Our Beliefs

We are a church in the ECO (Evangelical Covenant Order) movement within the Reformed Presbyterian Tradition. Click the button below to learn more about the ECO Confessional Standards.

The following are the core beliefs of First Presbyterian Monrovia based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in, and flows from, these biblical doctrines.

We believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have existed in  relationship before anyone was created. The fact that God is relational makes all the difference. God is with us, even in ordinary life, and wants us to share life with others.

In love and joy, God created the world out of nothing.  God wanted to share the love and relationship that exists in the Trinity, so God created us in his image.  We were meant for a relationship with God; to love and enjoy God, obey God wholeheartedly, to reflect God's image, and be caretakers of creation.  

Quickly, we failed at this. We rebelled and walked away, choosing to live independently from God's design.  This is the sin of all humanity, and our sin too.

Because we are incapable of returning to God on our own, God gave Jesus Christ as a gift to the world.  Jesus was God in the flesh and the exact image of the one true God.  He was God with us!  Christ revealed who God is, in the way he compassionately cared for all people, taught us the grace and truth of God's kingdom, was passionate about justice for the oppressed, and lived so selflessly that he chose to suffer and die on the cross.  There, he took upon himself all our sin. Christ lived, died, and was raised to life again so we that we might experience a relationship with God now and into eternity and participate in God's mission in the world.  

Jesus Christ came to reconcile us with God. He lived a life without sin and willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. God raised him from the dead and now, by grace, offers the free gift of eternal life to all who follow Christ.  Salvation is an act of grace, by faith, found in Christ alone, and received by a humble and repentant heart.

God gives the Holy Spirit to be present with us.  The Spirit helps us, counsels and teaches us, convicts us of sin, and points us to Jesus.  The Spirit indwells believers, helps us experience God's love and empowers us to love and serve God wholeheartedly. The Spirit equips us, gives us gifts for ministry, and assures our hearts that we belong to God.

The Church is meant to be the visible body of Christ, sent into the world to glorify God and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Our response to all God has done is to love and worship him as we gather in community, and live our daily lives. As the church worships in a gathered community, we are strengthened by God's word, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, and through the faith of other believers. From the worship gathering, we are sent to our families and neighborhoods, the places we work and study, and to the world to proclaim God's good news with our words and actions.

God meets us on holy ground and helps us experience his grace as we celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper.  
In Baptism, we are called into the family of God, united in Christ's death and resurrection, and sealed in our identity as one of God's own.  Through the Lord's Supper, we proclaim Christ's death visibly and tangibly.  Here, we become aware, once again, that we're accepted and forgiven and are nourished with Christ's presence to live faithfully.
 

Through Scripture, we know that Christ was raised from the dead and is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Christ's kingdom is both "already and not yet."  Though we experience glimpses and the joyful foretaste of the kingdom now, we will encounter the fullness of his kingdom when Christ returns to make all things right.  Then, He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and we'll be with God and one another in a new heaven and earth for eternity.