Over the years, Presbyterians have written and updated statements of faith and social action handbooks in an effort to express who we are, what we believe and why we continue to be a Church.
Living Faith: A Statement of Christian Belief
A quote from the catechism … the Question posed is
“What is God’s purpose for our lives?”
And the response —
“We have been made for joy: joy in knowing, loving and serving God, joy in knowing, loving and serving one another, joy in the wonder of all God’s works.”
A collection of quotes from “Living Faith”, describing what we believe about God …
- “There is one true God whom to know is life eternal, whom to serve is joy and peace. God has created all that is. … God’s way to salvation has been revealed in Jesus Christ. Through the death and resurrection of Christ our sins are forgiven. Salvation means life, forgiveness, healing, wholeness. It comes from God’s grace received through faith in Christ alone.
- “God became man [Jesus] and dwelt among us. In silence we ponder, in awe we confess this amazing truth. … Jesus was truly human. Tried and tested as we are, yet without sin, he experienced the depths of life. Jesus understands us. He felt the joy of friendship, the pain of rejection, and died a human death. … He showed us what it means to be a child of God. … God raised him from the dead. Risen and ascended, he is alive now, the living Lord. His resurrection means that our faith is not empty, …
- “The Holy Spirit accompanies us on our journey of faith. We may not always be sure of this presence. Yet God’s Spirit is with us, sometimes gently, sometimes powerfully, guiding us in the midst of life, our comfort and our help. Christian life is a pilgrimage: it begins, continues, and ends in God.”
- In the document, 10 chapters [29 pages] in length, many life and death issues are raised, closing with a chapter on “Our Hope in God.” The first paragraph states, “God has prepared for us things beyond our imagining. Our hope is for a renewed world and for fullness of life in the age to come. …”