What We Believe
Naas PCI is part of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. We organise ourselves and our practices in agreement with the Presbyterian model. 'Presbyterian' means that our church is governed by a group of Presbyters/Elders (together called a Kirk Session) who seek to oversee all the spiritual matters of the congregation.
Every congregation is part of a local grouping called a Presbytery (For us that's Dublin & Munster Presbytery). Ministers and one Elder from each congregation meet together as a Presbytery several times each year.
Each congregation is also represented at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, which meets once each year, usually in Belfast (at Assembly Buildings, Fisherwick Place).
The Bible is our only infallible rule of faith and practice, and as such it is our supreme standard.
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has adopted subordinate/secondary standards, in which are found what we understand the Word of God to teach on certain important points of doctrine and worship. These subordinate standards are: The Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
[CLICK HERE for these documents.]
We believe in ...
The Bible
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were inspired by God, and they are our supreme and final authority. The Bible is the written Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is sufficient for all that God requires for us to believe in Him and His purposes.
God
There is only one true God, who is eternal and of one essence; yet co-equal persons - we call this the Trinity: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. He is gracious and faithful to His people, not simply as individuals but as families in each generation according to His Covenant promises.
Jesus Christ
The second person of the Trinity (the Son), is Jesus Christ, who was from God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. God's eternal Son entered into our world as truly divine and truly human, yet without sin. Jesus is the perfect revelation of who God is, being "the exact imprint of His nature."
The Holy Spirit
The third person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He is in the life of the believer and He empowers the Word of God when it is preached and read. He gives us the grace of repentance and saving faith to believe the good news, and strengthens us to live holy lives in obedience to Jesus.
The Fall
We believe that sin has fractured all things, leaving the world in desperate need of salvation. Through the temptation of Satan, humanity transgressed the command of God and fell from their original holiness and righteousness. Sin has separated all people from God, causing our physical and spiritual death.
The Cross
Due to universal death through sin, no one can enter heaven. God then provided a plan of rescue by sending Jesus, who lived a perfect life, died for sin to be a representative and substitute sacrifice, and all who believe in Him as their Saviour are justified on the basis of His perfect blood being shed.
The Resurrection
On the third day after His death, Jesus, literally and physically, rose again from the dead and then ascended into heaven, where He is sitting at the right hand of the Father as our King, High Priest and Advocate for us.
The New Birth
All who receive Jesus through faith are declared righteous by God and become His children. The new birth is the act of God when the Holy Spirit imparts a new nature and a new spiritual life. This person's heart is transformed from a love of sin and self, to a love of holiness and God.
The Second Coming
We have a hope in a personal, visible and imminent return of Jesus as Lord and King. This includes the resurrection of the dead and glorification of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and unjust, and arrival of the New Heavens and New Earth.
The Church
God has created a new community in this world called the Church. The Church is made up of the children of God, who are called to study the Scriptures, pray, worship, share in the sacraments of the Church (Baptism & the Lord's Supper), and to live for the Lord Jesus each day.
The Great Commission
The Gospel is God's good news for the whole world, and we are called by His grace to obey Christ's commission to proclaim it to all humanity and make disciples. We seek to do this locally through evangelism (both individually and together as a church), and globally by supporting mission through prayer and finance.
Human Sexuality
We believe that God created mankind in His own image.[1] In two separate acts, He created only two distinct genders: male and female.[2] The genders of Adam and Eve were established by God and defined by their physiological sex at creation.[3] Subsequent to creation, God determines the gender of all other humans by their physiological sex at the time of birth.[4] Thus, all attempts to redefine human sexuality beyond the physiological male-female distinction (whether framed biologically or culturally) and all attempts to change one’s birth gender are sinful rebellion against our Creator. As our Creator, God stipulates in His Word that the only legitimate and acceptable sexual desires and sexual acts are those between a man and a woman within the context of marriage.[5]
Marriage
We believe marriage is a gift of God’s common grace to all mankind as a fundamental building block of society.[6] As the architect of marriage, God alone retains the right to define its constructs and guidelines, and He has done so in His Word.[7] In accordance with Scripture, we teach that God’s design for marriage is a public, formal, and official covenant between one male and one female.[8] God designed the marriage covenant to be a life-long bond, with divorce permitted only in the case of unrepentant[9] sexual sin or of desertion by an unbeliever.[10] Although sexual sins of thought are not justification for divorce, all sexual immorality, both thoughts and behavior, must be taken seriously as a transgression against God.[11] God intends that the union between two believers be a loving illustration of the relationship between Christ and His church, when carried out in obedience to the Bible and through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.[12]
Scripture References: [1] Gen 1:27; 5:1; 9:6; James 3:9 [2] Gen 1:27; 5:1-2; Matt 19:4; Mark 10:6 [3] Gen 1:27; 2:7, 22 [4] Gen 18:10; Lev 12:2, 5, 7 [5] Gen 2:24; Lev 18:22; 20:13; Matt 5:28; 19:4-6; Rom 1:26-27; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 7:1-5; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Thess 4:3-8; 1 Tim 1:10; Heb 13:4 [6] Gen 1:28; 2:18, 24; Ps 127:3; Prov 18:22; 31:10-11; Heb 13:4 [7] Gen 2:18-24 [8] Gen 2:24; Pr 2:17; Ezek 16:8-14; Mal 2:14 [9] In keeping with Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments, we urge reconciliation in most cases in the event of an unfaithful spouse who demonstrates sincere biblical repentance (cf. Hosea 1-3; 11; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13). [10] Mal 2:16; Matt 5:32; 19:9; Mark 10:11-12; 1 Cor 7:12-16, 24 [11] Job 31:1; Matt 5:28; 15:19; James 1:14-15 [12] Eph 5:18-33; 2 Cor 6:14; 1 Peter 3:7