believe - trust - faith
The Greek word pistis, and its derivations, is translated in the New Testament, at various places, as "believe," "trust," and "faith" (both as a nouns and verbs). What we believe is not simply a list of propositions (though faith does have content), but is also a real-time dynamic activity of responding to a God who is true and trustworthy.
A FAITH BIGGER THAN OURSELVES
In an age where it's common to construct our own individual system of belief, Christianity reminds us that we enter into a deep confession of faith that comes before us. Men and women, throughout the centuries and around the globe, have given voice to a common core of orthodoxy that sustains us and holds us together. One of the earliest statements of this confession is in the Apostles’ Creed from the 2nd century:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
and suffered under Pontius Pilate,
He was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy universal church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen!
Held together by our historic faith, we also confess our faith in the specific time and place where we live. The following is not an exhaustive list, but sets forth our orientation and posture as followers of Jesus:
As a community of followers of Jesus Christ:
· We believe God exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that He is a being of unimaginably wonderful power, goodness, and love. (Psalm 118:1; Psalm 145:1-9; Matthew 28:19)
· We believe the world exists because God created it, that it belongs to Him and therefore we should cherish and care for it. (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1-2; Isaiah 40:25-26)
· We believe all human beings have dignity because they were created by God in His own image, and great worth because they are valued by God beyond our ability to measure. (Genesis 1:27, 31; Psalm 8:3-6; John 3:16; Romans 5:8)
· We believe this world also has pain and suffering because human beings have fallen and sinned, and are estranged from God, from each other, from ourselves, and from creation. (Genesis 3:17; Romans 3:23; Colossians 1:21; Titus 3:3)
· We believe God does not intend for sin, suffering, and evil to have the last word, but is at work to deliver us from evil and to redeem and reconcile what He has made. (Isaiah 11:6-9; Colossians 1:21-23; Rev. 21:1-5)
· We believe God has revealed the truth about Himself and his will for us in the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, which are God’s living word, and our unique and authoritative guides in faith and action. (Matthew 4:4;1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
· We believe God has expressed Himself uniquely in His Son Jesus, who lived, taught, died, and rose again for our sakes. Jesus is our master and teacher and savior and friend, and now reigns forever with the Father and the Holy Spirit. (John 14:6-7; Acts 2:32; 1 Corinthians. 15:3-4)
· We believe the Spirit of God is now available so we can be closer to God than the air we breathe, and walk in his power. (John 14:26; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:26; Galatians 3:14; Ephesians 1:13-14.)
· We believe the Church is the community through which God means to bring love, healing, and salvation to the human race. God invites everyone who is willing to follow Jesus to join his Church, the body of Christ. (Matthew 18:18-20; John 1:12-13; Acts 1: 8; Galatians 3:28; 1 Peter 2:9)
· We live in hope because one day Jesus will return, love and justice will prevail, and God will set the creation right in a new heavens and new earth. (Matthew 24:30-31; Luke 12:40; Romans 8:37-39; Revelation 21:1-5)