God further sent the Holy Spirit to be our companion, counselor and guide in living a life of service to God. 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. 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. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection God triumphed over sin. 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. From the kindest, most devoted churchgoer to the most blatant sinner, we are all saved solely by the grace of God. 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. the wonderful testimonies, the salvation testimonials of the biblical texts. Presbyterians believe God has offered us salvation because of God’s loving nature. Ramabai's title for her biblical translation project is a poignant example. God has always been faithful to the people of Israel and to the church. Like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home, Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child, God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant. Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation. We violate the image of God in others and ourselves,Īnd threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care. The “Brief Statement of Faith” of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) says:īut we rebel against God we hide from our Creator. 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. Presbyterians believe the Bible when it says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
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