I'm going to post the chapters of a new booklet we are producing at First Presbyterian. It's called "Believing and Belonging" and is a brief introduction to church membership. Today, after an introduction, we look at the nature of God.
Believing and Belonging
What does it mean to be a member of First Presbyterian Church? As with any organization, there are expectations laid upon us all as members. There wouldn’t be much point in saying that we belonged unless that belonging actually made a difference in the things that we believe or in the way in which we live. So, what is expected of you when you become a member? This booklet will help you to understand and, we hope, decide that you, too, want to say that you believe and belong.
There are certain foundational beliefs to which you must subscribe if you are to be a member of the church. Don’t worry, we’re not going to ask you how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, or to explain supralapsarianism, whatever that is! But we do think you should be able to say who God is to you, and what Jesus Christ has done for you. In the following pages you will find an introduction to these core beliefs. It’s only an introduction, but it’s a start. We hope that you will learn more and more about what it means to call yourself a Christian as you take the journey of faith with us.
You will also find a basic introduction to the way the church is organized, locally, regionally, and nationally. You’ll learn some of the terminology that will help you to understand us. Hopefully, too, you will be able to discern the shared values that are important to us. Most of all, we hope that you will feel that you want to belong. Of course, you are already welcome, but if you become a member you will be able to participate in every aspect of the church’s life.
We hope that you will never stop asking questions, but we trust that, in the faith we share, you will find enough answers to be able to say that you take:
- The Father to be your Father;
- The Son to be your Savior and Lord; and
- The Holy Spirit to be your Helper and Guide.
May God bless you richly.
Alan Trafford.
I : GOD – OUR HEAVENLY FATHER
Isaiah 40:28-31
Who is God?
When the Westminster Confession of Faith was being written, in the seventeenth century, in London, those who had been charged with writing it had great difficulty in formulating a simple, yet comprehensive, definition of God. It was during this period, in which they were earnestly seeking the right words, that one of the ministers was asked to lead in prayer. The words that came from his lips have come down to us as a wonderful definition of our Heavenly Father. He began, “O God, who art a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in Thy being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.” The Westminster Assembly took this and used it as the definition of God. It is still a fitting definition for us, today.
The Basis of the Christian Religion
All religions are founded on belief in God, but they differ as to who and what He is. The Christian religion begins with revelation. It is based on the belief that Christ is the Son of God; its understanding of who God is and of what God is is based upon what Jesus Christ said about Him, and upon the life Jesus lived on earth. Many times, Jesus referred to God as His “Father.” This is how He prayed, and this is how He taught the disciples to pray. “When you pray,” He said, “say, Our Father, who art in heaven.”[1] Or, “In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”[2]
How Jesus Revealed God
Jesus said, “He that has seen me has seen the Father.”[3]And so it is that, as we look at Jesus, we see God. We see Jesus feeding the hungry, and we know that God cares about our physical needs and our economic problems. We see Him weeping at the tomb of Lazarus, and we know that God is sympathetic to our sufferings. We want to know whether God forgives our sins, and we see Jesus bending over a sinful woman and saying, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and sin no more.”[4] We worry about death, and we hear Him saying, “I am going there to prepare a place for you,”[5]and we are at rest. We hear Him speak, and we hear the voice of God. As Christians, we know who God is because He has revealed His nature through His Son.
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