Our Beliefs

 

We affirm the historic Christian faith as it is revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Together with Christians throughout the ages we affirm such foundational truths concerning:

God

We believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In himself, he is perfectly holy and powerful, altogether just and wise, and utterly good and loving. (Matthew 28:19; Mark 12:29; John 14:9; 2 Corinthians 13:4; Hebrews 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 4:8) 

Scripture & Authority

We believe the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the revelation of God’s truth and is infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice. (Isaiah 40:8, 55:10-11; Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

Humanity

We believe that all people are created in the image of God with dignity as they were made to reflect God’s character in all of life. Yet, we believe that all people are born as sinners, totally depraved and totally unable to save themselves from God’s displeasure, except by his mercy. (Genesis 1:26-28; Romans 5:12-21, 8:29; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 47-49; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 5:17; Colossians 1:15, 3:3-4; 1 John 3:2)

Salvation

We believe that salvation is through Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone. We believe that salvation is by God alone as he sovereignly chooses those He will save. We believe his choice is based on his grace, not on any human individual merit, or foreseen faith. (Eph. 1:4, 2:8-10; Romans 4:1-5, 8:28-30; 2 Corin. 5:21;Titus 3:5; Habakkuk 2:4; Phil. 3:9) 

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in Him, alone, for salvation. We believe that Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all humanity, to receive his people to himself, and to renew all things. (John 1:1, 10, 14; Colossians 1:15-17, 20; Hebrews 1:3; John 3:16; Titus 2:13; Acts 10:36; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Titus 3:4-5; Hebrews 2:9; 7:25; Galatians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:14; Ephesians 1: 9-10; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 1:8; Revelation 19:16) 

Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people and gives them the strength and wisdom to trust Christ and follow him. We believe that the Holy Spirit refreshes, remakes, restores, reforms, and revives. We are never alone because he is in us and with us. (Matthew 28:19; John 14:16, 15:26; 16:13; Acts 2:38; Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Titus 3:5; Peter 1:21)

Church and Kingdom

We believe that as the living God renews all things, he has been gathering a people, called the church, from every nation, race, class, and culture. He instructs us as his people to become actively invested in the world’s people and problems in eternally productive ways by bringing his Kingdom truth and values to bear on all of life. Jesus has power and authority to right what is wrong with the world and he chooses the church as his primary instrument for renewing all things. (Genesis 1:21-22, 1 Timothy 3:14-15, 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Colossians 1:13; 2 Timothy 4:1-3; Revelation 1:6, 7:9, 11:15, 21:3, 22:1-5)

These and other truths are affirmed in various statements of faith from the early church, such as the Apostle's Creed and Nicene Creed. We also stand within the rich tradition of the Reformation of the sixteenth-century which is anchored in the gospel of grace. The Westminster Confession of Faith is a helpful expression of the central teachings of the Bible and has served as the doctrinal standard for Presbyterians since the seventeenth century. We are a congregation under the oversight of a local board of elders, and a member of the Southern New England Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA)