What We Believe
Unity Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and so we "sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith
as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do" (Book of Order, W-4.0404c).
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These "essential tenets" are as follows:
With all Christians in the one, holy, catholic (note: "catholic" with a lower-case "c" means 'universal'), and apostolic Church, we believe in:
The mystery of the triune God
There is one God who is revealed in Scripture as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.
The incarnation of the eternal Word of God in Jesus Christ
God loves this world so much that They chose to enter fully into it in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The good news is that we are never alone. Jesus is Emmanuel-- God With Us.
With other Protestant Christians, we believe in:
Justification by grace through faith
We are saved not by anything we do or refrain from doing, but by God's love and saving action in Jesus Christ. Grace is a gift we can do nothing to earn, and can never deserve, but is freely given and can only be joyfully, gratefully received.
The authority of Scripture
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are, by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to God's power, presence, love, and care in and for the world, especially as fully and decisively revealed in Jesus.
With other Reformed Christians, we believe in:
The sovereignty of God
God is completely free and absolutely powerful, and is not limited to or constrained by human understanding.
The election of God's people for salvation and service
Salvation is God's gracious choice. Service and obedience to God's law come after grace as our joyful response to the unearned, undeserved gift of grace we have nonetheless been freely given.
Covenant life marked by a disciplined concern for order in the church according to the Word of God
God cares deeply about how we live together and invites us into life together, just as God's self finds expression in the eternal community of the Trinity. God who is One-in-Three and Three-in-One shows us how to be unified in diversity. Our shared life in the community of faith is our witness to the world.
Faithful stewardship that shuns ostentation and seeks proper use of the gifts of God's creation
We honor God and serve the purpose for which we were created only insofar as we care for one another and for God's whole good creation.
The human tendency toward idolatry and tyranny, which we call sin
Idolatry is giving to anything else the honor, devotion, loyalty, allegiance, and love that belong only to God. Idolatry violates the greatest commandment to love God with everything we have and are. Tyranny is elevating self above others in such a way that we, directly or indirectly, exercise domination and exploitation instead of humble stewardship and care for the most vulnerable of God's children. Tyranny is a violation of the second great commandment, to love our neighbors as ourselves. The power that God demonstrated in Jesus Christ was through servanthood and self-giving, sacrificial love.
The call for God's people to work for the transformation of the world by seeking justice and living in obedience to God's Word
As Christians we are called to be active participants in God's ongoing work of healing this broken world and reconciling damaged relationships. Our lives and relationships should be, to the extent possible, a foretaste of the kingdom God is working to bring to fulfillment.