Wednesday, February 22, 2012

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Our Beliefs


Our Statement of Faith

  • We believe that God is one God in three persons: The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  • We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and is the foundation for our faith and for our lives.
  • We believe that God wants to have a relationship with us, and that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to live and die and rise again, so that we might have new life in Him.
  • We believe sin is disobeying God’s law and living outside of God’s will. The only way to escape the punishment we deserve is to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
  • We believe salvation is by grace: it is a gift from God, not because of our works, but freely given by Him.
  • We believe that God calls us to live in the world, not to conform to the world, but to be His agents to bring the message of change and transformation to all areas of life.
  • We believe that our only comfort in life and in death is to belong to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

Our Statement of Faith (Expanded Version)

  • We believe there is only one God, who exists in three persons: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; this is the Trinity.
  • We believe the Bible is God’s Word, written by humans who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
  • We believe God reveals Himself not only in the Bible, but in the Creation, for He made all things.
  • We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and is God. He gave up His place in heaven and took on human form when He was born of the Virgin Mary. He preached, taught and performed miracles; then He died on a cross for the sinned of humankind. He was buried for three days and a then rose to life in victory over sin, death and Satan. He established His church and returned to heaven where He now reigns at the right hand of the Father.
  • We Believe salvation is by grace; it is a gift from God, not because of our works, but freely given by Him.
  • We believe the Bible teaches that Jesus was fully God and fully man. Accordingly, He was both physically and spiritually able to make payment for our sin as the representative of humankind. By believing that Jesus died for you and paid for your sins, He becomes your Savior; by submitting yourself to His will, He becomes your Lord. Those who accept Him as Savior and Lord receive eternal life with Him in heaven.
  • We believe sin is disobeying God’s law and living outside God’s will; such disobedience breaks our relationship with God and makes us guilty and deserving of eternal punishment. The only way to escape the punishment we deserve is to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
  • We believe that we are saved through faith, not by any good deeds we do. The Heidelberg Catechism defines faith as a knowledge and conviction that everything God reveals in His Word is true; it is also a deep rooted assurance, created in us by the Holy Spirit that out sins are forgiven, we are made forever right with God, and are given salvation.
  • We believe there are two sacraments, the signs and seals of God’s promises, given to the church to help us clearly understand the promises of the Gospels: One sacrament is baptism, which was commissioned by Jesus when He told the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations and to baptize them into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The other sacrament is the Lord’s Supper, commissioned by Jesus and recorded by Paul. We are told that Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Then Jesus took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Each time we do this, we remember the death of the Lord and its meaning for us.

Why we are called “Orland Park Christian Reformed Church”?

“Orland Park” is our location in a southern suburb of Chicago, Illinois.
“Christian” is a reminder that our focus is on Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him.
“Reformed” is a reminder that we have a world and life view that reflects the fact that all areas of life are related to God, and that we are always to be changing and “reforming” as God leads us to be what He wants us to be.
“Church” is a reminder that we are not isolated as believers, but we are called to worship and serve God together as believers, supporting one another in love.