That there is one God, self-existent, eternal, infinite, perfect, and glorious; unchangeable in His being and perfection; the Creator of all things, and the Sovereign of the Universe; That this one God subsists in a manner mysterious to us as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three persons in one God; That the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are given by inspiration from God and are the only infallible rule of faith and practice; That God created our first parents in His own image, holy, and happy, and that they voluntarily sinned, and that by their choice and willful act, sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned; That God by His sovereign grace has defined a plan of redemption by which the exercise of mercy is made consistent with the maintenance of justice, and with the honor of His government; That the Son of God in the incarnation became fully human, without sin, was obedient to the Father, suffered, and died upon the cross, thus making a true and proper atonement for sin, an atonement of infinite value, because He who made it is, was, and ever shall be divine. That He arose bodily from the dead, ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of God; that He ever lives to make intercession for His people, and will come a second time to climax and culminate world history; That all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ, as He is offered in the gospel, truly believing in and loving Him, are pardoned and accepted for the sake of His righteousness, which is imputed to them, and that this righteousness is through grace by faith alone; | That all such who believe, having within their souls the principle of eternal life, are kept according to God’s promise and by His power, through faith unto salvation, the work of sanctification being completed in death. That God, in a free, self-moved, and sovereign manner, bestows grace on mankind, having mercy on whom He will have mercy; That the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances in the Church of Christ, appointed by Himself; That it is the office of the Holy Ghost, the third person in the Trinity, to convince of sin, to renew and sanctify the soul, to give gifts to the Church, and by His holy influence to produce spiritual revival and a turning of man to God; That there is appointed a day of judgment, unknown to angels and to men, but known to God, when Jesus Christ, having raised the dead, will pronounce righteous judgment on all, welcoming His followers to share in His eternal Kingdom in heaven, and condemning the wicked to Hell. 4th Presbyterian Confession of Faith Affirmed by The Session of the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Bethesda Maryland, at its stated meeting of May 22,1984, In addition, we subscribe to the Westminster Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism. Fourth Presbyterian Church of Bethesda, Maryland, is a member congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and as such shares a commitment to the Westminster Confession of Faith as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Scripture. Attribution to my church, Fourth Presybterian Church, Bethesda, Maryland |