| Home | How do Presbyterians decide on what they believe?
We believe each person is called to work out his or her beliefs based on two sources of authority--the Scriptures, the primary source, and the historic creeds and confessions of the church. The Scriptures. From the very earliest times, Presbyterians have affirmed that the Bible is the authoritative source for faith and practice, as well as a witness to the creative and redemptive power of God. We believe the bible was written by people inspired by God for the purpose of revealing His love and truth. The Scriptures contain the remarkable and mysterious story of God's Love for humankind and of His self-revelation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. What beliefs do Presbyterians share with most other
Christians? God The historical Westminster Confession states: "There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit...immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute...most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin...In the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons...God the Father, God the son, and God the Holy Ghost." God is a reality defying precise definition. To communicate God is to communicate the incommunicable and the many writings about God ultimately list only attributes not definitions. In the final analysis, if we could define God, we could necessarily limit Him and He would no longer be God. Grace God loves every person and continually seeks to forgive our failure to be obedient. This constant love and forgiveness is given freely. There is nothing we can do either to deserve or earn it. This activity of God--his constant loving and forgiving of every person--is God's grace. Jesus Christ The great mystery we call God revealed himself to us in the form of a human being, Jesus of Nazareth. Both the words and the actions of Jesus, as recorded in the Scriptures, help us to understand better the loving nature of God. Even his ultimate act of obedience--giving up his life--is a means of illustrating the extent of God's desire to reconcile all persons to Himself. Finally, God raised Christ from the dead and the ultimate power of God was illustrated for all time. Jesus Christ is the Lord of all life, the Redeemer of persons, and the Head of the Church. Justification by Faith ("Justification" means being brought into the proper relationship with God and neighbor, understanding God's purpose for us, being freed from our obsession with self-interest, being released from guilt, and being rescued from our anxiety about meaninglessness and death.) The sense of Chapter XI of the Westminster Confession tells us "We are justified, or pardoned, not by good works, buy by faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." This means when we fully believe Christ's death opened the way to wholeness and love, we are justified. The Holy Spirit God continues to reveal Himself to us today in many different ways. The presence of God in our lives and the activity of God in history are identified as the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the guiding force which constantly draws us towards God. The Priesthood of All Believers (We believe each Christian has direct access to God through worship, prayer, personal confession, and the study of Scripture.) In the Presbyterian service of Holy Communion, the participants usually pass the elements from person to person--a unique symbol of each person serving as a priest (servant) to each other. |