Princeville Presbyterian Church is a community of love, under the authority of God’s Word, centered upon the gospel, for the glory of God.
1. We are a church under the authority of Scripture.
We live in an age where evil is increasing and sound doctrine is decreasing. There is a constant pressure on all of us to cave to the world’s pattern of living and thinking, which are opposed to the system of teaching handed down to us in Scripture (2 Tim. 2:1-2). Nevertheless, God does not call us out of the world; rather, we are called to live in the world, engage the world, and shine as God’s beacons of light in a dark place. He does not leave us to do this in our own strength, but has given us the “God-breathed word…so that [we may be] thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). As a Church, we are committed to the proclamation of God’s word, which Paul says is profitable for “teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.”
2. We are a church centered upon the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The gospel is the announcement, or good news, of who Jesus is and what he has done on our behalf. As such, it is the divine means by which we are saved and comes to those who believe in the life-transforming power of God. So, Paul says the gospel is to be of “first importance” in the church and that it undergirds and informs all of the Christian life (1 Cor. 15:2-3). Gospel-formed Christianity is not moralism; it is not the message of how you can be a better person, or how you should be a better person, or how to have more success, security, or peace. It is the announcement of what God has done for us in Christ! As we hear the gospel, believe the gospel, and grow in faith and trust in Christ our savior, our lives are progressively restored by God’s grace. As a gospel-centered church, we are committed to grace-filled Christianity, not the deceptive promises of moralism.
3. We are a church that exists for the glory of God.
Yahweh reveals Himself to Moses as “The Lord, The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin” (Ex. 34:5-7). This is the God we see most clearly at the cross, where God’s wrath is poured out on Christ, the Son, on our behalf. In Christ, we see the compassion of God as He bears our sins, and we see the wrath of God as Christ dies the death each of us deserves. In the light of such an awesome and loving God, we respond as the body of Christ in worship and mission, seeking His glory above our own in all things.
4. We are a church that is a community of love.
We live in a world of hierarchy and status, but the gospel calls us to a community of self-sacrificing love and service. This is the truth that Jesus demonstrated in His life and death. As the body of Christ, we evidence the life of our Lord, and the truth of the gospel, in how we treat one another. In fact, Jesus said, “by this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (John 13:35). As a church, we are committed to the interests of each other above our own.
The Essentials of the EPC:
All Scripture is self-attesting and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the sixty-six 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, 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.” (Rev. 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.” (Eph. 2:10)
These Essentials are set forth in greater detail in the Westminster Confession of Faith which downloaded in PDF format here.
What is the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC)?
Princeville Presbyterian Church is one of many Evangelical Presbyterian Churches across the World. The EPC is self-described as: “Both evangelical and Presbyterian. We are evangelical in our zeal for the Gospel, as well as, evangelism, missions, and living obediently as followers of Jesus. At the same time, we are rooted deeply in the Protestant Reformation and especially the theological and pastoral work of John Calvin. We embrace the Westminster Confession of Faith as our doctrinal standard and the rule of spiritually mature elders linked together regionally as the best way to guide local congregations.
The EPC consists of more than 400 churches and 135,000 members. We have a world missions program with a priority on sending missionaries to unreached people groups. We are eager to plant churches across the United States and especially in urban communities and college towns. Our desire is that every one of our congregations will be an outpost of the Kingdom in post-Christian America with every member viewing himself or herself as a missionary on a mission.”
More information about the EPC can be found on the EPC.org website!
