Redeemer Presbyterian Church, PCA

Florence, Alabama


Our Theological Identity

What does Redeemer Presbyterian Church and the PCA believe? What are our theological distinctives? What does it mean to be a Presbyterian Church? What does it mean to say we are reformed? Are these issues even important? Do we, in our theological tradition, care about evangelism; that is, winning new people to faith in Jesus Christ?

While this document may not answer every question of this nature, as elders and under shepherds of the flock, we do want to help members, visitors and inquirers learn more about our church.

The Session is convinced that our church must not be so broadly open that it fails to make vitally important distinctions which the Bible itself makes; nor are we to insist that every member share the same precise set of theological convictions. To be more specific, Redeemer is and will be characterized accurately with the following terms:


We are Evangelical.

We joyfully affirm our unity with those who believe in these fundamentals of the Christian faith: the existence of the triune God, the deity of Jesus Christ, the virgin birth and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, the vicarious or substitutionary atonement of Christ, the certain and bodily return of Jesus Christ, the necessity of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for salvation from sin and all its consequences, the historicity of supernatural events described in the Bible, and the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible which is our only guide for faith and practice. Though we may have certain disagreements in areas beyond these fundamental truths, we affirm our unity with those who share our common commitment to these most important doctrines.

We are Evangelistic.

This means we take seriously the Great Commission, "Go and make disciples of all nations." Without compromising the sovereignty of God, we affirm the responsibility of each person to repent and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and our responsibility to extend the Gospel invitation as a call to salvation to everyone who hears its message. We invite all, without distinction, to drink freely of the Water of Life and to live eternally. In this way, we seek to "extend the transforming presence of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ."

We are Reformed.

The word "reformed" can be defined simply in two ways: 1) it is a reference to our historical link to the Reformation of the 16th century and intends to describe us as the heirs of that tradition which comes from Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox and other reformers. 2) The word "reformed" is used most commonly to refer to certain theological distinctives which have marked reformation believers, particularly those in the Calvinist tradition.

These distinctives can be summarized by our glad affirmation of the responsibility of every person to repent and believe, and that it is God who, by His sovereign electing grace, draws men and women, otherwise dead in sin, to faith in His Son. By this faith alone are God's people justified.

Reformed distinctives include the sovereignty of God in His creation, providence and election of believers apart from any merit of their own; the irresistible grace of God provided for and preceding the faith of the individual; the sufficiency of God's grace apart from which man is dead in sin and wholly defiled in all his faculties of soul and body; the efficacy of Christ's death for all those who believe in Him by grace; the safe-guarding of all those for whom Christ died for eternal life.

We seek to hold to our reformed convictions humbly, recognizing the sincerity and earnestness of Godly men and women who have.

We are Confessional.

This means that we have a written confession of faith which we believe to be a good and accurate summary of the Bible's teaching. Our confession consists of the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. These documents (available in our bookstore and library) are not without flaw; yet we believe they do contain carefully worded summaries of the Bible's content. All ruling and teaching elders in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) must vow that they hold to these standards and are required to indicate to their presbyteries or sessions where they take exceptions. It is important to note that every church has a confession, formal or informal, even though some claim they have "no confession but Christ" or "no creed but the Bible." Every church summarizes its convictions in some form in order to distinguish its members from those who are not believers or those who do not believe in their church's distinctives.

We are Covenantal.

To say we are covenantal means we believe that the unifying principle of the Scriptures is the one covenant of grace that God made with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and finally, and most importantly, in Jesus Christ. The covenant is a pledge or bond of loyalty which God made to His people through each of the above named persons. The covenant is a relationship of loving loyalty that God has initiated with us as His people throughout human history. To speak of the unity of the covenants means that there is one way and one way only to salvation in both Old and New Testaments-that is, by faith alone in Jesus Christ. This covenantal understanding of the Bible is in distinction from any system of organizing the Scriptures which would attribute differing ways of salvation to a succession of historical Biblical eras.

We are Kingdom centered.

We believe that the Kingdom of God is not only a future hope but is also a present reality. We believe that the ascension of Jesus Christ means that He is presently reigning from Heaven and, therefore, we are called upon to honor and obey Him in every area of our personal lives and to plant the banner of Christ's Kingdom rule in every area of human endeavor. In addition, we are committed to engaging in ministry with other like-minded local churches, Presbyteries, the denomination, and worldwide ministries in order to extend the kingdom of God to the end of the earth. While we are committed to being as specific and narrow as possible in our theological formulations, we are committed to being as catholic (universal or broad) as possible in our fellowship with other Christians.

We are Presbyterian.

“Presbyterian” refers to our type of government. We believe that the biblical form of government is through “elders” or “presbyters” who govern the church together. The body of elders that governs a local church like Redeemer is called a session; the body that governs a large geographical area of churches is called a presbytery; the body that governs the entire denomination is called General Assembly. This Presbyterian form of government is contrasted to Congregational (government by the entire congregation) and Episcopal (government by an individual, bishops).

We are means of grace dependant.

