"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." Philippians 1:20
I am a candidate from the East Tennessee Presbytery seeking a call for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA). I am in my final semester at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, where I am completing a Masters of Divinity degree.
I believe in the sovereign, just, holy, loving, redemptive, triune God, who is the Creator; there is no such thing as “before God.” God exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but as one being. Out of this mysterious unity and community, God created humans in God’s image. The world was right and good. However, Adam and Eve, the representatives of humankind, wanted to be “like God,” and they disobeyed God. This single act of sin separated the entire human race from our Creator, and through one person, all people inherit death and the inability to obey God on our own. As a result, God is in a position, as our just Judge, to require the price of our disobedience to be paid, but it is also God’s desire to be loving and forgiving. God finds a way to do both through Jesus Christ, God’s only son.
Jesus is fully God and fully human, miraculously born of a virgin. Christ ministered on earth by healing the sick and proclaiming the Kingdom. Jesus’ mission was to reconcile all things. He was unique in that he never sinned. This made Christ the perfect substitute for us and the perfect sacrifice for our sins. In Christ’s death on the cross, he took on the sins of the world. On that night, he died our death. Therefore, the Son atoned for our disobedience against God. Christ purposefully chose this ultimate act of humility out of love; it was nothing that we deserved. Moreover, three days after his death, Christ actually conquered death by coming back to life. This resurrection gives us power over death and sin, reconciling us to our Creator and to each other. He made numerous appearances on earth after his resurrection. Then, Christ ascended into heaven, but he will return.
With his supreme authority, Christ promises all believers a counselor, who will guide us, provide us with community, and help us communicate with God. This counselor, the Holy Spirit, actually inhabits a believer’s body, transforming the individual into new life, equipping him or her for service in the Kingdom, and assuring the believer of eternal life with God. The Holy Spirit makes Christ manifest. Just as Christ died our death, we now, through the Spirit of God, seek to live Christ’s life.
This beautiful story of redemption is specifically revealed in God’s inspired, written Word. The Holy Scripture, in which the whole counsel of God is expressed, is our authority and is true and accurate in all that it claims to be. Similarly, this magnificent story of redemption is lived out in the Church, which is the body of Christ. The Church consists of the elect who have gone before us, as well as those who faithfully serve in the work of God’s Kingdom on earth. Christ is the head of this universal Church, and he commissions it for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel to all nations, making disciples, fellowshipping as God’s chosen people, and worshipping God’s glory. The work of the church is to be a continuation of the work of Christ, reconciling humankind to God and humankind to each other. Two of the marks of the church are the covenantal seals of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These sacraments, instituted by Christ, identify us as the chosen people of God and remind us of the redemptive work that God has done in us. They are an outward sign of inward reality. Baptism marks our entrance into God’s covenantal community because through it we participate in Christ’s death and resurrection. Likewise, in celebrating the Lord’s Supper, we join in community with the entire Church in proclaiming Christ’s death until he returns.
Therefore, with this foundation and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, I press on, as a part of the community of the Church and a disciple of Christ, toward the mission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ… all for the glory of God.
