The Love of God
The God we believe in showed his love for the world in Jesus Christ, and his concern that all should value and treat each other with justice, regardless of status or influence. We also believe that God does not wield power from a distance or make inflexible rules, but moves amongst people as a spirit, challenging pride and violence, offering strength, comfort and peace.
Christians, as followers of Jesus Church, respond to the generosity and love of God by giving thanks in worship and on behalf of the whole world. They do this by singing praise, seeking to know God better and sharing in the struggles of the world through prayer.
People who are baptised become members of Christ's 'body', the Church, following the pattern of his life in acts of service and sacrifice and by what they say and do, inviting others to share the new life he offers both to individuals and communities.
Creeds and confessions
Official statement of the Church of Scotland's faith
This creedal statement
was approved by the General Assembly of 1992. It is used alongside the
Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, ancient creeds of the church:
We believe in one God:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
three persons living in the unity of love.
We praise God the Father:
in love he created the universe through his eternal Word and Spirit;
by his power he sustains and directs it.
He has made us his sons and daughters,
to share his joy and to live together in peace.
We confess Jesus Christ, God the Son:
in love, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became one of us;
to fulfil the promise to Israel and to reconcile the world with God.
In his life he was obedient to his Father's will;
he forgave sinners, brought hope to the lost,
healed the sick, and set free those who were oppressed.
In his death on the cross he bore the sin of the world;
on the third day he was raised from death by the power of God.
He triumphed over all the powers of evil;
now he reigns in heaven, sharing his risen life with us.
We trust God the Holy Spirit:
in love he calls the Church into being.
He unites us to Christ, in whom we are justified.
He guides our understanding of the Scriptures,
as he also guided and inspired their writers.
He sanctifies us in sacraments,
and imparts to the faithful the fullness of Christ.
He assures us of forgiveness.
He empowers us to be disciples,
embodying the love of Jesus in the Church and in the world.
We rejoice in the gift of eternal life:
We hope for the coming resurrection, through the resurrection of Christ.
We look for his coming again in power and glory,
to judge the world and to make all things new.
Then all creation shall rejoice in communion with the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit, one God blessed forever.
Amen.
The Apostles' Creed
The Church of Scotland believes in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and proclaims Jesus Christ crucified, risen and glorified. Our standards of belief are to be found in the Old and New Testament (the Bible) and in the Church's historic Confession of Faith. For a brief summary of our beliefs, it is useful to look at the Apostles' Creed, which is used by many churches in declaring Christian faith:
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of Heaven and Earth
and in Jesus Christ
His only Son our Lord
who was conceived by the Holy
Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
he descended into hell.
The third day he rose again
from the dead,
he ascended into Heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand
of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come
to judge the quick and the
dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the Holy Catholic Church;
the Communion of Saints;
the Forgiveness of Sins;
the Resurrection of the Body;
and the Life Everlasting.
Amen.
Westminster Confession of Faith
For the Westminster Confession of Faith click here
St. Columba’s Scottish Church, Budapest district VI, Vörösmarty u. 51,
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