What We Believe

Summary

We believe that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, and Holy Word of God. We believe that it was breathed out by God and is helpful so that every Christian might know God and know how to live.

We believe in one God in three Persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. God is a Spirit who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, and truth.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the incarnate Son of God, fully divine and fully human. Christ was sent to be the Redeemer of God’s elect by dying in their place for their sins and being raised again from the dead. He was raised bodily and ascended to heaven bodily where he sits at the Father’s right hand as Lord.

We believe all people are by nature dead in their sins, under the wrath of God, and without hope of salvation except for God’s love and mercy.

We believe that man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. All people will glorify God and all Christians will enjoy him, both in this life and the next, in their union with him and worship of him according to the Scriptures.

We believe that the Church is God’s means of providing communion among Christians, so that they might hold each other accountable and bear one another’s burdens. The Church is the only ordinary means of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church.

 

Westminster Standards

  • Our congregation holds to the Westminster Standards as the primary summary of faith and practice taught in Scripture . You can find the Westminster Standards and other resources from our denomination here.

 

What is the ARP?

The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church has a long and faithful heritage, its roots deep in Scottish Presbyterianism. The name comes from two congregations originating in Scotland, the Seceders (Associate) and the Covenanters (Reformed). As pressure increased from the established church, both congregations were formed out of a desire to remain faithful to the doctrines of faith, practice, and church government put forward in Scripture. Many churches came under persecution for their efforts. After leaving Scotland and moving to America, the two congregations found they held more in common than in difference. In 1782 in Philadelphia they merged to create what is now known as the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.

You can find a more detailed history on our denomination’s website.