And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. – Romans 8:30
This gracious truth is incredible! When someone hears that I’m a Presbyterian Pastor, he might ask about our beliefs: “What makes a Presbyterian a Presbyterian?” I’m guessing that this question is intended to focus on what Presbyterian beliefs are noticeably distinct from many other Christian denominations. Let me outline a) five foundational beliefs (that others might share) and b) several specific distinctives (that might represent unique differences).
Faith in God the Father: This universe did not occur by accident. There was a beginning when nothing had existed before. The Bible tells us that God created everything and that He sustains and governs everything. We rejoice that our lives are not random or meaningless. God gives us purpose: His glory.
Faith in God the Son: There are problems in this world. Each of us can cause pain to ourselves and others. The Father sent His only Son to save us from our errors and from pain, tears, and death. Jesus reconciles us to God. We love God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who is graciously given to us as our Lord and Savior. Without Him, we would be utterly lost.
Faith in God the Holy Spirit: God loves His children so much that He sent His Spirit to dwell in our hearts and to give us strength to overcome the challenges of this world. We rejoice in the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s people. We worship the living God in spirit and truth.
Trust in the Holy Bible: As a caring Father, God desires us to know Him and understand His love for us. He gives us His Word. We rejoice that God spoke through His prophets to create and preserve His inerrant Word for us to believe in the saving work of His Son. We study the Bible as our only rule of faith and practice.
Hope in the Covenant Community: God calls those who believe in Him to encourage each other. Therefore, He established the worldwide church with Jesus as the Head to gather locally in worship and fellowship. God calls His people to join and elect leaders as under-shepherds. We rejoice that God set aside one day in seven for special worship. We baptize those who join this covenant community. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper with those who profess faith in Him and are members in good standing of a Bible-believing church. We invite all to join.
We regard the above as truths that God reveals in Scripture and makes known by the active work of His Holy Spirit. In other words, we believe that the Bible is “perspciuous”, meaning that these truths can be readily discerned through a careful reading, if sin doesn’t cloud our judgment.
In addition, Presbyterians believe that God tells us in His Word: His moral law, His plan of salvation from sin, how to know Him, and how to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Important summaries of who God is and what He requires of us include the following.
God is sovereign – because He is all-powerful, nothing happens outside of His will. An important corollary is that before the beginning of time, God elected all who He would redeem to dwell with Him forever (often called “predestination”). God’s Word is truth – the Bible is inspired, inerrant, and infallible (if you follow it faithfully, you will not go wrong). Man is sinful by nature – we inherited Adam’s sinfulness, so no one can choose God’s righteousness without the work of His Spirit to regenerate us (give us new birth). God is gracious – so we are saved by grace alone (His graciously sending His Son, not by our own works). We are saved by the atoning work of Jesus and we receive this salvation by faith alone in Him alone. Scripture alone is sufficient for understanding this, and all of this is for God alone to get the glory. We baptize believers’ infant children because they join the covenant community to submit to His Word.
Presbyterians are “confessional”, which means that our beliefs are summarized in shared “creeds”, statements of belief drawn directly from Scripture (such as the Westminster Confession of Faith from the 1640s). I want to be clear, though, that because we sinfully desire be in control, these creeds are unbelievable – no one will believe the truth contained in the Bible unless God transforms his heart to trust in Him alone. This week, rejoice that God preserved His Word so that you may know Him, personally. May the Spirit make Him known to you through His Word today. If you know Him and know yourself, then you know that you need Him, every day. And He gives Himself – through His Spirit and Word – every day. Join us in this incredible creed.
