Cawdor Parish Church - Christian Beliefs

Cawdor Parish Church is a congregation of the Church of Scotland and part of the world-wide Christian church.

We are a Protestant church and have a Presbyterian form of government. We are part of a tradition of reformed churches of many denominations in Scotland and throughout the world.

We are also a National church ministering to the whole of Scotland through a system of parishes. Every congregation of the Church of Scotland is a parish church, responsible for sharing the Christian faith with all the people in the parish area.

As Christians we believe in one, living God : Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our one God reveals God’s own self to us in three ways ; as Creator ; through Jesus Christ ; in the on-going activity of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we declare our faith by saying the Apostles’ Creed – a statement of Christian belief that expands a bit on what we believe. This expresses the heart of our Christian faith and we say it together, as a congregation, at special services such as baptism, profession of faith and confirmation, communion.

"I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son,
our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the
Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died , and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand
of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living
and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen"

Another ancient creed is the Nicene Creed and again this tries to express what we believe as Christians. This is also used sometimes in church services.

"I believe in one God
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and all things visible and invisible:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost
of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man,
and was crucified also for us
under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried,
and the third day he rose again
according to the scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father.
And he shall come again with glory
to judge both the quick and the dead:
whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the Lord, the Giver of life,
who proceedeth from the Father
and the Son,
whowith the Father and the Son together
is worshipped and glorified,
who spake by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and
apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the
remission of sins.
And I look for the resurrection
of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen."

In 1992 a more modern version of a creed, called ‘A Statement of Faith’, was produced. It uses more modern language and thought but it still seeks to express what we believe as Christians.

We believe in one God :
Father, son and Holy Spirit.
God is love.

We praise God the Father :
who created the universe and keeps it in being.
He has made us his sons and daughters
to share his joy,
living together in justice and peace,
caring for his world and for each other.

We proclaim Jesus Christ, God the Son :
born of Mary,
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
he became one of us,
sharing our life and our death.
He made known God’s compassion and mercy,
giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin,
offering healing and wholeness to all.
By his death on the cross and by his resurrection,
he has triumphed over evil.
Jesus is Lord of life and of all creation.

We trust god the Holy Spirit :
who unites us to Christ
and gives life to the Church;
who brings us to repentance
and assures us of forgiveness.
The Spirit guides us
in our understanding of the Bible,
renews us in the sacraments,
and calls us to serve God in the world.

We rejoice in the gift of eternal life:
we have sure and certain hope of
resurrection through Christ,
and we look for his coming again
to judge the world.
Then all things will be made new ;
and creation will rejoice
in worshipping the Father,
through the Son,
in the power of the Spirit,
one God, blessed for ever.
Amen.

The Church of Scotland also holds to the Westminster Confession as its subordinate standard of faith and life, after the Bible.

The Westminster Confession was drawn up in 1643 and adopted by the Church in 1647. However, the church upholds and cherishes the principle of ‘liberty of opinion’ of ministers and members. This means that on matters that do not affect the substance of our faith, debate and disagreement is possible and not everyone nowadays will accept all that is contained in the Westminster Confession.

We believe that the Bible is the chief guide for Christians but we also believe that while God speaks through the Bible, God also speaks in other ways through the working of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells the important story of God at work in human lives and human history but the story does not end with the last page of the Bible. The story is still unfolding in our time and in our lives.

Those who follow Christ believe that in Jesus Christ we have the fullest revelation of God in a human life. In Christ we see God and see that God is love.

In following Christ we are called to live in fellowship with God and in love with one another ; to take part in the worship and prayer of the church ; to serve others in Christ’s name. The core activities of the church can be summed up as worship ; fellowship ; service.

We welcome everyone to join with us in worship as part of the fellowship in Christ which we enjoy in Cawdor and which leads us out to service of our parish, community and the wider world.

Anyone who would like to find out or to discuss more about our Christian faith should contact the Minister.