Church
Third Presbyterian
Presbyterian: a neutral profile of what this congregation describes about its beliefs.
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Public details for this congregation.
TraditionPresbyterianAbout →
Sourcing statusTradition default
Beliefs on file942 positions
Statement of faithNot on file
Where they stand
Each position below is labelled by how it was sourced, so you can weigh it for yourself.
VerifiedConfirmed by the church
From their statement of faithEstimated, not verified
Tradition defaultEstimated, not verified
Showing 107 of 942 positions across 18 topics. Expand any topic to see the rest.
God & the Trinity59 positions
- Analogical LanguageAffirmsTradition defaultHuman language about God is analogical: true but never capturing God univocally as it captures creatures.Estimated, not verified
- Apophatic PriorityAffirmsTradition defaultWhat God is in himself is ultimately beyond human comprehension, so negative ("God is not...") statements are more reliable than positive ones.Estimated, not verified
Christ69 positions
- Assumed Fallen Human NatureStrongly rejectsTradition defaultChrist assumed a fully fallen human nature (subject to the effects of the Fall) in order to heal it from within.Estimated, not verified
- Assumed Unfallen Human NatureStrongly affirmsTradition defaultChrist assumed an unfallen, sinless human nature, untouched by original sin/corruption.Estimated, not verified
Sin & the fall61 positions
- Adams Sin Brought Physical DeathStrongly affirmsTradition defaultPhysical death entered the human race as a consequence of Adam's sin; humans were not originally subject to death.Estimated, not verified
- All Sin Deserves Death EquallyStrongly affirmsTradition defaultEvery sin, however small, deserves God's condemnation/death: there is no class of sin that does not by nature merit it.Estimated, not verified
Salvation73 positions
- Active Obedience ImputedStrongly affirmsTradition defaultChrist's lifelong law-keeping (his "active obedience"), not only his death, is imputed to the believer as their positive righteousness.Estimated, not verified
- Annihilationism Conditional ImmortalityStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe finally lost are ultimately destroyed/cease to exist rather than suffering everlasting conscious torment (annihilationism / conditional immortality).Estimated, not verified
- Assurance Grounded In Christ AloneStrongly affirmsTradition defaultAssurance rests on Christ's finished work and God's promise, not on the believer's own works or sacramental performance.Estimated, not verified
- Assurance Of Salvation PossibleStrongly affirmsTradition defaultA believer can have a settled present assurance that they are saved.Estimated, not verified
- Atonement Heals Human Nature TheosisRejectsTradition defaultThe atonement's deepest purpose is to heal and divinize human nature (joining humanity to God), more than to settle a legal account.Estimated, not verified
- Atonement Is Limited DefiniteStrongly affirmsTradition defaultChrist died to actually secure the salvation of the elect specifically (limited/definite/particular atonement), not equally for all persons.Estimated, not verified
- Atonement Is Unlimited UniversalStrongly rejectsTradition defaultChrist died for all people without exception, making salvation available to everyone (unlimited/general atonement).Estimated, not verified
- Baptism Is Symbolic OnlyRejectsTradition defaultBaptism is a symbol/ordinance that publicly signifies a salvation already received by faith and does not itself convey saving grace.Estimated, not verified
- Baptism RegeneratesRejectsTradition defaultBaptism itself effects regeneration / the washing away of sin, conferring saving grace through the act.Estimated, not verified
- Believer Remains Sinner SimulStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe justified believer remains, throughout life, simultaneously righteous and a sinner (simul justus et peccator).Estimated, not verified
- Believers Baptism OnlyStrongly rejectsTradition defaultBaptism is valid only when received by a person old enough to personally profess faith.Estimated, not verified
- Believers Works Truly MeritoriousStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe good works a believer does in grace genuinely merit an increase of grace and eternal reward before God.Estimated, not verified
- Calling Is Effectual IrresistibleStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThose whom God calls to salvation are infallibly drawn so that the call cannot finally fail (effectual calling).Estimated, not verified
- Christus VictorAffirmsTradition defaultThe atonement is principally Christ's victory over sin, death, and the powers of evil, liberating humanity from bondage.Estimated, not verified
- Decisional RegenerationRejectsTradition defaultSalvation is received by making a deliberate personal decision for Christ (e.g. praying to receive him / answering an altar call).Estimated, not verified
- Double PredestinationAffirmsTradition defaultGod actively predestines some to salvation and others to damnation (double predestination).Estimated, not verified
- Election Based On Foreseen FaithStrongly rejectsTradition defaultGod elected to salvation those whom he foreknew would believe (election conditioned on foreseen faith).Estimated, not verified
- Election Is UnconditionalStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod's choice of whom to save rests solely on his own will/good pleasure, not conditioned on any foreseen faith, merit, or response in the person.Estimated, not verified
