Beliefs
The earliest known Christian creed is simple; Jesus is Lord. Since that can mean different things to different people, we should elaborate for the sake of clarity.
The Apostles’ Creed is an excellent statement of faith from the ancient Church, a summary of essential Christian beliefs about God and the Gospel:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
As a church in the tradition of the sixteenth century Reformation, we affirm:
Sola Scriptura | Salvation is revealed in the Scripture alone. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, the only authoritative revelation of God’s will for our faith and life.
Sola Gratia | Salvation is by grace alone. God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, in showing us favor we could never earn or deserve, before we would even want it or ask for it.
Sola Fide | Salvation is received through faith alone. We are counted righteous in Christ by believing and trusting in him, and we can add nothing to his finished work of salvation by our own good works (even though good works are evidence of a true and living faith).
Solus Christus | Salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus lived the perfectly obedient life that we should have lived, died the death under God’s wrath that we deserved to die, was resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven… all on our behalf, to reconcile us to God. It is only by our sins being imputed to him, and his righteousness being imputed to us, that we are saved.
Soli Deo Gloria | Salvation is to the glory of God alone. The plan, initiative, and outworking of our salvation from start to finish is entirely due to the wisdom, grace, and acts of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, God alone is to be thanked and praised for his saving work in our lives.
Being a congregation of The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the Westminster Standards serve as a more thorough and official statement of what we believe, consisting of a Confession of Faith and two Catechisms (Larger and Shorter). The Standards do not take the place of the Scriptures in our lives, but we believe they are the best interpretation of the Scriptures with regard to our great salvation. Those who would become Elders or Deacons in our church must be able to affirm them with a good conscience.
Further Resources
The Bible: English Standard Version (ESV)
50-Week Bible Reading Plan (.pdf)
