If someone were to ask you what the essential beliefs of Christianity are, would you be able to answer? My guess is that most of us would probably struggle to answer that question. In fact, most likely if you were to ask 5 different people that question, you’d get 6 different answers. And yet, it’s a pretty important question. There are some beliefs that are quite essential to being Christian, regardless of denomination or preference. There are also a lot of things that we believe as Presbyterians that our Baptist or Methodist brothers and sisters don’t — and yet we recognize each other as Christians despite those differences. These are areas we see as non-essential, areas we can agree to disagree and still be friends. While it’s important to know what makes us unique as Presbyterians, sometimes we need to be reminded about what we hold in common as Christians and why those beliefs matter.

 

Our denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, has listed the essentials of the Christian faith in a document unsurprisingly called “The Essentials of our Faith” (you can read the whole list for yourself here). This list includes what we believe about Scripture, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, sin & salvation, the Church, Christ’s return, and our mission & ministry. It’s not everything we believe about those topics, but the most important things we believe about them. These essentials comprise the bedrock, the foundation, of our faith as Christians. They’re what makes Christianity unique from every other religious or belief system.

 

Over the course of the season of Epiphany (which runs from January 6 until Ash Wednesday, March 2), we’re going to take a look at each one of these Essentials to gain a better understanding of why they matter and what they mean for our faith and our lives. We hope you’ll join us as we together explore the Essentials of our Faith.

 

Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison