|
| |
Trinity forms part of the Reformed Church in America denomination, or RCA for
short.
We in the Reformed Church in America believe God created humans perfect and
free to make choices. They chose to disobey their Creator. Turning away from
God, humanity fell into sin. All of the suffering and evil in the world is
because of this sin.
Even though we have turned away from God, God still loves all people and wants
our lives to be full of joy and peace. Right from the beginning, God had a plan
to make this happen.
God's plan was to send Jesus, who lived a life of perfect obedience to God and
who died to pay the price for all people's sins. God raised Jesus back to life.
He is in heaven now, but he has promised to return to earth someday. When he
comes again, he will resurrect all believers and take them to be with him in
heaven.
Believers are people who accept that Jesus Christ is God's Son, who believe that
Jesus died for their sins and rose from the dead, and who do their best to
follow his teachings and example. Together they form the church, which is called
Christ's body on earth, and which has a responsibility to continue Christ's
work.
Living the Christian life is not always easy, but believers receive guidance
from the Bible and from the teachings and example of Christ; and they receive
encouragement and power from God's Holy Spirit.
The Reformed Church in America accepts three confessional statements as
expressions of its basic beliefs:
The Heidelberg
Catechism. Formulated during the Reformation, and still important as a
teaching tool in many churches, it has had by far the most formative influence
on the life of the Reformed Church.
The Belgic Confession.
Written in the sixteenth century by Guido de Bres, a pastor and itinerant
preacher in southern Netherlands, it was intended to persuade Philip II of Spain
that Reformed people did not hold heretical views. De Bres hoped to convince the
king to stop persecuting the Protestants; he himself became a martyr for his
faith in 1567.
The Canons of Dort were
formulated in 1618 to resolve a dispute among Dutch theological professors on
the issue of divine sovereignty in the work of salvation.
The Reformed Church also affirms three creeds that arose in the early church,
the Apostles' Creed,
the Athanasian Creed,
and the Nicene Creed.
In 1978 the Reformed Church approved
Our Song of Hope as
a contemporary statement of faith in its ministry of witness, teaching, and
worship.
From time to time the Reformed Church in America encourages its congregations
and assemblies to study confessional statements written by ecumenical partner
churches throughout the world. At its 2001 General Synod the Reformed Church
placed the
Belhar
Confession (Uniting Reformed Church of Southern Africa) in this category.
In the Reformed tradition, creeds are subject to evaluation in the light of
Scriptures. They are always subordinate to the final authority of Christ.
Beliefs about the
Sacraments.
For more information on the Reformed Church in America denomination, please
follow the link below:
 
|