What do we believe at the First Presbyterian Church of Olney?
Who is God?
The God we worship has been freely revealed throughout human history. The Bible expresses what God has done and said, culminating in the life and work of Jesus Christ.
God is our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. The Lord is holy and perfect, and also gracious and merciful. God’s presence is deeply personal, and our living and active Lord is revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Lord created all people in the image of God. But as humans gifted with free will, we insist on our own way and we reject God’s desires. We sin by our action and our inaction, both individually and together.
Who is Jesus?
Out of God’s deep and abiding love, we received the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. He lived, died and was resurrected that we might know and embrace human life in all its meaning and depth.
We are delivered from the power of sin and death through the free gift of Christ. In gratitude, we commit our lives to Jesus, and we embrace the continuing process of growth as his disciples.
Our relationship with God and other believers
The Church
We are a part of the Church, the body of Christ, far greater than any congregation or tradition, encompassing all the followers of Jesus.
The Bible
The Bible is the word of God for us, and through the scriptures the Holy Spirit speaks to human needs and guides us to grow in grace and faith.
Prayer
Prayer is our communion with God as we acknowledge God’s greatness, confess our failings, intercede for others, share our concerns and dedicate ourselves to God’s will.
Sacraments
Christ gave the church the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In Baptism we are cleansed and united with Christ’s church, the family of faith. In the Lord’s Supper we celebrate communion with Jesus and are strengthened for service and witness.
Our response to God’s grace
Every Christian is called to serve God in all of life, and we celebrate that each follower of Jesus has specific gifts and talents to use for God’s glory.
The church does not retreat from evil and brokenness, but boldly shares God’s goodness and speaks and acts for justice throughout the world.
Even as we celebrate God’s many gifts and respond to the Lord’s grace with trust and obedience, we also look joyfully for the life to come, when we will participate in the complete revelation of God’s grace.
“I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the 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;
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I 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.”