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Who is Jesus - Essential Tenet

The prebyterty of San Diego publishes a document outlining the essential tenets of the Reformed faith. Here's what they say about JESUS CHRIST:

Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human. In the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the

eternal Son of God uniquely entered human history and became a real human

being. He is truly the Word of God (John 1:1-3)—that is, the perfect and

culminating expression of God’s mind and heart, of God’s will and character—

present in the intimate fellowship of the Holy Trinity from eternity and fully

engaged with the Father in the work of creation and redemption.

Becoming human, Jesus was “all of God in a human body” (Colossians 1:19) and

“God with us” (Matthew 1:23)—a living tabernacle of God’s holy presence, “full of

grace and truth” (John 1:14-18). His divine-human identity is corroborated by the

true witness of scripture—in his divine conception and virgin birth, in God’s own

testimony concerning Jesus, in Jesus’ supernatural works of healing and

deliverance, in his obedience to the point of sacrificial death, and in his bodily

resurrection from the dead, ascension, and exaltation. He is now Lord over

everything in creation.

The early church in the creeds of Nicea and Chalcedon accurately interpreted and

expressed the apostolic testimony concerning Jesus—fully God and fully human.

The significance of this is: in Christ we are dealing with God himself; in Christ we

have a human being who truly represents us.

Jesus Christ is God’s only Mediator between God and humankind and God’s

unique agent for the salvation of the world. He is also the perfect expression of what

humanity was designed to be. In his complete obedience, he became the

representative Human Being, a second Adam, modeling for us human life and

offering to God on our behalf human life that is rightly in God’s image—reflecting

God’s glory in a wholly submitted life of steadfast love and righteousness.

This same Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, as attested in scripture, is to

be the center of the Christian Church’s proclamation, worship, discipleship, and

mission. As we eagerly and prayerfully anticipate that “he will come again to judge

the living and the dead” and to establish God’s righteous kingdom in fullness and

perfection, we say, “Come Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

Scripture

Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31-35; John 1:1-3, 14-18; Romans 5:18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:19;

Colossians 1:15-20; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John 4:2-4

Confessions

Nicene Creed 1.1-1.2

Westminster Confession of Faith 6.044

Confession of 1967 9.07-9.08

Brief Statement of Faith 10.2

What Is Not Affirmed

Any doctrine—

• that affirms the deity but not the full humanity of Christ, or the humanity but not

Christ’s full deity (as, for example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses do);

• that asserts that Jesus was an inspired or extraordinary or holy man, but was

merely human in nature and not the incarnation in history of the eternal Son of

God;

• that attempts to supplement the authoritative revelation of the Old and New

Testament scriptures concerning Jesus Christ and proposes a corrected or revised

revelation of Jesus (as, for example, the Book of Mormon and Mormon teaching

do);

• that discounts or discredits as untrue or as myth all or portions of the New

Testament record concerning Jesus

• that does not affirm as biblical and true the death of Christ as the central saving

act of our Christian faith, or

• that asserts that Jesus is merely one example, however noteworthy, of a divinely

approved or divinely enlightened life;

• that asserts that Jesus is one Mediator between God and humankind among other

religious options or among other spiritual or enlightened teachers or mediators;

• that contends that the Jesus Christ attested by scripture is essentially and

significantly different from the historic Jesus of Nazareth;

• that misrepresents Jesus’ mission in terms compatible with pantheism or as a

message of human self-fulfillment and divine self-realization, that God is one

being with the world or that human beings are essentially divine, and that all

religious truth is harmonious and convergent.

• that detracts from Jesus’ supreme authority over every human authority, over the

church, and over our individual moral lives.

 

On Being Human -Essential Tenets

The prebyterty of San Diego publishes a document outlining the essential tenets of the Reformed faith. Here's what they say about humanity:

HUMANITY—ORIGINAL RIGHTEOUSNESS AND FALL INTO SIN

Human beings were created by God in God’s own image—in true righteousness and

holiness—to know, love, and obey God and be righteous stewards of the creation.

