Our Core Beliefs
As part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Lookout Valley Presbyterian Church adheres to the following seven essentials of the faith, which are predicated on the inerrant Word of God.
All Scripture is self-attesting, and being Truth requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God—the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments—is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. On this sure foundation, we affirm these additional essentials of our faith.
1. We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory, and praise forever!
2. Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.
3. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior, indwelling our hearts. He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.
4. Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.
5. The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible yet imperfect expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity, where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting she awaits the return of her Lord.
6. Jesus Christ will come again to the earth personally, visibly, and bodily—to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
7. The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Our Reformed Theology
Lookout Valley Presbyterian Church adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and the Westminster Larger Catechism. We believe in the the five solas of the Reformation and the five doctrines of grace.
The Solas of the Reformation
1. Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone) – The Bible alone is the Word of God and the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
2. Solus Christus (Christ Alone) – Jesus Christ is the only savior of sinners and his atoning sacrifice is the only work sufficient to save them.
3. Sola Gratia (Grace Alone) – Our salvation is not earned or merited in any part; salvation is the free gift of God from start to finish.
4. Sola Fide (Faith Alone) – The only way sinners are forgiven of their sins and counted righteous in God's sight is by having faith in Jesus Christ.
5. Solie Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone) – The ultimate end of all God's works in creation and redemption is his own glory.
The Doctrines of Grace
1. Total Depravity – Since the Fall, humans are enslaved to sin and by nature bent toward evil and sin in every part.
2. Unconditional Election – God, in his providence, has predestined a people for himself. God's decision to save someone does not depend on anything in that person.
3. Particular Atonement – Christ's atonement on the cross was intended by God to secure the redemption of the elect alone.
4. Irresistible Grace – God's special redemptive grace infallibly secures the salvation of those who receive it. Everyone predestined by God will certainly be saved.
5. Perseverance of the Saints – God's special redemptive grace will keep genuine converts faithful to Christ until the end. Although through temptations of sin and the world, a Christian may incur God's displeasure and doubt his or her salvation, one cannot ever lose his or her salvation.
