Rev. Dr. Jon Saur

Statement of Faith

I believe in the one triune God, who created the universe and all within it. This God alone is sovereign and worthy of worship. God is loving, kind, faithful, righteous, just, and perfect. God's creation originally reflected these attributes perfectly.

I believe that God, whom Jesus called "Father," the first person of the Trinity, made human beings in the image of God, with a capacity to delight in creation. We were also given the capacity to make decisions freely. Humans tragically chose that which is against God, what we call evil, thereby sinning and ravaging God's good creation. Rather than delighting in creation, humans chose to live in the grief of the loss of God's purely good creation. Passionately desiring to restore what was lost when humans chose evil, God chose to save creation and elected a people, through whom God would enact the plan of salvation. In this effort, God made a covenant with God's people. God is faithful to the promises of the covenant as expressed in the Bible and, so, tenaciously pursues humanity.

I believe that God, the second person of the Trinity, the Word of God, is eternally begotten by the first person of the Trinity and reveals the triune God to humans. In order to remain faithful to the promise of the covenant, the Word of God took on human form at the appointed time, was named Jesus, and walked on Earth as both fully human and fully God. I believe Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah, spoken of by the prophets of Israel and Judah. Jesus preached the Kingdom of God, revealing the signs of God's rule by offering sight to the blind, good news to the poor, healing to the sick, justice to the oppressed and freeing those held captive by sin. According to God’s covenant plan, Jesus lived a perfect life but was crucified for our sins and died. However, the Father raised Jesus from the dead and death lost its ultimate power. We know by Jesus' proclamation that, by this act, forgiveness of sins was achieved. Jesus' resurrection serves as a sign of the redemption, resurrection, and restoration of all of creation to be completed when Jesus appears again. I believe our hope rests solely in the God who promises that, as Jesus was raised, so too shall we be raised and all creation restored.

I believe in God, whom Jesus referred to as the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit sustains the lives of God's people. After calling us out of sin, the Holy Spirit constantly reshapes us into the image and likeness of Christ. I believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are used by the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the promise of the incarnation of God's Word. Being the unparalleled witness to the Word of God, Scripture is authoritative and normative for Christian practice, as we, guided by the Holy Spirit, use literary and historical understandings to discern and interpret the testimonies of Israel, Judah, and the early Christians.

Through the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, the Holy Spirit confirms the promise of God in our lives. The Sacraments are the visible signs of God's grace. As Jesus commanded, we are baptized and seek to baptize others in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as God initiates them into the people of God, the Church. As Jesus commanded, we partake in the Lord's Supper and are constantly nourished in the real presence of Christ. And as the Church of Jesus Christ, we display mercy and justice and rightly proclaim the Word of God. We trust God's promise of redemption, resurrection, and restoration, longing for the day when Jesus returns, the covenant is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God reigns on earth. Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Amen!