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What We Believe
We believe the 'gospel' is the good news that through Christ the power of God's kingdom has entered into history to renew the world.
We believe that when we rely on Christ's work rather than ours in relating to God, that kingdom power (the Holy Spirit) comes upon us and begins to work through us.
We believe the gospel changes us starting with the inner most parts. While we remain sinners in this life, we are sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit to sin less and less. This gives us a whole new identity, freeing us from both self-righteousness and self-condemnation. He frees us to release us from the bondage that once controlled our lives – even things you might perceive as good can drive us. In particular, the gospel makes us hospitable and respectful toward those who do not believe as we do. The Holy Spirit continues to work in us to sanctify us throughout our lives.
We believe changed Christians serve as a reminder of God's future kingdom. The new community has all sorts of people loving one another who could not have loved each other without the healing power of the Christ. Together we use what God has given us to promote rather than destroy each other.
We do believe in the power of prayer to do God's will. We believe that we experience daily God's grace upon us and his answered prayer.
We believe God's revelation to man is complete in the word and does not change but remains the same today and tomorrow. God's revelation to us does change as we study the word.
As a Church we thrive on the Bible, as we feast from this ever rich and flowing stream of God's revelation of His bountiful mercy and grace. We believe the Holy Spirit opens God's word to us and refreshes us with new understanding daily.
We believe in that through the reformation there a was a renewed understanding of the nature of man and the character of God's redemptive work in Christ. We take comfort in the fact that reformed system of beliefs was and is held by many famous and scholarly Christian pioneers of today like Dr. R.C. Sproul, Dr. D. James Kennedy, Dr. George Grant, Dr. Stephen Mansfield, Dr. Thomas Ascol, Dr. Thomas Nettles, Dr. Roger Schultz, Pastor Walt Chantry, Dr. Joe Morecraft, Dr. Ken Talbot, Pastor Walter Bowie and Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. We also share the beliefs of nearly all the great classic Christian writers of the last 500 years such as Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Henry, Johnathan Edwards, and John Owen. Most Christians have the utmost respect for these teachers but are not really aware of the basis of their beliefs.
An Invitation to All
We invite everyone reading this to come to our Church on Sunday to Worship with us and also to study God's word in a depth not common in many of todays churches.
We are a church that . . . honors God as the sovereign Lord of the universe, preaches Christ as the Son of God who died for sinners, lives by the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, insists upon the absolute authority of God's Word, . . . we invite you to join us in glorifying God through the worship, work, and witness of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
A General Misconception
Did you know that there is a general misconception regarding Calvism? Even among Christians there is a belief that that the five points of Calvinism, that well known theological flower of Dort's Canon—TULIP—represents the whole of reformed thinking. While these points certainly paint a beautiful and distinct picture of biblical soteriology, but they fall short of showing the bountiful garden of the Reformed faith. We must understand that these 5 points were written in response to the 5 points of Arminianism, a new doctrine of the 16th century.
The 10 points of Calvinism address a total understanding of God's word and his plan for us even today. These points are not merely the response to Jacob Arminius' teaching in the late 1500's and early 1600's; but these points also address 10 areas of extreme importance for the true understanding of the Gospel and the Word of God. The 10 points rely solely on biblical reference and are shared by many other Christians in principle but not always in practice. The following is an outline of these points for discussion. Please come and visit with us, write or call us for more discussion of these truths of scripture.
The Ten Points of Calvinism
I. The Use of Scripture: A. The Nature of Scripture B. The Use of Scripture
II. The Sovereignty of God: A. What Does Scripture Teach?
III. The Covenantal Structure: A. What Unifies the Old Testament? B. What Unifies Both Testaments?
IV. The Plan of Salvation: A. Made Necessary By Sin B. Made Certain by the Father's Sovereignty C. Accomplished by Christ's Sacrifice D. Applied by the Holy Spirit E. Sealed By God's Sovereignty
V. The All-Embracing Worldview: A. Formed by the Bible B. Life Focused in Worship C. Life Submitted to the Lord
VI. The Concept of Holiness: A. The Stimuli to Godliness B. The Structure of Godliness
VII. The Concept of Church Government: A. God's Covenantal Dealings B. God's Covenantal Structure C. God's Covenantal Organization
VIII. The Understanding of the Sacraments: A. Baptism B. Lord's Supper
IX. The Understanding of Evangelism: A. Biblical Content B. Goal--Saved to Holiness
X. The Understanding of Worship: A. Let All Things be Done for Edification B. Let Others Pass Judgment C. Let All Things Be Done Properly