What We Believe
Rooted in Scripture. Grounded in the historic Reformed faith.
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Our Beliefs |
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A Christ Centered, Bible Believing, Gospel Proclaiming Church
We are a Christ centered, Bible believing, gospel proclaiming church in the historic Reformed tradition. We joyfully confess the Apostles Creed and hold to the Westminster Standards as faithful summaries of the teaching of Scripture.
Our beliefs are organized around three identities: who we are as a Christian Church, as a Reformed Church, and as a Presbyterian Church. Each shapes how we worship, how we live, and how we serve our community in Hickory, NC.
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As a Christian Church |
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What We Believe as Christians
God
We believe that there is one God, eternal and self-existing in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) who are the same in substance, equal in power and glory. He is the Creator of all things and made all things for His glory, and He is still active in His creation. (Genesis 1:1, Jeremiah 10:12, Romans 11:36)
The Scriptures
We believe the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the revelation of God’s truth and is infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17)
Sin
We believe that sin is rebellion against the Creator. It is any lack of conformity to the Law of God in act, habit, attitude, outlook, disposition, motivation, or mode of existence. Because of this sin, the world is broken and without true hope apart from Christ. (Genesis 3, Romans 3:10-18, Ephesians 2:12)
Humanity
We believe that all people are created with dignity by virtue of being made in the image of God. Yet, all people are also in a state of sin and rebellion, and are therefore unable to save themselves apart from God’s mercy and love. (Romans 3:23-25; 6:23, Ephesians 2:1-3)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone. It is not achieved through any effort on the part of mankind, but is solely the work of Christ. (Ephesians 2:4-10)
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect life and sacrificial and substitutionary death, atoned for the sins of all who will trust in Him, alone, for salvation. We believe that Jesus, our Redeemer, was raised for our justification, and ascended into the heavens. There He sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty, continually making intercession for His people, and governing the whole world as head over all things for His church. We believe that Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind, to receive His people to Himself, and to renew all things. (Hebrews 1:1-4, John 1:1-18, 1 John 4:9,10, Revelation 21:1-7)
Holy Spirit
We believe that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower believers, to convict the world of sin and righteousness, and to glorify Christ. (John 14:16,17; 16:8-15)
Church and Kingdom
We believe that God is calling people into His family, called the Church, and that local churches are where He calls us to grow, learn, serve, worship, and minister. We believe that the church is the visible expression of His body and in it we are to pray, preach His word, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and participate in the sacraments. He has given two sacraments to the church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. (1 Corinthians 11:25,26, Colossians 3:15-17)
We use the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms as faithful summaries of the teachings of the Bible.
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As a Reformed Church |
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The Five Solas of the Reformation
Hickory Presbyterian Church is a Reformed congregation, meaning we follow in the tradition of orthodox Christianity as recovered by the 16th century Protestant Reformers. The basic tenets of the Reformed faith are captured in the Five Solas.
Sola Scriptura
Scripture Alone
We believe the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.
Sola Fide
Faith Alone
We believe God’s pardon for guilty sinners is granted to and received through faith alone, apart from any works of the law.
Sola Gratia
Grace Alone
We believe faith itself is a gift freely given, not based on our foreknowledge of our response to the Gospel, but based solely on the free grace of God.
Sola Christo
Christ Alone
We believe the object of our faith is Jesus Christ alone, for there is salvation in no other name.
Sola Deo Gloria
Glory to God Alone
We believe every aspect of our lives is to be lived for the Glory of God alone. Our entire lives must be lived for His praise and honor.
“We plant and water, but God gives the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:6
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As a Presbyterian Church |
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What Presbyterian Means
Presbyterianism simply means that we believe in leadership by multiple elders, elected and installed by the congregation, overseeing the life of the church. In the everyday life of the church, each member is placed under the spiritual care of an elder. This means that you can expect pastors, elders, and deacons to come alongside you in both moments of joy and of sorrow.
We believe in a connected church, and this begins by elders connecting themselves to the lives of the congregation. The idea of connection also plays into how we relate to other churches. Each individual church is under the care of a Presbytery, a group of pastors and elders in a specific geographical area which comes together a few times a year to worship, pray, and make decisions together.
Finally, these Presbyteries come together once a year in June at our General Synod Meeting.
Our Denomination
200 Years of Faithfulness
We are part of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, a historic Reformed denomination founded in 1782. For more than two centuries the ARP has held to the same Scriptures, the same Westminster Standards, and the same gospel through wars, hardship, and cultural change. We are not a new idea. We are a very old one, that the Bible is enough, that grace is real, and that the gospel still speaks to every corner of human life today.
Come and Worship With Us
If you are looking for a church that is centered on Christ, rooted in Scripture, shaped by grace, and eager to make Him known, we would love for you to join us this Sunday.
Whatever brought you here today, curiosity, pain, or a longing for something real, you are welcome. We are not a polished performance. We are a people who need grace as badly as anyone, gathered around a God whose love is steadfast and whose word is sure.