In 1983 the two largest
Presbyterian churches in the United States reunited.
The Plan for Reunion called for the preparation of a
brief statement of the Reformed faith for possible inclusion
in the Book of Confessions. This statement is therefore
not intended to stand alone, apart from the other confessions
of our church. It does not pretend to be a complete list
of all our beliefs, nor does it explain any of them in
detail. It is designed to be confessed by the whole congregation
in the setting of public worship, and it may also serve
pastors and teachers as an aid to Christian instruction.
It celebrates our rediscovery that for all our undoubted
diversity, we are bound together by a common faith and
a common task.
The faith we confess
unites us with the one, universal church. The most important
beliefs of Presbyterians are those we share with other
Christians, and especially with other evangelical Christians
who look to the Protestant Reformation as a renewal of
the gospel of Jesus Christ. Diversity remains. But we
are thankful that in our time the many churches are learning
to accept, and even to affirm, diversity without divisiveness,
since the whole counsel of God is more than the wisdom
of any individual or any one tradition. The Spirit of
Truth gives new light to the churches when they are willing
to become pupils together of the Word of God. This statement
therefore intends to confess the catholic faith.
We are convinced that
to the Reformed churches a distinctive vision of the
catholic faith has been entrusted for the good of the
whole church. Accordingly, "A Brief Statement of Faith" includes
the major themes of the Reformed tradition (such as those
mentioned in the Book of Order, Form of Government, Chapter
2),2 without claiming them as our private possession,
just as we ourselves hope to learn and to share the wisdom
and insight given to traditions other than our own. And
as a confession that seeks to be both catholic and Reformed,
the statement (following the apostle's blessing in 2
Cor. 13:14) is a trinitarian confession in which the
grace of Jesus Christ has first place as the foundation
of our knowledge of God's sovereign love and our life
together in the Holy Spirit.
No confession of faith
looks merely to the past; every confession seeks to cast
the light of a priceless heritage on the needs of the
present moment, and so to shape the future. Reformed
confessions, in particular, when necessary even reform
the tradition itself in the light of the Word of God.
From the first, the Reformed churches have insisted that
the renewal of the church must become visible in the
transformation of human lives and societies. Hence "A
Brief Statement of Faith" lifts up concerns that call
most urgently for the church's attention in our time.
The church is not a refuge from the world; an elect people
is chosen for the blessing of the nations. A sound confession,
therefore, proves itself as it nurtures commitment to
the church's mission, and as the confessing church itself
becomes the body by which Christ continues the blessing
of his earthly ministry.
(This preface does not
have confessional authority, but is included as an aid
to interpret the Brief Statement of Faith.)
The Statement
In life and in
death we belong to God.
Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy
Spirit,
we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel,
whom alone we worship and serve.
We trust in Jesus
Christ,
Fully human, fully God.
Jesus proclaimed the reign of God:
preaching good news to the poor
and release to the captives,
teaching by word and deed
and blessing the children,
healing the sick
and binding up the brokenhearted,
eating with outcasts,
forgiving sinners,
and calling all to repent and believe the
gospel.
Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition,
Jesus was crucified,
suffering the depths of human pain
and giving his life for the sins of the world.
God raised Jesus from the dead,
vindicating his sinless life,
breaking the power of sin and evil,
delivering us from death to life eternal.
We trust in God,
whom Jesus called Abba, Father.
In sovereign love God created the world good
and makes everyone equally in God's image
male and female, of every race
and people,
to live as one community.
But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator.
Ignoring God's commandments,
we violate the image of God in others and
ourselves,
accept lies as truth,
exploit neighbor and nature,
and threaten death to the planet entrusted
to our care.
We deserve God's condemnation.
Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation.
In everlasting love,
the God of Abraham and Sarah
chose a covenant people
to bless all
families of the earth.
Hearing their cry,
God delivered the children of
Israel
from the house
of bondage.
Loving us still,
God makes us heirs with Christ
of the covenant.
Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing
child,
like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal
home,
God is faithful still.
We trust
in God the Holy Spirit,
everywhere the giver and renewer of life.
The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith,
sets us free to accept ourselves and to love
God and neighbor,
and binds us together with all believers
in the one body of Christ, the church.
The same Spirit
who inspired the prophets and apostles
rules our faith and life in Christ through
Scripture,
engages us through the Word proclaimed,
claims us in the waters of baptism,
feeds us with the bread of life and the cup
of salvation,
and calls women and men to all ministries
of the church.
In a broken and fearful world
the Spirit gives us courage
to pray without ceasing,
to witness among all peoples to Christ as
Lord and Savior,
to unmask idolatries in church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
and to work with others for justice, freedom,
and peace.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit,
we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks
and to live holy and joyful lives,
even as we watch for God's new heaven and
new earth,
praying, Come, Lord Jesus!
With believers
in every time and place,
we rejoice that nothing in life or in death
can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.
*Instead of saying this line, congregations
may wish to sing a version of the Gloria
