What We Believe

What We Believe

Our beliefs are grounded in the Essential Tenets of ECO which are tied to the teaching of the confessions as reliable expositions of Scripture. These confessions are in line with our Presbyterian and Reformed heritage and include the Nicene and Apostles' Creed, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms.

  1. The Authority of Holy Scripture: We believe in the authority and inspiration of Holy Scripture. As comprised of the Old and New Testaments, the entirety of Scripture reveals the Triune God and His purpose for mankind. Scripture is the first and final authority for faith and life and is sufficient to guide and govern the church in all matters of faith and practice.

 

  1. The Triune God: We believe in one eternal God, the sole creator of all things who exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This Triune God brought the world into existence and fashioned mankind in His image. The Son fully reveals the Father to the world and the Holy Spirit makes Him known through His gracious initiative.

 

  1. The Fall of Man: We believe that following the creation of the world, mankind rebelled against God and His perfect order, casting all of creation under the darkness of sin and consequently separating mankind from God. Sin leads to spiritual and physical death and is the innate state of every human being.

 

  1. The Person and Work of Jesus Christ: We believe that God the Father sent His son Jesus Christ into the world as the solution to sin and that through His death on the cross, the wrath of God against sinful rebellion was fully satisfied. Jesus Christ took on full humanity while remaining fully divine so as to become the perfect advocate for man, granting salvation to all who believe in His name. Following His death, He rose from the grave and ascended into heaven, laying claim to his power over sin and death.

 

  1. Salvation through Christ Alone: We believe that by the grace of God and through faith in Jesus Christ alone, mankind is given this gift of salvation and brought from spiritual death to life. Through this gift, he is reconciled to God, guided and comforted by the Holy Spirit, and assured of eternal life and the saving power of Christ’s work on his life until the end.

 

  1. The Role of the Church: We believe that the church is the New Covenant community of the Holy Spirit within the present world made up of the people of God. It is headed by Jesus Christ and seeks to serve Him in worship and service. The church is marked by an adherence to the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, both serving as signs and seals of the New Covenant and means of grace by which God has chosen to comfort and encourage the church. Ultimately, the church’s mission is to bear witness to the Gospel in action and deed through the life of its people to all generations until the return of Jesus Christ.

 

  1. The Return of Jesus Christ: We believe in the future and physical return of Jesus Christ which will finalize God’s glorious plan for redemption, consummating His Kingdom and inaugurating a new heavens and earth. Culminating with the vanquishment of Satan, Christ will free the world from the bondage of sin and bring eternal judgment to nonbelievers and ultimate hope and restoration in the form of eternal fellowship with God to all that believed in His name.