I believe that God, who is called the Father, is the creator and sustainer of all things, seen and unseen. I believe that all persons have been uniquely created in God’s image out of an abundance of his great love. We are invited to live in perfect union with God and one another, and to steward his creation with care. By our willful disobedience, we have violated that union, becoming alienated from God and dead in our sin. Yet even in this broken state, God, in his infinite mercy, has chosen us to be his people and made way for the redemption of his creation.
I believe in Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ, who is the eternally begotten Son of the Father. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary in fully human flesh, he was nevertheless fully God and perfectly without sin. He healed the sick, befriended the outcast, and spent his days on earth proclaiming God’s Kingdom come. He was unjustly arrested, condemned, and crucified on a Roman cross. In his death, Jesus descended to hell, and on the third day, he rose again. Thus, the power of God overcame all sin and death; and by no merit of our own, but by the righteousness of God in Christ, we have been restored to right relationship with God. I believe that after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He will one day come again to judge the living and the dead, and his glorious Kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, who is also called our Helper and Advocate. This Spirit was present before creation and is fully God along with the Father and the Son. This Spirit spoke through the prophets and apostles, inspired the writing of the Scriptures, and acts in the world to accomplish the will of God. By the Spirit, we are called to repent and believe the gospel and are sanctified into the likeness of Christ.
I believe that the Church is the community of believers across time and space who are united with one another and God, in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Together, we partake in the sacraments as outward signs of the inward grace which has been sealed on our hearts. In our baptism, we participate in the death and resurrection of Christ and are welcomed into the family of God. In the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, we not only anticipate the glorious feast to come, but are reminded of Christ’s death and given spiritual sustenance to continue his good work in the world: worshipping God, loving our neighbor, tearing down the dividing walls of hostility, making every effort toward peace and justice, tending creation, and proclaiming God’s glorious Kingdom until Christ comes again.
I believe with my whole being that God is the essence and source of all life, love, and truth. To know and worship him is an incredible and undeserved gift. With God’s help, I seek to live my life according to these beliefs and abide in his loving arms forever.