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 All Saints holds to the classic formulations of Presbyterian theology, which came out of the Reformation period: the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms. We believe that these documents, though not infallible, are a sound interpretation of biblical doctrine. In addition, we govern ourselves by the Book of Church Order prepared by our denomination, the Presbyterian Church
in America.
The Presbyterian creeds contain many important affirmations and among them are the following major teachings:
- The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule for faith and practice. Special, direct revelation from God has ceased and is no longer necessary since the Scriptures have given us everything we need for life and godliness.
- There is one God, eternal and self-existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is infinite and unchangeable, the creator of all things, all knowing, everywhere present, holy, just, loving, and entirely sovereign over all His creation.
- All people are created in the image of God, but that image has been marred by sin- both by the inherited guilt of Adam's sin, and by the resulting sinful nature we all possess. All sin is an offense to God and deserves His wrath and punishment. All human beings come into the world lost, dead in sin, alienated from God, and unable to seek out or even please God by their own efforts.
- Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, the only Savior and Redeemer of sinners, the only way we can know God and His forgiveness. He lived a sinless life as a substitute for His people, supplying them with the perfect righteousness required by God. And He endured God's justice and wrath at the cross, taking the penalty of sin in the place of His people.
- Salvation is by faith alone, apart from any good works of man. It is the sole gift of God's grace and cannot in any way be earned or deserved. Even faith itself is not a human accomplishment but the gift of God, so that God alone received glory and credit for man's salvation.
- The Bible freely offers eternal life to any and all who will repent of their sin and place their hope and trust in Jesus Christ alone. It is the duty of the Church to proclaim the Good News to all the nations, beginning with our own community and neighborhoods.
- Though salvation is by faith alone, it will always result in a life of good works and progressive character change toward the likeness of Jesus Christ. Christians by necessity must follow Christ in personal and often costly discipleship.
- The moral law (as summarized in the Ten Commandments) is valid today and is necessary for teaching non-Christians their need of a Savior, and for teaching Christians how to express their love for one another and for the God who has saved them.
- The Lord's Prayer is a useful guide for Christian prayers and serves as a continual reminder of the privilege and power of prayer itself.
- We may worship God only in the ways He has appointed in Scripture. The chief means of grace that God uses to gather and mature His people are the Word read, taught, and preached; prayer; fellowship; and the two sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper.
- At death the Christian's soul passes immediately into the presence of God, and the soul of the unbeliever is eternally separated from God's love and mercy in the conscious sufferings of hell.
- Jesus Christ will return to earth visibly and bodily at the end of history to finish God's plan and purpose of redemption. There will be a bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost, the former to eternal life, and the latter to eternal wrath and judgment.
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