Our Beliefs
Each Sunday at Northminster, we say out loud exactly what we believe, using the Apostle’s Creed: “[We] believe in God the Father Almighty—Maker of heaven and earth—and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried. The third day, he rose again from the dead. [We] believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen!”
What does all this mean? Well, it means a lot, actually, but there are some basic and important things to remember:
- God is sovereign and almighty. The conquest of good over evil is already assured.
- God is fully revealed in Christ Jesus, who died to reconcile us to our heavenly Father, to each other, to the world, and to ourselves. Since we are by our very nature sinful (or ‘broken’ if a different word helps), Christ’s death saves us from all the pain and hurt and loneliness that such brokenness causes.
- We cannot earn God’s favor through the accumulation of good deeds or reputation or wealth or anything else; we are accepted by God only because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us.
- Christ is with our Father and sends the Holy Spirit to be the presence and power of God among us. The Spirit charters the Church and gives it its vision and vigor.
- We, to borrow from another Creed, look for the coming of Christ’s kingdom, when the fullness of peace and love and justice and harmony will be realized. That will be a kingdom into which we are resurrected and in which we will live forever.
This is the Good News that we receive primarily through the preaching of God’s Word and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper and baptism. We share that Good News through sharing our faith with others and extending to them—no matter who they are—the grace and love and mercy God has given us.