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Presbyterians believe the Bible when it says that
"all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans
3:23) Unlike crime, which involves the breaking of human law, sin
is a condition of the heart or an expression of that condition where we
are estranged from God and fail to trust in God. Sin expresses itself in
particular acts. The Brief Statement of Faith of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) says:
"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." (Lines
33-39)
"Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation.
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." (Lines 40, 47-51)
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"But
God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ
died for us." (Rom.
5:8)
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"For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. "Indeed,
God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in
order that the world might be saved through him." (John
3:16-17)
"if
you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes
with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and
so is saved." (Rom.
10:9-10) |
God has always been faithful to
the people of Israel and to the church. Presbyterians believe God has
offered us salvation because of God's loving nature. It is not a right
or a privilege to be earned by being "good enough." No one of
us is good enough on our own--we are all dependent upon God's goodness
and mercy. From the kindest, most devoted churchgoer to the most blatant
sinner, we are all saved solely by the grace of God.
Out of the greatest possible love and compassion God
reached out to us and redeemed us through Jesus Christ, the only one who
was ever without sin. Through Jesus' death and resurrection God
triumphed over sin.
Presbyterians believe it is through the action of God
working in us that we become aware of our sinfulness and our need for
God's mercy and forgiveness. Just as a parent is quick to welcome a
wayward child who has repented of rebellion, God is willing to forgive
our sins if we but confess them and ask for forgiveness in the name of
Christ.
God further sent the Holy Spirit to be our companion,
counselor and guide in living a life of service to God.
"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."
(Brief Statement of Faith, Lines
54-57)
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