What We Believe (Redeemer Presbyterian Church)

What We Believe

The Scriptures teach that everyone, regardless of ethnicity or cultural background, is a believer in something or in someone (Ecclesiastes 3:11; Romans 1:22-23). Coupled with our need for faith, we also have the capacity to question, to discern the nature of human existence, and to ask, "What is truth?"

As Presbyterian Christians (followers of Jesus Christ who pattern our theological beliefs after those of the Protestant Reformation), we at Redeemer consider it our God-entrusted duty to explore the nature of and reason for our existence on this earth. We also think it fitting that we explore all of God's creation with intellectual vigor and curiosity, for "the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof" (Psalm 24:1).

And as a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, we subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith, together with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, as that statement of faith that best enumerates our understanding of the teachings of Holy Scripture. Such statements of biblical faith as the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds also summarize the basic tenets of our Christian faith.

Mindful of our God-implanted seed of faith--and driven by a desire to know the truth--we at Redeemer have followed in the footsteps of King David in considering the creation and then contemplating eternal realities (Psalms 8, 19). From our consideration of ourselves, of the world around us, and especially of the Word of God, we believe that:

That there is one, triune God, the Creator of all that is, existing eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, whose existence and majesty can be seen plainly from His work in creation;
That the rebellion of Adam and Eve against God in the Garden of Eden has so corrupted the human mind, will and emotions that humans even today can explore His creation, yet still fail to acknowledge God's presence and to worship Him as God;
That God has spoken finally, perfectly, powerfully and clearly in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, which were penned by ordinary humans under the inspiration and direct guidance of the Spirit of God;
That this same God, who controls all of His universe sovereignly and wisely, can be known only by His gracious work in the hearts and minds of humans, revealing His salvation in Christ to us as He opens our spiritual eyes to see His truth in Scripture and renews our will, enabling us to embrace Jesus as Savior;
That humans can enter into a right, vibrant and joyous relationship with Almighty God only through personal faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Redeemer and Savior, through whose blood sinners are forgiven;
That this relationship with our Holy God cannot be severed in this life and will continue, by God's grace, into eternity;
And that the chief purpose of every person is to know our God intimately and personally and to glorify Him in every aspect of our lives, now and forever.

We at RPC celebrate the love of God in Christ: a love that compelled Jesus Christ to come to this earth, to endure rejection by sinners, to suffer death on the cross, to bear the wrath of God for us on the cross, to truly die, and to truly and powerfully rise again from the dead. We rest in our salvation in Christ and thank the Lord for His almighty grace in choosing to grant us spiritual life, both in this world and in the next, through Christ's death and resurrection.

We also trust in the sovereignty and wisdom of Almighty God, who has ordered all of human history according to His holy purposes, who graciously has allowed us to know Him intimately through Christ and, therefore, to participate in His work on this earth as we anticipate the New Heavens and New Earth to follow.

This brief description of what we believe as followers of Christ hopefully has informed you as to our faith - but it also might have raised profound questions in your own mind. We invite you to investigate further what we believe as Reformed Christians, and we welcome your inquiries!