Statement of Faith
We believe in God who created all things and who is before all things visible and invisible.
Although no language can perfectly express the mystery and glory of God, we joyfully affirm the intimacy with God that Jesus invited us to share with him, praying: "Our Father who art in heaven....” We confidently affirm the incarnation of God in Jesus and the divine words spoken at his baptism: “This is my Son, the Beloved....” And we gratefully affirm the indwelling presence of God that Jesus promised us through the gift of his Spirit.
We believe that humanity was created to be in a love relationship with God.
Yet we have chosen to turn from that divine love, and to trust only in ourselves. We have made sense of our lives entirely through self-proclaimed merits and achievements; and have substituted the God of all creation with the many gods of our creation. These choices have separated us from God, distanced us from each other, and damaged our ability to care for this world.
We believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, through whom God is and will always be God-With-Us.
This Jesus, fully God and fully human, demonstrated the fullness of life that all of us were created to enjoy and to live. He granted forgiveness of sins, healed the sick, overcame evil, preached good news to the poor and called us from death into a new order of life with him. Through His suffering and death on the cross, Jesus our righteous Judge took upon Himself the judgment we deserved: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). God affirmed the truth of Jesus’ words and deeds before the world by raising Him from the dead, and promises that same risen life to all who place their trust in Him.
We believe in the continuing presence and power of Jesus in our world through the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit calls us to follow, convicts us of sin, and empowers us to speak Jesus’ words and do his works. The Spirit assures us that we belong to God, and continues to change us more and more into the image of Christ. Even so, until the Lord returns or calls us home, we await the fullness of God’s kingdom and the glory that Christ intends for us.
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments declare God’s authoritative and inspired word:
The Bible is a record of God’s faithful and loving pursuit of his beloved yet rebellious people. In response, we seek to follow God’s word above all earthly authorities, thought systems, and ideologies. While the beauty and truth of Scripture is experienced through careful study and application, its primary confirmation arises from the witness of the Holy Spirit who confirms God’s word to our hearts and minds.
We believe Jesus intends us to be part of his church and forever family:
A community nurtured by his word, empowered by his Spirit, and sent forth to represent him in the world. The Church needs God’s healing grace as much as any who are beyond its doors. By God’s power alone, therefore, we proclaim the good news about Jesus and seek to live lives of justice, mercy and love. We continuously pray for his strength to bless and serve others – the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the harassed and helpless, the spiritually starved, and all who are running from God – and for his forgiveness when we fail.
We believe we are called to live now in anticipation of God’s glorious future.
If God’s plan is that the whole world know and experience his love, then we will eagerly share Christ’s redeeming love with all people, regardless of background or condition. If the future world is to be one of justice and mercy, then Jesus’ followers will labor against cruelty and injustice in this world wherever it occurs. If God’s plan is to renew heaven and earth, then we will care for and protect God’s creation now. If the future is one in which people from every nation and tribe are gathered around heaven’s throne, then the church will model racial and ethnic reconciliation today. And if God’s passion is to heal this world’s bitterness and division, then we will be agents of the grace and peace of Christ now – in our churches, our marriages and families, in our workplaces, our schools and neighborhoods, and in every arena of life. For “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for we are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 2: 27-28). To God be the glory!
The Session of St. John’s Presbyterian Church
October 2019
Scriptural Sources:
Selected verses from Matthew 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11 and 23; Mark 1 and 2; Luke 3, 4, 15, 23 and 24; John 1, 3, 14, 16 and 20; Romans 3, 8, 6, 7, 10 and 12; 1 John 1, 3 and 4; and Isaiah 2, 9, 25, 52, 53 and 55. Additional references from Genesis 1:26, 31; Psalm 19 and 119:105; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hosea 11:1-11; Micah 6:8; Acts 2:1-11, 4:31; Philippians 1:6, 2:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, 15:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Colossians 3: 12-17, 23; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 5:1-6; and Revelation 7:9-12.