Our earliest forebears, instead of acknowledging, worshiping, and obeying God,

became disobedient sinners and brought sin and death upon themselves and all

creation.

There is now a radical brokenness and corruption in human nature that is the result

of and results in sin. Sin is rebellion against God. No human effort can fully resolve

or redeem this defect. Sin is destructive, contagious, parasitical, polluting, disabling.

Human beings are sinners by nature, by influence, by choice, by action.

While there is an inalienable glory and nobility to human beings because they are

God’s image bearers, this image is now broken and distorted, and even our best and

noblest actions are contaminated by sin. Every part of our human being—our

personality, intellect, emotions, will, motives, virtues, and actions—is corrupted by

sin. The human will, originally free and righteous, is now crippled and defective.

As a result, human beings are in bondage to sin and subject to God’s holy judgment.

Without God’s intervening grace and salvation, they are lost and condemned.

Scripture

Genesis 1:26-27; Psalms 51:5, 143:2; Jeremiah 17:9

Matthew 15:19-20; Romans 3:10-23; 5:18-19; 7:18-23; 8:7; Ephesians 2:1-3

Confessions

Scots Confession 3.03

Heidelberg Catechism 4.005, 4.006, 4.010

Larger Catechism 7.135, 7.137

Confession of 1967 9.12-13

Brief Statement of Faith 10.3

What Is Not Affirmed

• The notion that human nature is basically good and self-redeemable through good

effort, discipline, improved environment, etc.

• The notion that man’s defective nature is the result of heredity or environment to

such a degree that human beings are not morally responsible for their nature or

behavior.

• The notion that God is the author of sin or that sin is part of his original plan to

educate and improve humankind.

 

Words about God - Essential Tenets

The prebyterty of San Diego publishes a document outlining the essential tenets of the Reformed faith. Here's what they say about God:

GOD

We worship the one only living and true God who is revealed in the Bible and who is

the source of all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness.

Trinity. With the holy catholic church in all ages, we confess the mystery of the holy

Trinity—that there is one God alone, infinite and eternal, Creator of all things, the

greatest good, who is one in essence or nature, yet who exists in a plurality of three

distinct persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Creation/Providence/Sovereignty. God in the beginning created the universe and

everything in it for the manifestation of God’s glory, eternal power, wisdom, and

goodness. He is the sovereign ruler of creation, working all things according to the

counsel of his omnipotent and righteous will. In gracious providence God

continually upholds, directs, oversees, and governs creation—all creatures, actions,

and things.

In sovereignty God has seen fit to accommodate free will among moral creatures,

resulting in great cultural and cosmic good and terrible evil, disorder, and

disobedience. Nevertheless, God is in no way the author of evil or sin, but continues

to govern creation in such a way as to cause all things to work together for good for

those who love God and are called according to his purpose. God opposes all evil

and will certainly triumph over it and bring creation to a glorious consummation.

Grace. God is a God of love. In grace God chooses to show love and mercy. When we

were dead in trespasses and sin, God made us alive with Christ, saving us by grace

through faith, as a sheer gift of sovereign love.

Worship. God—and God alone—is worthy of worship. We respond to God by

consciously and intentionally seeking to declare, explore, celebrate, and submit to

God’s righteous and gracious kingship over all of creation and over every aspect of

our individual and corporate life, and thereby “to glorify him and enjoy him

forever.” (Westminster, 7.01) This is true worship.

Scripture

Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:4-5; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 47:2; Isaiah 45:5

Matthew 28:19; Luke 1:35; John 14:26; Romans 1:23; 8:28; 2 Corinthians 13:14;

Ephesians 1:7-11; Jude 1:25; Revelation 4:11

Confessions

Nicene Creed 1.1, 1.3

Scots Confession 3.01

Heidelberg Catechism 4.027

Westminster Confession of Faith 6.011-6.014

Larger Catechism 7.01

Brief Statement of Faith 10.1

What Is Not Affirmed

Any doctrine—

• that denies this doctrine of God’s triune nature, or refuses to confess the Trinity as

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;

• that minimizes this doctrine as an unessential or secondary Christian tenet;

• that asserts that all religions are essentially true, that all religious beliefs are

essentially in accord; or that the views of God held by the world’s major religions

are equally valid;

• that confesses or celebrates belief in multiple gods or goddesses, or that identifies

God as a goddess, or that worships God’s uncreated glory through idols or images

representing creatures or creation.

