As Christians, we affirm the ancient expressions of our faith found in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. As part of the Reformed tradition, we believe that the Bible alone is the only fully trustworthy authority for our faith and practice. As members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, we receive our denomination’s Confession of Faith as containing the essential doctrines taught in the Holy Scriptures.
As a help for our community to understand the Christian faith expressed in the Creeds, Scripture, and our Confession, we have also adopted this summary of what we believe as Homewood CPC:
God the Father
We believe in the one true and living God, creator and redeemer of all things. Through God, all things live, move, and have their being. God exists in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is holy, eternal, unchanging, wise, just, and good. Most of all, God is love. (See Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, & 1 John 4:8)
God the Son, Jesus Christ
Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus, being fully God, is co-equal with God the Father. Through Jesus, God became fully human in order to rescue humans from sin and the consequence of sin, life without God. While living among us, Jesus lived the perfect life, making himself the perfect sacrifice for our sins when He was crucified on the Cross. After three days, Jesus rose to life confirming that He had defeated both death and sin. Jesus has now ascended to His Father and will return to Earth at the proper time. (See John 10:30 & 1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
God the Holy Spirit
God’s Holy Spirit is equal with both Jesus the Son and God the Father. Through His Spirit, God makes people capable of faith, convicting of sin, and calling persons back to Him. God’s Spirit is present in the lives of people who have received God’s salvation through Jesus, illuminating, guiding, and empowering the Christian’s life with God. (See John 3:6-8, Galatians 5:22-23, & Ephesians 1:13)
Holy Scripture
God speaks to all people through the Bible. Through the Bible, who God is, what God has done for us, and God’s will for salvation and human life is revealed to us. God created the Bible by inspiring different people at different times to write through the inspiration of His Holy Spirit. The Bible is without error in the original writings, the final authority for all faith and practice. (See 2 Timothy 3:16-17 & 2 Peter 1:20-21)
Human Beings
All people are created by God in His image, thus deserving respect. Sadly, all people have fallen from God, having sinned and turned away from Him and are now separated from Him. Only by God’s gracious act of salvation can persons be restored. (See Romans 1:23 & Romans 3:23)
Salvation
God has acted graciously through His Son Jesus to save whosoever will repent of sin and place their faith in Him and follow Jesus as Lord. Those who do so receive God’s Spirit and begin a new eternal life with God as His son or daughter. All may do so at any place or any time. (See John 1:12, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, & Romans 8:25)
The Church
Those who have begun a new life with God are now members of God’s Church. As such, our lives are united together in worship, growth, fellowship, and God’s mission to the world. It is rightly said that the church is the Body of Christ on Earth. (See Matthew 28:18-20, John 20:21, 1 Corinthians 12:27, & Ephesians 3:10)