On Thanksgiving Sunday (October 13) we explored the questions: Who is God? What is God’s Character? Who is God for us in the this world of many different powers and loyalties? And what does it mean if we believe that God is somehow ‘sovereign,’ and guides what happens in the universe? This is the second in a new series on Living Faith, one of the faith statements of the Presbyterian Church. Our guiding scriptures for this week are Isaiah 40:9-11, 21-31 and Mark 12:28-31.
This message reflects on Living Faith sections 1.1-2.1
Chapter One – God
1.1 There is one true God whom to know is life eternal, whom to serve is joy and peace. God has created all that is. The whole universe testifies to the majesty and power of its Maker.
1.2 God has come to us. The Lord spoke to the people of Israel and entered into covenant with them. From Israel came Jesus Christ, the Son of God, bringing salvation through a new covenant entered by faith. The Lord continues to come to us by the Holy Spirit, God present in the world, and Guide to the church, the new Israel.
1.3 The church upholds and defends the truth given to the apostles and recorded in the Scriptures. The Old and New Testaments witness to God’s mighty acts. They reveal the Creator’s holy love, and lead us to Jesus Christ.
1.4 The creeds of the early church preserve the faith of the apostles who first preached the Gospel of Christ. We receive them as a legacy in which the true interpretation of the Scriptures is protected.
1.5 Therefore, with the one church universal we believe in one God, eternal Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one, one in three, equal in power and glory. God is the Father to whom we come, the Son through whom we come, the Spirit by whom we come.
1.6 We worship almighty God, the source of all life. With thanks we acknowledge God’s wisdom, power, faithfulness, and love. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be!
Chapter Two – God, Creator and Ruler
2.1 God Creates and Rules 2.1.1 The living God is Lord, Creator of all, Sustainer and Ruler of the universe. In the seasons and the harvests, in the rise and fall of nations, God’s goodness and judgment are present. All events in this world are under the sovereign care of the eternal God.
2.1.2 We hold in reverence the whole creation as the theatre of God’s glory and action. God rules the lives of individuals and nations yet does not negate our freedom and responsibility. Ever at work in the world and in our lives God directs all things towards fulfillment in Christ.
2.1.3 We affirm God’s righteous and loving purpose even in a world where evil abounds. This purpose is uniquely disclosed in Jesus Christ. In him we see the greatest paradox of life: the mighty God chose to come into this world in weakness. In Christ, God entered most deeply into our suffering.
2.1.4 We cannot fully comprehend nor is it our task to justify God’s rule of the world. We experience evil in the midst of life. Yet evil cannot ultimately prevail, for it is against God’s will. The resurrection of Christ and the new life he gives us are assurance of his ultimate triumph.
You can find the full text of Living Faith here: https://presbyterian.ca/wp-content/up…