It belongs to Christ alone to rule, to teach, to call, and
to use the Church as he wills, exercising his authority by the ministry
of women and men for the establishment and extension of
his Kingdom.
c. Christ gives to his Church its faith and life, its unity and
mission, its officers and ordinances. Insofar as Christ’s will for the
Church is set forth in Scripture, it is to be obeyed. In the worship
and service of God and the government of the church, matters are
to be ordered according to the Word by reason and sound judgment,
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
d. In affirming with the earliest Christians that Jesus is Lord,
the Church confesses that he is its hope and that the Church, as
Christ’s body, is bound to his authority and thus free to live in the
lively, joyous reality of the grace of God.
THE CHURCH AND ITS CONFESSIONS
a. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) states its faith and
bears witness to God’s grace in Jesus Christ in the creeds and confessions
in The Book of Confessions. In these confessional statements
the church declares to its members and to the world
who and what it is,what it believes,what it resolves to do.
b. These statements identify the church as a community of
people known by its convictions as well as by its actions. They
guide the church in its study and interpretation of the Scriptures;
they summarize the essence of Christian tradition; they direct the
church in maintaining sound doctrines; they equip the church for its
work of proclamation.
These confessional statements are subordinate standards in the
church,
as the Scriptures bear witness to him. While confessional standards
are subordinate to the Scriptures, they are, nonetheless, standards.
They are not lightly drawn up or subscribed to, nor may they be
ignored or dismissed. The church is prepared to counsel with or
even to discipline one ordained who seriously rejects the faith
expressed in the confessions. Moreover, a more exacting amendment
process is required to change the confessions of the church
than is required to change the Constitution in matters of government,
worship, or discipline. Yet the church, in obedience to Jesus
Christ, is open to the reform of its standards of doctrine as well as
of governance. The church affirms “Ecclesia reformata, semper
reformanda,” that is, “The church reformed, always reforming,” according to the Word of God and the call of the Spirit.
In its confessions, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) identifies
with the affirmations of the Protestant Reformation. The focus
of these affirmations is the rediscovery of God’s grace in Jesus
Christ as revealed in the Scriptures. The Protestant watchwords—
grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone -- embody principles of
understanding which continue to guide and motivate the people of
God in the life of faith.
a. In its confessions, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
expresses the faith of the Reformed tradition. Central to this tradition
is the affirmation of the majesty, holiness, and providence of
God who creates, sustains, rules, and redeemss the world in the
freedom of sovereign righteousness and love. Related to this central
affirmation of God’s sovereignty are other great themes of the
Reformed tradition:
(1) The election of the people of God for service as well
as for salvation;
(2) Covenant life marked by a disciplined concern for
order in the church according to the Word of God;
(3) A faithful stewardship that shuns ostentation and
seeks proper use of the gifts of God’s creation;
(4) The recognition of the human tendency to idolatry
and tyranny, which calls the people of God to work for
the transformation of society by seeking justice and living
in obedience to the Word of God.
b. Thus, the creeds and confessions of this church reflect a
particular stance within the history of God’s people. They are the
result of prayer, thought, and experience within a living tradition.
They serve to strengthen personal commitment and the life and
witness of the community of believers.
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