What we believe
At Garst Mill Presbyterian we desire to know the one true triune God as he has revealed himself to man through Scripture. We firmly believe the Bible to be God’s word to man and is where we find what to believe concerning God as well as what duty is required of man. Thus, the Bible is our final authority for faith and life. We have a Reformed understanding of what the Bible teaches and believe that this is best summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith and catechisms.
Who is God?
God is the Creator and sustainer of all that is (Genesis 1, 2; Acts 17:24). He is a spirit (John 1:18), he is infinite (Psalm 139:7-10), he is eternal (Exodus 3:14), and he is unchangeable (Malachi 3:6). “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Since humans are created beings, we need God to stoop down to our level and speak in ways that we can understand, though the difference between God and man is so great that we can never fully comprehend Him. This is especially true regarding God’s triune nature: the Bible teaches that he is one in being while at the same time three in person. God has revealed himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, though only one God. The three persons of the “godhead” are the same in substance, equal in power and glory (see Westminster Shorter Catechism question six).
Man’s condition
The Bible teaches that each individual begins life as a sinful creature: “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). We were represented by the first man, Adam, through God’s covenant. Adam sinned, and all people after him are born in sin. This results in death: “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).
This portion is pending…