Our Beliefs

writing about beliefs is scary business…

Think about it: people believe different things. Even within a church, where people are presumed to have similar beliefs, that’s not always the case. Theologies differ; politics differ; approaches to how to be the Church of Jesus Christ differ. That’s the beauty and challenge of being a church: it’s full of people who look at life differently, who experience life differently.

That being said, there are things this church believes. As a part of the Presbyterian Church USA, when folks want to up their level of involvement at FPC, we ask them these questions:

Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world?

Which isn’t to say we always get it right. That’s where grace comes in. But we do try— often in spite of ourselves— to turn away from those things that exist to separate us from God and from one another, be they an individual or institutional form of sin, evil, or injustice. Keep in mind, though, that even as those things seek to separate us, “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 38-39)

Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Lord and Savior, trusting in his grace and love?

Meaning, when we turn away from sin and evil, we turn towards Jesus, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 6-11)

Will you be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying his word and showing his love?

Turning to Jesus means taking his word, his teachings, his life seriously. A life commanding that we love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: We shall love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22: 37-39).

At FPC LaGrange, we believe our neighbors are everyone: all people from all races, creeds, political parties, identities, and orientations. Even— or perhaps we should say especially— those we would consider to be our enemies or those whom we fear. Because, as 1 John says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear,” and as the Lord tells us over and over again: we need not be afraid.