One of the most important questions anyone could ask is, “How do I grow as a Christian?” We believe that God will bless and grow His people through the use of the ordinary means of grace: the reading and preaching of God’s Word, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, prayer, and the fellowship and accountability of the church family. Therefore, the means of grace have a priority in the life and ministry of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) whether in worship, discipleship, or outreach and missions. We are committed to simple, God-centered worship that draws on the rich heritage of the reformed worship tradition.

In Sum


It is important to know that these distinctives are good ones; that is to say, it is profitable and health-producing for Christians to believe these things. We believe that as we come to appreciate them, we will grow to love and honor the Lord Jesus more fully and understand more richly what it means to live by grace.

Nevertheless, acceptance of all these distinctives is not required for membership in our church. One can join and be a participating member of our church without holding to any but the evangelical distinctive. Ruling and teaching elders and deacons, however, must hold to all these distinctives.

Likewise, teachers in our Sunday School affirm their willingness to teach according to the confessional standards of our church and agree to discuss with the Session any area where they disagree. Teachers who agree to be gracious in matters where they take exceptions to our confessional standards may receive approval to teach by our Session, which must approve all teachers.

Redeemer desires to be: warm, gracious, inviting, open and non-judgmental; yet holding strong convictions that always come directly from the Bible. It is our absolute and unwavering conviction that to be strong in truth without being gentle in manner is unbiblical. It is also our profound conviction that to be gentle in manner while not adhering to scriptural truth is also unbiblical. By God's grace, we will be both as we press on in the Lord's grand design for RPC to be used in the Shoals area and throughout the world.











Three Distinctive Views of the PCA

  1. Covenant Theology

The relationship that God has with his people by his grace is the central theme of the Bible. The Bible calls this relationship a covenant, and it is expressed throughout Scripture in the covenant motto: "I will be their God, and they will be my people."

Believers from the New Testament era and the Old Testament era are part of the same covenant of grace:

just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:6-9)

Therefore, we see great continuity between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Many of the symbolic rituals and laws are no longer needed since Christ has appeared, but the relationship of God to His people by grace continues.

Baptism is the sign or symbol of the covenant. All who profess faith in Christ receive baptism, as do the children of believing Christians.

The covenant promise of salvation has always been for believers and their children. In the Old Testament, God gave the covenant sign of circumcision to be given to males eight days old. Romans 4 says that circumcision was the sign and seal of salvation by faith, yet it was given to eight day old children who obviously did not yet profess faith. This did not mean that they were saved, but it meant that they were included in all the promises, privileges, and obligations that God gave to Israel. The New Testament confirms that the promise of God is for believers and their children (Acts 2:37-39). In the Old Testament the sign and seal of God's covenant was circumcision, but in the New Testament it is baptism (Colossians 2:11). Also, there are many New Testament accounts of entire households including children, who were baptized (Acts 16:14-15; Acts 16:31-34; 1 Corinthians 1:16).

  1. The Sovereignty of God

PROVIDENCE

We believe that God is in control of all that He has made. Nothing happens apart from His plan and His purposes cannot be thwarted. This control extends to the decisions made by men and angels.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, (Ephesians 1:11).

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31).

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, (Acts 17:26).

HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY

Many people assume that God's sovereignty implies the elimination of human freedom and responsibility. The Scriptures, however, affirm both God's sovereignty and human responsibility. The relation between the two is a mystery to us – we are not told how these can both be true, but that they are both true.

for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. (Acts 4:27-28).

PREDESTINATION

The Bible teaches that God is also in control over who receives salvation through Jesus Christ. We are responsible to repent and put our faith in Christ for salvation, but it is only through God's sovereign working that this happens.

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, (Ephesians 1:4-5).

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44).

What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. (Romans 9:14-18).

The sovereignty of God is beyond the reach of our full comprehension. God reveals these things to us in order that we might know that it is safe to put our trust in Him and so that we might be careful to ascribe all glory to Him.



  1. Biblical World and Life View

God is the sovereign Creator and Redeemer. His interaction with His world can be summarized by the outline:

    1. Creation

    2. Fall

    3. Redemption

  1. Creation (Genesis 1)

God created all things for His own glory. This includes men and women, who were created in God's image. He declared that all He created was "very good" (Genesis 1:31).

  1. Fall (Genesis 3:1-19)

The fall into sin subverted and twisted God's good creation and the relationships in it. Men and women still bear God's image, but the image is warped.

The fall affects everything:

      • Our relationship to God is destroyed by sin. We are now spiritually dead, and stand under God's wrath and curse.

      • Our relationship to each other is broken apart through strife and blame and pride.

      • Our relationship to creation is strained as the physical world itself is subject to catastrophe and death.

  1. Redemption


      • Our relationship to God — the people of God have been reconciled to Him by the perfect life and death of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:22).

      • Our relationship to each other — having experienced God's forgiving grace, believers are enabled by God's spirit to experience substantial healing in relationships with other people (Ephesians 4:29-32).

      • Our relationship to the creation

        1. We are called to manage the creation as God's steward (Genesis 9:1-7)

        2. We look forward to the consummation of redemption – the new heavens and the new earth (Revelation 22:1-5)







Some implications of the Biblical World and Life View:

A Summary of Our Beliefs

We hold to the historic views of Christianity as expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith . The following statements summarize what we believe:

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