- Election Unknowable In This LifeRejectsTradition defaultWho is among the elect cannot be known with certainty in this life.Estimated, not verified
- Entire Sanctification PerfectionStrongly rejectsTradition defaultBelievers can attain, in this life, a state of entire sanctification / Christian perfection in which the heart is cleansed of inbred sin.Estimated, not verified
- Eternal Conscious TormentStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe finally unsaved suffer conscious punishment in hell that never ends.Estimated, not verified
- Eternal Security Once SavedAffirmsTradition defaultA person who is genuinely saved can never lose their salvation ("once saved, always saved").Estimated, not verified
- Eucharist Conveys GraceAffirmsTradition defaultThe Lord's Supper / Eucharist conveys real saving or sustaining grace to the worthy recipient, not merely a memorial.Estimated, not verified
- Expiation Not PropitiationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe cross cleanses/cancels sin (expiation) but does not appease divine wrath (propitiation), because God needs no appeasement.Estimated, not verified
- Faith Plus Works RequiredStrongly rejectsTradition defaultBoth faith and good works (cooperating with grace) are jointly necessary as the means by which one is finally justified before God.Estimated, not verified
- Faith Precedes RegenerationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultA person must first believe, and regeneration follows upon faith.Estimated, not verified
- Final Justification By Whole LifeStrongly rejectsTradition defaultA future/final justification will be rendered "according to" the whole life lived in the Spirit, not on the basis of present faith alone.Estimated, not verified
- God Predestines IndividualsStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBefore creation, God predestined particular individuals to salvation.Estimated, not verified
- God Wills All To Be SavedRejectsTradition defaultGod genuinely desires the salvation of every single person without exception.Estimated, not verified
- Good Works Necessary For Final SalvationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultGood works/holiness are necessary not merely as evidence but as a real condition of final salvation.Estimated, not verified
- Governmental TheoryStrongly rejectsTradition defaultChrist's death is a public display upholding God's moral government (a token demonstration of justice that allows God to forgive) rather than the exact penalty owed by sinners.Estimated, not verified
- Grace Is Infused HabitualRejectsTradition defaultSaving grace is a created, habitual quality infused into the soul that elevates and heals it.Estimated, not verified
- Grace Is IrresistibleStrongly affirmsTradition defaultWhen God gives saving grace to the elect, it cannot ultimately be resisted and infallibly accomplishes its purpose.Estimated, not verified
- Grace Is ResistibleStrongly rejectsTradition defaultGod's saving grace genuinely offered to a person can be resisted and rejected by that person's free will.Estimated, not verified
- Humans Can Choose God UnaidedStrongly rejectsTradition defaultHuman beings retain, even after the fall, a natural ability to take the first step toward God or to choose salvation without prior special grace.Estimated, not verified
- Infant Baptism ProperStrongly affirmsTradition defaultIt is right to baptize the infants/children of believers (or of the faithful community).Estimated, not verified
- Justification Can IncreaseStrongly rejectsTradition defaultJustification admits of degrees and can increase through subsequent works and the sacraments.Estimated, not verified
- Justification Is ForensicStrongly affirmsTradition defaultJustification is a forensic, declarative act in which God legally pronounces the sinner righteous, distinct from the inner process of being made holy.Estimated, not verified
- Justification Is Once For AllStrongly affirmsTradition defaultJustification is a single, completed, non-repeatable act at the point of faith, not a status that is repeatedly gained and lost.Estimated, not verified
- Justification Is TransformativeStrongly rejectsTradition defaultJustification is fundamentally a real inner transformation (the infusing of righteousness that actually makes a person righteous) not just a verdict.Estimated, not verified
- Justified By Faith AloneStrongly affirmsTradition defaultA person is justified by faith alone (sola fide), apart from any contribution of their works to the ground of justification.Estimated, not verified
- Lordship SalvationStrongly affirmsTradition defaultSaving faith necessarily includes submission to Christ as Lord and a commitment to repent/obey, not mere intellectual assent.Estimated, not verified
- Lost Salvation Can Be RegainedStrongly affirmsTradition defaultSomeone who has fallen from grace can repent and be restored to salvation.Estimated, not verified
- No Human Merit At AllStrongly affirmsTradition defaultNo human work has any merit before God; salvation and reward are entirely of grace.Estimated, not verified
- Penal SubstitutionStrongly affirmsTradition defaultOn the cross Christ bore the penalty/punishment that sinners deserved, satisfying God's justice in their place (penal substitution).Estimated, not verified
- Perseverance Of The SaintsStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe truly elect will certainly persevere in faith to the end because God preserves them, and any who fall away permanently were never truly regenerate.Estimated, not verified
- Postmortem Purification OrthodoxStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThere is some real cleansing, growth, or change in the soul's condition after death (apart from a juridical "purgatory").Estimated, not verified
