Jesus said:
whoever comes to me I will
never drive away.
John 6:37
In a book by Dale Ralph Davis, "The House That Jesus Built", he explains some distinctive things that mark out a church like ours. We think it's a good way to sum up what our church believes too, so here it is with a slight 2nd Dromara twist added to the recipe.
The Bible is not like a box of chocolates - choose your favourite bits & just ignore the rest. All of the Bible is there for our good: to point us to Jesus & help us live for Him.
It's not that we never do anything that's thoughtful or kind - not at all. But that we naturally want to go our way, instead of God's way. The Bible calls this rebellion against God "sin". Our sin means that we can't get to God by ourselves, not even by our best efforts.
We believe that there's only one God. This only God is King, or sovereign: He is in charge of everyone and everything, all the time. As a loving King, He wants the best for us.
Jesus' death on the cross is the heartbeat of the Bible's message. Jesus said: "For even the Son of Man [Jesus] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). If God is so big, and our sin is so bad, that we can't come to God by ourselves, the great news is that Jesus died to sort out our mess. Jesus explains that His death is like paying a ransom: when we trust in Him we are set free from sin, to live for Him.
If our lives are messed up by sin like we've said, why would God love us, draw us to love Him and promise to keep His people for ever? There is only one answer - it's all down to grace: God's great love that we don't deserve and can never earn.
When God brings us into His family and makes us His, we are safe and secure for ever. We will still mess up, because we still have hearts that want to go our way, not God's way. But God is bigger than our sin. Jesus promises no-one can snatch us out of His hand (John 10:28).
Whenever we commit ourselves to follow Jesus, all of our lives are to be lived for Him. Everything in our lives, 24/7, is about honouring Jesus and living to please Him.
If you'd like a more in-depth guide to what we believe, you'll find it in a document called the Westminster Confession of Faith. Presbyterian Churches like ours believe that it's a good summary of what the Bible teaches.
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