What We Believe

 

Evangelical in Spirit

Westkirk Presbyterian Church is an independent, Reformed church within the larger, conservative evangelical tradition. When we say that we are evangelical in spirit, we mean that we are committed to carrying out the mission given to the Church by Jesus Christ himself, prior to his ascension into heaven. His mission for us is clear. "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). Therefore we are determined to:

 

• Bear witness (verbally and non-verbally) to the truths of the Good News of Jesus Christ

• Disciple new believers in Christ to greater spiritual maturity, according to the Scriptures

• Equip and encourage emerging believers within the Church toward greater leadership and future ministry growth

 

Reformed in Theology

Westkirk believes that the historic and foundational tenets of orthodox Christianity are non-negotiable. These beliefs are called major doctrines or essentials. A major doctrine, "is one that has a significant impact on our thinking about other doctrines, or that has a significant impact on how we live the Christian life" (Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: an introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), p. 29. The major doctrines that we hold to be undeniably true are:

 

• The Authority and Inerrancy of the Bible

• The Trinity

• The Virgin Birth

• The Deity of Christ

• The Resurrection of Jesus from the Dead

• The Deity of the Holy Spirit

• Justification by Faith Alone in Christ Alone

• The Church as the Body of Christ

 

Those who disagree with these historic and foundational beliefs will have a differing world view than those of us within the conservative, evangelical tradition. However, within this conservative, evangelical tradition there are many rich and diverse views on other non-essentials or minor doctrinal matters.

 

But What Makes Us Distinct From Others?

When we say Reformed, we also mean that we hold to the traditional Reformed teachings from the Bible. Most of these teachings are shared by other denominations and traditions as well. The distinction between Reformed churches and others can be summed up with this quote by Cornelius Plantinga:

Our accents lie more on the sovereignty of God, on the authority of Scripture, on the need for disciplined holiness in personal Christian life, and finally, on Christianity as a religion of the Kingdom (A Sure Thing: What We Believe and Why, Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, 2001), p. 281.

 

Our roots come from both Martin Luther, the Father of the Protestant Reformation (Germany) and John Calvin (France), the second-generation reformer whose Biblical exposition forms the foundation of Reformed thinking. The Reformation sought to emphasize the following Biblical truths:

Sola Scriptura: We believe in the Word of God alone as the basis for faith and life. While the words of men and women may be instructive, those words are not equal to the Word of God in authority over the hearts of believers.

 

Sola Fide: by faith alone. As we discussed in First Things First, we are justified and accounted righteous before God by our faith in Jesus Christ who, on Calvary, was our substitute, paid for our sins, died our death and rose in victory to validate His offering to God on our behalf.

 

The Priesthood of All Believers. The Reformation did not abolish the priesthood; it was expanded to include all believers who become a priest to fellow believers by interceding for them and presenting them to the Father in their various needs.

 

The Sacredness of the Common Life: Before the Reformation, the Latin Church believed that the vocations of value to God were the clergy and all church related vocations. The Reformers said no to this. All work that contributes to the common good is of great value to God. The brick layer and the bishop were equal in value to the Lord; they were just different in function. There is no distinction between the sacred and the secular.

 

The central doctrine of Reformed Theology is the Sovereignty of God. That is, we are firm in our belief that God is powerful enough to accomplish all that he desires to accomplish, according to his pleasure and character. This strong emphasis on Gods sovereignty is outlined for us in the Biblical and systematic theology first detailed by John Calvin. One way these truths have been expressed is through the acrostic, TULIP, which stands for: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints.

 

 

While this is a helpful and well-known way of remembering and discussing these distinctives, here at Westkirk Presbyterian Church, we have studied these five doctrines of grace (or 5 points of Calvinism) as follows:

 

Radical Depravity

(Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-12; Ephesians 2:1-3)

The nature and extent of our sin has affected the whole person and we cannot take even the smallest step toward God without his intervention on our behalf. Therefore, we cannot seek God or even respond to the message of the Gospel when it is presented to us.

 

Unconditional Election

(Proverbs 16:4; John 12:39-40, 13:18, 17:12; Romans 9; Ephesians 1:3-12, 2:8-9; 1 Peter 2:7-8)

The Bible is full of examples of God choosing persons or entire nations for particular purposes. These examples of election, apply to our salvation as well. Since we are never going to seek God on our own, in his love and mercy, God himself reaches out to those he is determined to save.

 

Particular Redemption

(Isaiah 53:8; Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:68; John 6:38-39, 10:11-15, 13:1, 17:1,2,9; Romans 8:28-32; Ephesians 5:25; Hebrews 2:17)

The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is sufficient and powerful enough to save everyone who ever has and ever will walk on the face of the earth; its object however, is the actual (not potential) atonement and salvation of those whom the Father had given the Son before the foundations of the world.

 

Efficacious (effective) Grace

(Isaiah 55:10-11; John 11; Romans 1:6-7, 11:29; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Ephesians 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 2 Peter 1:10)

The effective work of the Holy Spirit to regenerate us (gives us a new heart disposition) so that when the elect hear the message of the Gospel, they believe it, repent of their sin, and trust in Jesus for salvation thereby applying the benefits of Christs work to those he has redeemed.

 

Persevering Grace

(Psalm 34:7; Jeremiah 31:3, 32:40; John 5:24, 6:51, 10:27-30; Romans 8:35-39, 11:29; 2 Corinthians 4:8,9, 14; Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Hebrews 10:14; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 5:11-13)

Those to whom God has brought to faith in Jesus Christ are able to persevere and stand firm in their faith because God perseveres with them. This security, like our very salvation to begin with, is based on Gods ability and will, not our own.

 

Our Standard

The Westminster Confession of Faith is the doctrinal standard for Presbyterian churches in the Reformed tradition. First adopted and affirmed by the Assembly of the Divines between 1643-7 at Westminster, the doctrinal standards include: the Confession of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. The authorized versions we use today have been re-written into modern English. The Westminster Confession is the doctrinal statement of Westkirk Presbyterian Church.

 

Presbyterian in Polity

Being Presbyterian in polity, Westkirk governs itself through a representative form of church government. Our congregation selects 12 ruling Elders (Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Timothy 3:1-7) who, along with the Pastor, comprise the Session (board). They provide oversight over all the ministries of the congregation and also serve as the Trustees for the corporation.

 

Westkirk is also served by a Board of Deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13), who are the care-givers of the congregation. They assist the Pastor in his role as shepherd of the congregation. The 12 Deacons are each assigned a parish of members to shepherd. In doing so, they remain in continuous and consistent contact with their parish by telephone or through fellowship at church, hospital and home visitation, as well as attending to personal needs as they arise.

 

Westkirk Presbyterian Church owns and manages its own property and ministry.