Our beliefs
Everyone has a set of beliefs through which they see the world. As part of an historical stream of Christianity, our church holds to certain fundamental beliefs about humanity, the world, and God. Here’s an overview of some of the key things we believe:
THE BASICS
Christianity is not a fairytale. It is an historically-grounded faith, based on God’s self-revelation in history, in the Bible, and especially in the person of Jesus Christ.
The essence of Christian belief can be found in the classic creeds of the church, such as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed.
Here’s what the Apostles’ Creed says:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (or ‘universal’) Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
DIGGING DEEPER
Beyond the basics of the Christian faith, our church holds to the ‘five solas’ which emerged from the time of the Protestant Reformation (1500s). These five Latin phrases sum up five crucial points of doctrine we consider essential to the faith:
Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”)
Solus Christus (“Christ alone”)
Sola Gratia (“Grace alone”)
Sola Fide (“Faith alone”)
Soli Deo Gloria (“God’s glory alone”)
If you want to know more about these five points, go here.
PRESBYTERIAN DISTINCTIVES
We believe particular things that some consider distinctive to our denomination. Some of these include belief in the plurality of male elders in the local congregation, and the baptism of the infants of practicing Christians.
Additionally, all Presbyterian churches in Australia subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith, which we consider to be helpful summary of our doctrine. If you’d like to take a good look at it, go here.