Core Beliefs
When the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America was formed in 1788, it adopted (with minor revisions) the Westminster Confession of Faith, Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1647), as its secondary standards (the Bible itself being the only infallible rule of faith and practice). Officers in the Presbyterian Church in America take a vow to “sincerely receive and adopt” these confessional documents “as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures.”
A Synopsis of the Beliefs of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA):
Bible
The Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
God
There is one God, eternal and self-existing in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are to be equally loved, honored, and adored.
Sin
All mankind participated in Adam’s fall from his original sinless state and is thus lost in sin and totally helpless.
The Sovereign God, for no other reason than His own unfathomable love and mercy, has chosen lost sinners from every nation to be redeemed by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit and through the atoning death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Those sinners whom the Spirit regenerates, having been born again, come to believe in Christ as Savior by the Word of God, become children of God, and will persevere in their salvation to the end.
The Sovereign God, for no other reason than His own unfathomable love and mercy, has chosen lost sinners from every nation to be redeemed by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit and through the atoning death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Those sinners whom the Spirit regenerates, having been born again, come to believe in Christ as Savior by the Word of God, become children of God, and will persevere in their salvation to the end.
Justification
Justification is by faith in Christ alone and through it the undeserving sinner is clothed with the righteousness of Christ.
Salvation
The goal of God’s salvation in the life of the Christian is holiness, good works, and service for the glory of God.
Resurrection
At death the Christian’s soul passes immediately into the presence of God and the unbeliever’s soul is eternally separated from God unto condemnation. Both believer and unbeliever receive a resurrected body on the Last Day.
Baptism
Baptism is a sign of God’s covenant and is properly administered to children of believers in their infancy as well as to those who come as adults to trust in Christ.
End Times
Jesus Christ will return to earth, visibly and bodily, at a time when He is not expected, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
Proclamation
The Gospel of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ must be published to all the world as a witness before He returns.