The biblical doctrine of God’s sovereignty excludes:

• the notion that, if God is sovereign, our human efforts are in vain;

• the deistic notion that God created the cosmos like a watchmaker but is no longer

personally involved in its operation or unfolding;

• any theology that denies or downplays the reality of evil or the enmity between

evil and a holy God or the moral responsibility of humankind for sin.

 

A Word for Presbyterians from John Ortberg

 

Love is Here

Stewardship in 2011

We are all too aware of the unimaginable hopelessness faced by many around us:  the senseless loss of life from a rash of teen suicides; the cascading hardships to schools, families and businesses due to the shaky economic environment; the personal trauma and challenging adjustments experienced in our post 911 culture. Many people do not know where to turn.

First Presbyterian Church is the place to go for hope and help.  Many people throughout the community have felt the tender embrace of a Presbyterian Lay Pastor in a hospital room or at the bedside of a dying loved one.  Many have built warm friendships at our community meals; or have experienced supportive comfort, counsel, or material assistance from the Deacons or Church Staff.  The Presbyterian Preschool, Music School, Sunday School, and Youth Groups are meaningful sources for family support. The Christian Life Learning Center is providing many helpful adult courses and we have recently launched the Samaritan Center at the Jersey Shore.  Our recently expanded facilities now provide space for us to offer broader services to the community. 

Thank you for making all this possible.  You are helping make First Presbyterian Church the place where Christ's love meets your life.  And you are increasingly helping to bring the light of Christ's love into the darkness around us.

One member of the church who was a deacon, and is now an elder, talks about the personal dimension of our mission saying, " It is so rewarding to feed the homeless, visit the sick, or just sit patiently and listen to someone tell their story."

Whether you are involved in hand on ministry, volunteering in one of our many support roles, or giving your valuable resources, you are helping to bring the light of Christ to many.  Since our founding in 1848 we have been motivated by the message, example and spirit of Christ's love.  While ministry has expanded significantly in recent years, our Christian mission of love remains constant. 

In the year ahead, we face the challenge of meeting some of the greatest needs our community has ever faced.  We plan to be a strong and tender voice of Christian love and reason in the midst of much despair.  Where there is hopelessness, we will offer a warm embrace and lift up the light of hope.  Where there is helplessness, we will give a helping hand and organize community efforts to address challenges.  Where people have been isolated from others and from God, we will provide a caring community where the love of God is experienced.

Like the angels of scripture, we have a message of hope to share with the world.  We need more than ever the faithful help of all our members to do this. 

We are asking people to follow the biblical model of offering a tithe of their income to the work of the church.  Where a tithe is not yet offered, we ask that people move towards a tithe by providing contributions that are a thoughtful and prayerful percentage of their income.  Please stop and think about this.  Just as we are growing in other dimensions of our spiritual maturity, we can also grow in our experience of giving.

Stewardship at FPCOM

Riches in Christ: Ephesians

This week we begin a new series of messages about our Riches in Christ.  We will be looking at the book of Ephesians.

Listen to what John McKay, A past president of Princeton Seminary, says of this book:

 

I can never forget … the reading of this Pauline letter when I was a boy.  [It had] a more decisive influence upon my thought and imagination than …any piece of literature. The romance of the part played by Jesus Christ in making my personal salvation possible, and in mediating God's cosmic plan, so set my spirit aflame that I laid aside, in all ecstasy of delight, Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo, which I happened to be reading at the time. …  The Christ who was, and is, became the passion of my life. … [and] the years that have followed have been but a footnote to that encounter.