- Prayers For Dead Affect SalvationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultPrayers, Masses, or almsgiving by the living can benefit the salvific state of the dead.Estimated, not verified
- Prevenient GraceRejectsTradition defaultBefore any human response, God gives a preceding ("prevenient") grace to all that restores enough ability to freely accept or reject salvation.Estimated, not verified
- Purgatory ExistsStrongly rejectsTradition defaultAfter death, many of the saved undergo a purifying state ("purgatory") before entering full glory.Estimated, not verified
- RecapitulationAffirmsTradition defaultChrist saves by "recapitulating": living out and reversing in himself every stage of human life that Adam corrupted, healing human nature from within.Estimated, not verified
- Regeneration Precedes FaithStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod regenerates (gives new spiritual life) before and so as to enable a person's first act of faith.Estimated, not verified
- Repentance Required For SalvationStrongly affirmsTradition defaultRepentance (a real turning from sin) is required for salvation.Estimated, not verified
- Righteousness Imparted InfusedStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe righteousness of justification is infused into and becomes intrinsic to the believer, growing as they cooperate with grace.Estimated, not verified
- Righteousness ImputedStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe righteousness by which a believer is justified is Christ's own righteousness credited/imputed to them, external to and not produced by the believer.Estimated, not verified
- Sacraments Are Means Of GraceStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGod ordinarily dispenses saving grace through material sacraments/mysteries as effective channels.Estimated, not verified
- Sacraments Work Ex Opere OperatoStrongly rejectsTradition defaultA rightly performed sacrament conveys its grace by the very fact of being performed (ex opere operato), not depending on the worthiness of the minister or recipient's merit.Estimated, not verified
- Salvation By Membership In True ChurchStrongly rejectsTradition defaultSalvation is ordinarily found only within the one true visible Church; to be saved one must belong to it.Estimated, not verified
- Salvation Can Be LostStrongly rejectsTradition defaultA genuine believer can fall away and forfeit salvation (apostasy / conditional security).Estimated, not verified
- Salvation Is Lifelong ProcessRejectsTradition defaultSalvation is fundamentally a lifelong process of being saved rather than a single completed event.Estimated, not verified
- Salvation Is MonergisticStrongly affirmsTradition defaultSalvation is accomplished by God alone working in the person (monergism); the human will does not cooperate in the new birth.Estimated, not verified
- Salvation Is SynergisticStrongly rejectsTradition defaultSalvation involves a genuine cooperation between God's grace and the human will (synergism).Estimated, not verified
- Sanctification Is ProgressiveStrongly affirmsTradition defaultAfter conversion the believer grows in holiness gradually over a lifetime (progressive sanctification).Estimated, not verified
- Satisfaction AnselmianAffirmsTradition defaultChrist's death rendered satisfaction to God's offended honor/justice for the debt of sin (Anselmian satisfaction).Estimated, not verified
- Semi Pelagian First StepStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe human can make the first move toward God (e.g. an initial desire or assent), after which God supplies the grace to complete salvation.Estimated, not verified
- Sinless Perfection AttainableStrongly rejectsTradition defaultA believer can reach a state of being free from all actual sin in this life.Estimated, not verified
- Spirit Baptism Tongues EvidenceStrongly rejectsTradition defaultBaptism in the Holy Spirit is a distinct experience subsequent to conversion, evidenced by speaking in tongues.Estimated, not verified
- Total Depravity InabilityStrongly affirmsTradition defaultFallen humans are so corrupted that, apart from grace, they are entirely unable to turn to God or choose saving good (total inability).Estimated, not verified
- Treasury Of Merit IndulgencesStrongly rejectsTradition defaultThe Church can apply the superabundant merits of Christ and the saints (the "treasury of merit") to remit temporal punishment, e.g. through indulgences.Estimated, not verified
- Union With Christ Is CentralAffirmsTradition defaultSalvation is best understood as participation/union with Christ, from which both justification and sanctification flow, rather than as a primarily legal transaction.Estimated, not verified
- Universal ReconciliationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultIn the end God will reconcile and save all people (and possibly all creatures), so that none are finally lost.Estimated, not verified
- Word Is Chief Means Of GraceStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe preached/read Word of God is the primary means by which saving grace is given, with sacraments subordinate or secondary.Estimated, not verified
- Works Are Fruit Not GroundStrongly affirmsTradition defaultGood works are the necessary fruit and evidence of saving faith but contribute nothing to the ground of one's justification.Estimated, not verified
The Holy Spirit48 positions
- Assurance Is Normal For BelieversStrongly affirmsTradition defaultSettled assurance of salvation is normal and to be expected for genuine believers in this life.Estimated, not verified
