What We Believe

Confessions of the Christian Faith

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator 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, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence 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 life everlasting.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable soul and body; consubstantial with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.

Biographical Sketches

Luther, who was a Roman Catholic priest and professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, nailed 95 theses or points for debate on the church door in his University town in 1517. His goal was to help correct the moral and doctrinal decline that had occurred in the Roman Church. Due to his insistence upon the authority of scripture and his emphasis on the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone, he was forced out of the Catholic Church. Many people responded to his preaching and writings, and the Reformation was born. Those who followed him and the other reformers came to be known as Protestants. Like any man, Luther was not perfect, but God did use him at a pivotal moment in history to restore important biblical truths to the Church.

Zwingli was a Roman Catholic priest in Zurich who embraced the Protestant cause and help bring the Reformation to Switzerland. He was especially sensitive to anything that smacked of idolatry and only permitted in worship what scripture specifically prescribed. His program of reform was compatible with that of Luther; they agreed on 14 out of 15 major points of doctrine but disagreed over the nature and practice of the Lord's Supper. Zwingli become involved in the political issues of his day related to the Swiss cantons and the empire, and he died on the battle field as chaplain for the forces of Zurich in an inter-cantonal war.

A student of law and Latin literature, Calvin converted to the Protestant faith and become one of its most influential champions among the second generation of reformers. He pastored in Strasbourg and was later asked to help reform the church in Geneva. It was through his work in Geneva and through his primer on theology Institutes of the Christian Religion that his influence spread throughout Europe. Calvin helped systematize Protestant theology, emphasizing the sovereignty of God, the grace of God in salvation, and the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion. The Reformed branch of Protestant Christianity traces its spiritual lineage back to Calvin.

John Wesley was ordained as a priest in the Church of England in 1728 but later experienced the transforming presence of God in a Moravian meeting and came to fully understand salvation through faith in Christ alone. Wesley traveled extensively in England and the United States preaching this message of salvation through faith in Christ, and his students and converts eventually founded the Methodist church. His theology emphasized a supernatural experience of the Holy Spirit during conversion, laying the foundation for future Pentecostal and Charismatic churches.

William Seymour was the father of the modern Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. This humble son of former slaves was the acknowledged leader of the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles, and the revival that bears its name. The revival begun there in 1906 was characterized by gifts of the Holy Spirit, racially integrated worship, leadership composed of blacks, whites, and women, and worldwide impact. The many streams of the modern Pentecostal/Charismatic movement now number over 500 million people worldwide, making it one of the largest and fastest-growing segments of Christianity. Nearly all the various groups in this stream trace their origins to the ministry of this prayerful, gentle lover of Jesus.

Sola Fida - justification is by faith alone through grace alone. It is the biblical doctrine highlighted at the time of the Reformation that God declares the sinner to be righteous and just before Him on the basis of faith alone. Justification is God's legal declaration of pardon and acceptance on the basis of the righteousness of Christ imputed to those who believe. The Westminster Confession defines justification as the act of God's free grace by which he pardons all of our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight. Justification is received by faith alone and is not based on human merit, righteousness, or good works (Romans 3:22-24, 28, 4:5, Galatians 3:6, 24).

Grace is the love and favor of God. Sola Gratia is the biblical doctrine which teaches that God extends love and favor to sinners on the basis of the atonement accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus and the merit of Christ's righteousness. Man, being sinful, does not earn or deserve the love and favor of God; rather, God chooses to give that which man does not merit. It is God's grace that saves us through faith (Ephesians 2:8) and that justifies us as a gift on the basis of the redemption we have in Christ (Romans 3:24). Grace can be thought of as the context in which we believe the promise of the gospel and are thereby justified. (II Timothy 1:9)

Sola Scriptura - The Biblical doctrine that teaches Scripture is the sole authority in matters of doctrine, faith, and practice; the Bible alone has the authority to bind the conscience absolutely. In Christian churches and in the lives of believers the Bible is the ultimate authority for what we believe and how we live. It is God's Word that defines and establishes the Church, rather than the church that defines God's Word. (II Timothy 3:16)

The biblical doctrine recovered at the time of the Reformation that teaches all true believers are priests unto God and have direct access to the presence of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, only priests as representatives of the people could go into the presence of God. In the New Testament, there is no earthly mediator who goes to God on our behalf or through whom we gain access to God. Jesus Christ is our mediator, our High Priest, through whose shed blood we approach God in confidence and faith. On the basis of the blood of Christ we commune with God, enjoy His presence, are filled with His Spirit, and receive understanding of His Word. (Hebrews 4:14-16, 10:19-22)