Zion Reformed Church is fully committed to the biblical doctrines summarized in the historic creeds and Reformed confessions of the Christian Faith. As a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), we officially hold to the Westminster Standards which explain our beliefs in detail. While we don’t hold these documents to be equal in authority to Scripture, we do believe they are a faithful summary of Scripture’s core teachings. Below is a brief summary of some of these core beliefs. You can also download a copy Zion’s ByLaws here.
God
We believe in one true and living God who exists eternally in three co-equal, co-glorious Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the all-holy, all-loving, and all-satisfying Creator of the universe; upholding, sustaining and governing all things for His glory.
The Bible
We believe that God is personal and has revealed Himself to be known and enjoyed by His creation. Although God has revealed Himself in the created order, He has spoken to us most clearly in the Bible. The Scriptures are not merely a witness to God’s Word, but are the very words of God Himself. As such, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are entirely true and without error, wholly sufficient, and supremely authoritative in all matters of faith and life.
Humanity
We believe that human beings are uniquely created in God’s image to reflect and display His glory in all that we are and do. Every human being is made to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.
Sin
We believe that the first human beings, Adam and Eve, did not glorify God as they were created to, but turned from God in sin. As a result, every human being shares in Adam’s guilt and sinful corruption through and through. In our actions, words, thoughts, and affections, we have all rebelled against God, are altogether deserving of His just judgment, and are totally unable to save ourselves.
The Gospel
We believe that God, in His great love and sheer mercy, sent His only divine son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile sinners to Himself. On their behalf, Christ became a human being, lived the perfectly obedient life God requires of them, died on the cross to satisfy God’s righteous wrath against them, and rose bodily from the dead to save them. All of the benefits of the Gospel—forgiveness of sins, the gift of Christ’s righteousness, eternal life, etc.—only become ours when we turn from sin and receive Jesus Christ by faith alone.
The Christian Life
We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. Those who are accepted by God solely on the basis of Christ’s righteousness delight to live righteous lives in gratitude for the Gospel of grace. In Christ, believers are renewed in heart and mind by the Holy Spirit, and are progressively made more and more holy in obedient, Christ-like living.
The Church
We believe that the local church is essential to the spiritual health and well-being of a Christian. The church is where we receive God’s Word preached and taught, where we celebrate the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, where we are encouraged and edified by fellow believers, and where we use our gifts to serve others. It is in the local church that Christians are spiritually nurtured and equipped to go into the world and spread the Gospel by word and deed.
The Age to Come
We believe that Jesus Christ will one day return to redeem creation by abolishing all sin and death, raising to everlasting judgment all who continue in rebellion against God, and raising to everlasting life all who have trusted in the Gospel. In the New Heavens and New Earth, God’s people will forever experience all-satisfying, ever-increasing joy in the inexhaustible beauty and glory of Jesus Christ.