All Saints Presbyterian Church holds to the teaching of The Westminster Confession of Faith, The Westminster Larger Catechism, The Westminster Shorter Catechism, and The Historic Ecumenical Creeds of the Church (Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, Chalcedon Definition). By this we are a confessional church, and below is a brief summary of our beliefs.
The Bible
We believe the Bible containing the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God, the final authority for faith and practice.
God
We believe there is one eternal God, the only true God, who exists in three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the unity of the Godhead the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.
Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God and second person of the Trinity being of one substance and equal with the Father. Who in the fullness of time took upon himself man’s nature with all the essential properties, yet was without sin, by the power of the Holy Spirit being conceived in the Virgin Mary, and of her substance. Thus the two natures of the Godhead and the manhood being joined together in one person, yet without confusion or conversion, Jesus Christ being truly God and truly man, and the only Mediator between God and man.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is to be worshiped and glorified along with the Father and the Son. He spoke through the prophets, and works in the life of every believer applying the redemption of Christ to them.
Man
We believe that man was created sinless, both male and female created in the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Due to original sin, man has fallen from that original estate of righteousness and communion with God, and now has become dead in sin and wholly defiled in all faculties of body and soul.
Salvation
We believe that God out of his great love for us did not leave us in our sin and misery but has sent Jesus Christ as our substitute to atone for the sin of man on the cross. Salvation being the work of God alone, is thus a free gift of his grace, and is open to all who repent of their sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the good news of the Gospel.
The Church
We believe the Church consists of the invisible and visible Church, the invisible being all the elect from all ages, the visible being all those who profess true religion as well as their children. The Church is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the household and family of God, wherein all the saints have communion with Christ, and one another. It is the Church where God has given the ministry of his Word and sacraments for the gathering and perfecting of his saints until the end of the world, outside of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.
The Sacraments
We believe that Jesus Christ instituted two sacraments for the Church, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism being the sign and seal of God’s promises, is to be administered to the children of believing parent(s), as a sign and seal of God’s promises, and to all those who profess Christ, having never been baptized. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is God’s Word made visible to us, in this sacrament, those who partake in faith have all the benefits of Christ sealed to them by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Covenant Theology
We believe that God relates to his people by way of covenant. Though administered differently in the Old and New Testament the substance remains the same, life and salvation through Jesus Christ. The covenantal nature of the Scriptures is seen in the often repeated promise “I will be your God and you will be my people.”
Marriage and Human Sexuality
We believe that God created marriage to be the life-long covenantal commitment between one man and one woman, and the only context for the expression of human sexuality.
Death
We believe that at the moment of death, those who believe in Christ, will immediately pass into the presence of God, awaiting the resurrection of the body, forever experiencing the beauty and glory of God. Those who never trusting in Christ, upon their death, will justly experience the wrath of God in the pains of hell forever.
The Return of Christ
We believe that Jesus will return to earth, at a time unexpected, and will usher in the end of history.