 

I think that if we lay aside a summer romance novel or some other pulp fiction, if we turn off Comedy Central or HBO for a while, and we listen to the timeless message of God’s cosmic plan that is described in the book of Ephesians, there can be some awesome results.

 

If you feel the need for change in your life, or to be healed from a hurt, or to gather new perspective for living, or to be ignited by a meaningful passion, this book is for you.  You may want to take a look at the first chapter before you come to church.  The message in this book can be a tremendous source in helping Christ’s love meet your life.

Haiti Update

I want to update you about the unfolding situation in Haiti and ask for your prayers and continued support.  You can donate now online.

As many as 3 million Haitians were affected by the devastating 7.0 earthquake last Tuesday. Many have lost their homes and loved ones. We are supporting the efforts of World Vision as they bring immediate relief to the region.  World Vision has more than 800 Haitian staff as well as a dozen international disaster response experts responding throughout affected areas.

World Vision is rushing 18 metric tons of basic relief supplies to the quake zone. We are supporting their distributions for families and providing food, clean water, and emergency medical care. The country's infrastructure has been devastated, and the magnitude of this catastrophe is enormous. Click here if you’d like to donate now.

Thanks to US government grants, our gifts to World Vision are being multiplied 3 times.  If you've already given a gift, thank you. If you’d like to make a donation today, you may donate now.  We are forwarding the money from our members and friends first thing in the morning, so your gifts will be counted among those to receive the supporting government grants.

Thank you for joining with the church to make a united expression of support to our neighbors in Haiti.

 

 

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Steve

 

PS  We are still working to coordinate future relief of clothes and supplies with a Haitian Church in Asbury.  We will let you know more about this in future weeks.

 

 

A Ministry Worth Supporting

Your support of First Presbyterian Church is making a vital impact.  Many people throughout the community have felt the tender embrace of a Presbyterian Lay Pastor in a hospital room or at the bedside of a dying loved one.  Hundreds of people are fed through our food pantry. People have built warm friendships at our community meals; experienced supportive comfort, counsel, and material assistance from the Deacons and church staff.  The Presbyterian Preschool, Music School, Sunday School, and youth groups are meaningful sources for family support for people of all ages. The newly established Christian Life Learning Center is providing many helpful adult courses.  Our weekly services of worship are filled with a diverse collection of inspirational music, relevant biblical messages, and a warm mixture of spiritual reflection and good humor.  Our recently expanded facilities now provide space for us to offer broader services to the community.
As we prepare for Stewardship Sunday this week, just think of the great needs our church is addressing.  In the past several months we have been responding to unimaginable tragedies faced by residents of our Jersey Shore:  the senseless loss of life from a rash of teen suicides; the cascading hardships to schools, families and businesses due to the shaky economic environment; the personal trauma and challenging adjustments experienced in our post 911 culture. There are always couples trying to maintain healthy relationships; families coping with substance abuse; parents facing challenges with their children; workers confronting bleak situations on the job; seniors maneuvering through a confusing maze of complex health and residence choices.  Many people are looking for spiritual support.

Since our founding in 1848 we have been sharing the message of Christ's love.  The ministry has expanded over the years.  The mission of love remains constant.

This Sunday, November 1, is an opportunity for you to offer a pledge for the 2010 ministry.  Your support is dearly needed.  With your continued contributions in 2010, we will be able to maintain our ministry.

This coming year we plan to support staffing and programs that will make a significant advancement in our Christian witness on the Shore.  With your increased support we will be able to expand our ministry to be an even stronger witness for Christ throughout the community.

We are making a difference through the way we give and serve.  As you prepare your pledge for 2010, please pray that God will move in the hearts of many, so that Christ will continue his ever expanding reach of love, through the faithful service of our church. 
 
Thank you and God Bless You!
 
Pastor Steve
 
PS  You may bring your pledge card on Sunday, or make a pledge online right now by clicking here.

PSS  You may read more about some of our many ministries by clicking any of the areas in blue.