- Blasphemy Against Spirit UnforgivableStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThere is a specific sin against the Holy Spirit that is unforgivable.Estimated, not verified
The Church54 positions
- Apostolicity Is Doctrinal Not SuccessionalStrongly affirmsTradition defaultApostolicity consists primarily in fidelity to apostolic DOCTRINE, not in an unbroken chain of ordinations from the apostles.Estimated, not verified
- Baptism Is The Entry Into The ChurchStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBaptism is the rite of entry/incorporation into the visible church.Estimated, not verified
Sacraments & ordinances47 positions
- Anointing Sick Is A SacramentRejectsTradition defaultAnointing of the sick with oil is a sacrament conveying grace, healing, and forgiveness to the seriously ill.Estimated, not verified
- Baptism Aspersion ValidStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBaptism by sprinkling (aspersion) is a fully valid mode.Estimated, not verified
Worship & liturgy36 positions
- Bowing And ProstrationStrongly rejectsTradition defaultBowing, prostration, or full physical reverence before the altar, icons, or sacrament is fitting in worship.Estimated, not verified
- Cessationism No Charismatic GiftsStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe miraculous sign gifts (tongues, prophecy, healing) ceased with the apostolic age and have no place in worship today.Estimated, not verified
Last things29 positions
- A Literal Mark Of The Beast Is ComingAffirmsTradition defaultA literal future "mark of the beast" will be imposed as a condition of economic participation.Estimated, not verified
- Apocalyptic Prophecy Read Literally FuturisticallyRejectsTradition defaultThe prophecies of Daniel and Revelation should be read primarily as literal predictions of still-future events.Estimated, not verified
Scripture62 positions
- Authority Creeds SubordinateStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe ecumenical creeds and confessions are authoritative only insofar as they faithfully summarize Scripture.Estimated, not verified
- Authority Holy Tradition OrthodoxStrongly rejectsTradition defaultScripture is rightly read only within Holy Tradition: the Fathers, councils, liturgy, and consensus of the Church.Estimated, not verified
Revelation, creation & science34 positions
- Adam Special Creation From DustStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe first human was specially and directly created by God from the dust, not biologically descended from earlier hominins.Estimated, not verified
- Angels Created BeingsStrongly affirmsTradition defaultAngels and other spiritual beings are part of God's created order, made by God.Estimated, not verified
Life & bioethics58 positions
- Abortion Gravely Wrong In PrincipleStrongly affirmsTradition defaultDeliberately ending a pregnancy by killing the unborn is in itself a grave moral wrong.Estimated, not verified
- Abortion Permitted To Save Mothers LifeAffirmsTradition defaultAbortion is morally permissible when continuing the pregnancy would directly threaten the mother's life.Estimated, not verified
Sexuality & marriage50 positions
- Abortifacient Contraception WrongStrongly affirmsTradition defaultContraceptive methods that may act after fertilization (potential abortifacients) are morally wrong even if other contraception is permitted.Estimated, not verified
- Annulment Recognizes Invalid MarriageRejectsTradition defaultSome unions that appeared to be marriages were never valid marriages, and the church can rightly declare them null (annulment).Estimated, not verified
Society & politics45 positions
- Active Nonviolent Resistance ObligatoryAffirmsTradition defaultChristians should actively resist injustice through nonviolent means (protest, civil disobedience, noncooperation), not merely abstain from violence.Estimated, not verified
- Capital Punishment LegitimateAffirmsTradition defaultThe civil authority may rightly execute criminals for grave crimes.Estimated, not verified
Angelology Demonology52 positions
- Angelic Fall Caused By PrideStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe angels fell primarily through pride: refusing subjection to God / seeking to exalt themselves.Estimated, not verified
- Angelic Fall Predates Human FallAffirmsTradition defaultThe angelic rebellion occurred before the fall of humanity, and the serpent's temptation issued from an already-fallen angel.Estimated, not verified
Anthropology53 positions
- Body Essential To PersonStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe body is essential to being a complete human person, not an accidental or dispensable container for the soul.Estimated, not verified
- Body GoodStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe material human body is intrinsically good as created by God.Estimated, not verified
Covenant Law Israel51 positions
- Abrahamic Covenant Foundational And OngoingStrongly affirmsTradition defaultThe Abrahamic covenant is foundational and its promises remain operative for the people of God today.Estimated, not verified
- Baptism Replaces Circumcision Covenant SignStrongly affirmsTradition defaultBaptism is the New Covenant counterpart to circumcision, marking entrance into the covenant community.Estimated, not verified
Mariology Saints61 positions
- All Believers Are SaintsStrongly affirmsTradition default"Saints" in the New Testament sense means all believers, not a special canonized class.Estimated, not verified
- Altar Relics Required Or ProperStrongly rejectsTradition defaultIt is fitting (or required) that altars contain the relics of saints.Estimated, not verified
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