We Believe
That the earth, the sky, and everything in them were made by God to display His own glory in their splendor and variety. Human beings were made in the image of God to represent Him in His creation.
Sadly, human beings failed, and continue to fail, to represent God’s love and holiness. This persistent failure of love and holiness is called sin. It leads to death and all other evil in this world and we cannot overcome it by force of will, law, or any other human means.
Thank God that He sent Jesus Christ, who is Himself God yet fully human. He is like us in every way except that He never fails in love and holiness. He is without sin. When He died unjustly on a cross, His perfect life was given to us. Now, everyone who believes in Him is considered perfect in the sight of God, not because of our own achievements but because of Christ’s.
Now, we live to give thanks to Him for His grace by renewing ourselves to be like Him and transforming the world around us by proclaiming Him and living like Him, as the Holy Spirit gives us ability.
We invite you to join us in this calling in the life of our local church.
For more information on the details of our faith, check out the creeds and confessions that we affirm and the identity statement that talks about the particular call of our church:
Creeds are ancient documents that express the core beliefs that all Christians affirm, here are the three that we uphold:
Confessions are early-modern documents from the European Reformation that express the particular emphases that are important to our church. Here are the three that we uphold, along with the rest of the Reformed Church in America:
Identity & Mission Statement of The Reformed Church of Syracuse
CHRISTIAN-TRADITION-COMMUNITY
We are a Christian church. We believe that God the Father, sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the forgiveness of sins and rise to promise us eternal life through the Holy Spirit. We know this through the authoritative witness of the Bible. Therefore our mission is to boldly proclaim these truths to lost humanity that we all might be brought into life-changing relationships with Jesus Christ.
We joyfully embrace the beauty of time-tested ancient traditions, such as the testimony of the historic creeds, the liturgy, and the celebration of the sacraments of baptism and communion. Therefore, our mission is to practice these traditions in a way that draws each of us closer to our infinite and beautiful God, equipping us to glorify Him in our daily lives.
We experience and better understand God in community with other believers, as members of the body of Christ, which is the church. Therefore our mission is to be an intimate, open community that is present to our urban neighborhood and neighbors, in ways that make Christ known to all.
John 3:16 “God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not die but have eternal life”.
Romans 8:11 “If the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Matthew 28:20 “ Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
2 Thessalonians 2:15, “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or letter.”
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
Hebrews 10:24-25,” Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.”
Colossians 1:18 “And He is the head of the body, the church”
Jeremiah 29:7 “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile.”
1 Peter 2:12 “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”
