WHAT WE BELIEVE
We are a congregation of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the Philippines (GA-PCP) in the beautiful City of Mati, Davao Oriental, Philippines. We believe in the great ancient ecumenical creeds – Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, Definition of Chalcedon – are excellent statements of faith regarding the Holy Trinity, Christ, and the essential Christian Gospel. We confess and believe all that is taught in the Old and New Testaments, the inspired, inerrant, infallible, sufficient and authoritative word of God. We are committed to the whole of Scripture, and to the systematic exposition of biblical truth known as the Reformed faith. In addition to the Three Forms of Unity (Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession of Faith, Canons of Dort), we treasure the rich and harmonious diversity of creeds and confessions within the historic Protestant Reformation tradition. In particular, we recognize that the system of doctrine contained in Scripture is also confessed in the Westminster Standards, namely the Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism. Being part of the historic Reformed church, we trace our heritage from the Apostles through the ancient church to the Protestant Reformation. This “faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) is summarized in the “five solas” below:
Sola Scriptura | Salvation is revealed in the Scripture alone. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, the only authoritative revelation of God’s will for our faith and life. Sola Gratia | Salvation is by grace alone. God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, in showing us favor we could never earn or deserve, before we would even want it or ask for it. Sola Fide | Salvation is received through faith alone. We are counted righteous in Christ by believing and trusting in him, and we can add nothing to his finished work of salvation by our own good works (even though good works are evidence of a true and living faith). Solus Christus | Salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus lived the perfectly obedient life that we should have lived, died the death under God’s wrath that we deserved to die, was resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven… all on our behalf, to reconcile us to God. It is only by our sins being imputed to him, and his righteousness being imputed to us, that we are saved. Soli Deo Gloria | Salvation is to the glory of God alone. The plan, initiative, and outworking of our salvation from start to finish is entirely due to the wisdom, grace, and acts of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, God alone is to be thanked and praised for his saving work in our lives. Worship - We want to make the greatness of God known by loving and obeying him in all of life. Romans 12:1-2; I Corinthians 10:31
2. Biblical Teaching - We believe the Word of God is sufficient and authoritative for all of life. We study it carefully to understand the Holy Spirit’s original meaning and purpose, and we work to apply it to the lives and problems of people.
2 Peter 1:3-ff; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Timothy 2:15
3. Evangelism - Christ commanded his disciples to make disciples of every nation, so we explain the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost, seeking to win them, bring them into the church and teach them God’s Word. Evangelism also includes showing the love of Christ to unbelievers by being friends to them and serving them; church planting*; and supporting and sending missionaries to other countries. Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:1-8; Philippians 1:12ff
4. Pastoral Care - God calls elders to shepherd His flock, so we work to provide pastoral care for all the people of First Mati Presbyterian Church. This care includes building relationships, preaching, teaching, counseling, administering the sacraments, and exercising church discipline. Acts 20:20ff; I Peter 5:1-4
5.Biblical Community - God designed the church to be a community, so we encourage people to spend time helping and encouraging one another, and using their gifts to help in the work of ministry. Mark 9:50; John 13:34; Romans 12:5; Romans 12:10; Ephesians 4:12-16
6. Christ-likeness - Our goal is to become like Jesus Christ in character and lifestyle, so we encourage each other to work hard at Christ-likeness (totally depending on God’s grace to do so). Matthew 5:1-12; Colossians 1:28; Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 12:14
7. Service - God has given every member gifts (talents and skills), so we make it our goal to equip and encourage every member to use these gifts to serve God and others. Ephesians 4:11-16 8.Strong Families God works through families to prepare future generations to know, love, and serve Him, so we work hard to strengthen family relationships at every level: marriage, parenting, young people and singles. Genesis 2:18-25; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Ephesians 5:22-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21
Soli Deo Gloria!!!!
