Beliefs

First Reformed Church is a community dedicated to growing together in the grace of Christ.  We do this in unity with other Christians in our community and around the world.

We believe in the Triune God who reveals himself through the good creation he made and through the Scriptures he inspired human beings to write.  Our God has revealed himself most clearly through the incarnation, words, ministry, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus Christ.

In other words, the God we serve looks like Jesus: a God of love, compassion, community, righteousness, and justice, a God who is on mission to undo the curse of human sinfulness and brokenness.

Our desire is for our church to look like Jesus, to be concerned with the things he is concerned about, and to join with God on his curse-breaking mission.

Everything we need has been accomplished for us by Jesus in the victory of the cross and the empty tomb.  We exist to proclaim that good news to a waiting world.

As a church in the Reformed stream of Christianity, we have a distinctive flavor and heritage.  Historically, our beliefs are summarized in:

  1. the historic Christian creeds that unite us with Christians around the world and throughout history
    1. the Apostles Creed (4th century) - the simplest summary of the Bible’s teaching
    2. the Nicene Creed (325, 381, 451, and 589) - contains more information on how Jesus is truly the Son of God
    3. the Athanasian Creed (5th or 6th century) - a more detailed summary including teaching on the Trinity and on how Jesus is both truly God and truly human
  2. the four confessional statements of the Reformed Church in America.  These documents go into far more detail than the creeds and outline the highlights of the Reformed tradition
    1. the Belgic Confession (1561) - a detailed summary of the theological teachings of the Bible
    2. the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) - organizes Christian teaching into questions and answers under the categories of Sin, Salvation, and Service, with an emphasis on the personal comfort we receive from Christ
    3. the Canons of Dort (1618-1619) - an in-depth study of God’s grace
    4. the Belhar Confession (1982) - a necessary document outlining Christ’s call for the Church to pursue unity and racial justice

 

These creeds and confessions can be found here.