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Essentials of Our Faith

IN ESSENTIALS UNITY

All Scripture is self-attesting and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God's redemptive acts, culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks.

On this sure foundation we affirm these additional essentials of our faith:

1. We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory and praise forever!

2. Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.

3. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior, indwelling our hearts. He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.

4. Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God's free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.

5. The true Church is composed of all persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity, where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting she awaits the return of her Lord.

6. Jesus Christ will come again to the earth-personally, visibly, and bodily-to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (Rev. 22:20)

7. The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to "Him who loved us and gave Himself for us." He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2:10)
 

The Essentials provide an explicit and concise expression of the Christian faith. These essentials are set forth in greater detail in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

IN NON-ESSENTIALS LIBERTY

What is a non-essential? Non-essentials denote those doctrinal issues and convictions which are secondary to the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe room should be given for freedom on lesser issues. Some issues may be important to the individual Christian, but such should not be promoted at the expense of unity.

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church is a denomination that affirms the congregational freedom to elect officers without restriction or quota. Instead, congregations are encouraged to search the scriptures and prayerfully, but freely, elect those persons best qualified to lead.

Although Reformed, not Pentecostal, in theology the Evangelical Presbyterian Church affirms the gifts of God's Spirit exercised under the guidance of God's word and the authority of the local session.

Believing unity to be a spiritual not temporal relationship, we therefore guarantee in perpetuity the congregation's right to own and manage its property.

IN ALL THINGS CHARITY

"Love...bears all things"
Christ did not come just to teach forgiveness. He lived it! Being forgiven, we are now free to forgive and understand each other. As a fellowship of believers, we strive to love one another so that the presence of the Spirit may transcend individuality.

"...Believes all things"
We believe not only in what we have attained in Christ, but also that we are moving forward. We are God's pilgrim people. We are in a journey together, sharing each other's burdens and joys along the way. Though we have already been redeemed, our sanctification is the process we share together.

"...Hopes all things"
Hope encourages and builds life while despair destroys. Resisting the sins and sickness of this world, we as a fellowship are more than haters of evil. As lovers of God and His people, we live for His glory. Much more than mere wishing, our confident hopes are anchored in Christ.

"...Endures all things"
To find a denomination that can weather today's storms without compromising on love is rare. We share a calling to perseverance of the saints and a commitment to a life of love.

TRUTH IN LOVE

We believe that if Christ is exalted, He will build His church. It is therefore our mission to lift up Him who is THE truth in loving proclamation of the Christian gospel.

To accomplish this, we commit ourselves to the following goals:

· A global vision of missions outreach;

· An enthusiastic promotion of evangelism as the first priority of the Church;

· An aggressive program of church planting and church development

· The development and implementation of solid programs in Christian nurture rooted in the teaching of the Bible to all ages

· A positive concern for Christ-centered youth ministry

· A loving spirit of cooperation with all who truly are one with us in Jesus Christ.

In the words of John Wesley, "If your heart is as my heart, let us join hands and walk together."  

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