Our Beliefs

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful" - Hebrews 10:23 ESV

Credo

As a Presbyterian and Reformed Church, we ground all we believe upon the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God—the Holy Bible, our only rule of faith and life. We hold without reservation to the truth of that Word as expressed in the historic creeds of the church (e.g., the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed), and the great truths and confessions/catechisms of the Reformation (e.g., the so-called Doctrines of Grace, the Five ‘Solas,’ the Five Points of Calvinism, the Three Forms of Unity, the Westminster Confessions and Catechisms). Below are summaries of some of these truths and links in particular to the Westminster Confession of Faith and Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms, which are the official doctrinal standards of the family of Presbyterian churches worldwide.

A Brief Summary of Our Beliefs

God’s will, not human opinion, culture or tradition, must govern all our thoughts, words, and actions. God’s will is perfectly revealed in the Bible and defines what we are to believe about Him and how we are to live before Him. The Bible teaches that there is only one true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—Who has existed from all eternity as three persons. God created the universe out of nothing in six literal days and governs every detail of His creation according to His unchangeable plan. Man, male and female, was directly created by God in His image but through Adam’s fall all of us are sinners, justly deserving Hell, and powerless to achieve our own salvation. Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, became man through the virgin birth, lived sinlessly, died sacrificially, and rose bodily, to atone for the sins and accomplish the salvation of all whom God has chosen for salvation. Man is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone—He is the exclusive way to God. Good works are necessary evidences of true faith but contribute nothing to salvation. God the Holy Spirit applies salvation to all who repent and believe, working true faith, equipping and keeping every Christian unto eternal life. Jesus Christ shall return personally, visibly, and bodily to judge all mankind, put an end to all God’s enemies, and perfect His people in resurrection unto final glory.

What is Reformation?

Reformation, by definition, is a formation over again, a matter of returning something to its original form or condition. In the case of the church, re-formation involves restoring beliefs and practices which have drifted away from the norms of God’s authoritative Word—the Holy Scriptures—back into conformity with the teachings and practices God intends us to follow as He revealed them in the Bible.

The Five ‘Solas’ of the Reformation

The Five ‘Solas’ of the Reformation—the five truths that where at the heart of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century when men such as Martin Luther, John Zwingli and John Calvin lead the church in revival and reformation as it recovered the great truths of biblical faith:

Sola Scriptura—Scripture Alone. The Bible is our only infallible rule of faith and life (not Scripture plus Papal authority, church tradition, or creeds and confessions). It alone can bind man’s conscience.

Sola Fide—Faith Alone. We are justified (declared and accepted as righteous) before a Holy God by the righteousness of Christ alone, received solely through the instrumentality of faith.

Sola Gratia—Grace Alone. We are saved through faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone—our own works contributing nothing. The gospel is not a product for health and wealth, or self-esteem, or something that is true because it works. It is the message of rescue from the power and curse of sin and the wrath of a holy God, and the gift of forgiveness and eternal life and adoption by a loving Father—because of sheer, unmerited grace!

Solus Christus—Christ Alone. In contrast to the secularization of the church in our day, the Christ and the cross are central! Salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of Christ alone—His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation with the Father.

Soli Deo Gloria—God’s Glory Alone. God alone saves; for His glory; and the great purpose and the great good for man is to know just that (Rom. 11:36: For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.)!

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Sunday School

9:30am

Morning Worship

10:45am

Evening Worship

5:30pm

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Contact

Phone

904 389 4043

Mail

office@ortegapres.org

Address

4406 Longfellow Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32210