WHAT WE BELIEVE

낙스빌한인교회(Korean Church of Knoxville)는 미국장로교(PCUSA)의 동부 테네시노회의 회원교회로서 복음주의 신앙을 지향합니다.

We believe in the triune God: the Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. By the work of the Holy Spirit, we come to know God through the Scriptures, in church communities, and in spiritual practice.

Worship and Mission: Christian Service

We believe in Jesus Christ, the one who was with the Father eternally. We believe that Jesus became incarnate, “eternity” entering “time”, the union of divinity and humanity, co-existence of fully divine and fully human. Jesus was sent to the world to illuminate the human condition: in darkness and in sin, in ignorance, error, and bondage. Jesus willingly came to restore us (Rom. 5:14-17), to justify us (Ephesians 2:4-10), to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17-20), to bring victory (1 Corinthians 15:24-28), and to unite us with God (Romans 8:11 and 2 Peter 1:4). Jesus suffered and died on the cross to take away the sins of the world. Jesus’ death on the cross is the ultimate expression of God’s love for us (John 15:13). This love is the basis on which Jesus’ sacrificial offering is made. He bore our sin (Isaiah 53:12; 1 Peter 2:24) to make us righteous in God’s sight (2 Corinthians 5:21). We believe in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. This means that the power of sin and death are defeated by Jesus’ resurrection. We now have the confidence in Christ that the resurrection makes our union with the living Christ possible through faith (Romans 6:5). It is with this confidence that we believe that, “In life and in death we belong to God.” (A Brief Statement of Faith, 1990, line 1)

The Father

We believe in God the Father, “whom Jesus called Abba, Father.” (A Brief Statement of Faith, 1990, line 28) God loves and cares for God’s people. In response, God expects honor and obedience. Even when we are not faithful, God’s everlasting love draws us prodigal children back to God. It is in this big “household of God” (beth ab (house of the father), or oikia (household)) that we belong, and the church is called into being.

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the work of the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God made real. We believe in Christ’s real presence by the Holy Spirit in the celebration of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins and illuminates that it is in Christ we are called righteous. The Holy Spirit also convicts us and enables us to repent, for our own willingness has no power. We are justified by faith in Christ (Romans 3:24), and we cannot confess this without the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit testifies to the Word of God and illuminates it to us in order that we may understand Scripture. The work of the Holy Spirit enables God’s people to be united as the body of Christ. Because the Spirit unites the church according to the will of Christ, we are sent into the world as the Father has sent the Son into the world. We participate in God’s mission (missio dei) in the world. We believe that the church is a missional community by nature. We are blessed to be a blessing in the world. (Genesis 12:1-4)

The Church: The Body of Christ

Because we believe that God is one God in three persons as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we also believe in mutual relationship of the members of the body of Christ in unity. As God is in the perfect “mutual indwelling” relationship, I believe that the church is called to be in such a fellowship as well.

Worship and Mission: Christian Service

We participate in God’s mission (going, sending…etc.), because of God’s continuing work of restoration in relationship with the world. We participate by engaging in the following (The Great Ends of the Church in the PC(USA) Book of Order 2011/2013): (1) the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; (2) the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; (3) the maintenance of divine worship; (4)the preservation of the truth; (5) the promotion of social righteousness; and (6) the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world. We also believe that mission exists because the worship described in Revelation 7:9 is yet to be fulfilled. Nonetheless our worship each Sunday still holds eternal significance in an invisible manner. We worship in a particular congregation, looking forward to the eternal enjoyment and worship of God. (Westminster Shorter/Larger Catechism #1) We worship in a particular congregation while recognizing we are a small part of the wider worshipping multitudes cross-culturally (space) and cross-generationally (time).