About Mount Auburn

We believe in one holy and living God, everlasting, without body or parts, Creator of all things
visible and invisible. He is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and love, and rules with
gracious regard for the well-being and salvation of all, to the glory of his name. We believe the
one God reveals himself as he is: three persons, distinct but inseparable, eternally one in
being, majesty, power, and glory: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe in Jesus Christ, truly God and truly human, the eternal Word made flesh, in
whom the divine and human natures are perfectly and inseparably united, without division,
confusion, or change. As to his divine nature, he is of one and the same substance as the
Father. As to his human nature, he is of one and the same substance as us, yet without sin. The
only eternally begotten Son of the Father, he was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. He truly suffered, was crucified, died for our sins, and was raised bodily from the dead. Having ascended to the throne of heaven, he is our eternal Savior and Mediator who reigns over all things and will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.
We believe God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. The offering of Christ, once made,
is the perfect atonement, redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is no other satisfaction for sin.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds eternally from the Father and the Son. He is of the
same substance as the Father and the Son and is coequal with them in majesty, power, and glory. As very and eternal God, he is worthy of our worship and praise. The Spirit convinces the
world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He testifies to Jesus Christ, leads us to faith in
him, incorporates us into the Church, and sanctifies us through His indwelling presence. With the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit distributes gifts and empowers the Church with everything needed to fulfill God's mission in the world. A deposit guaranteeing the glory to come, he comforts and sustains the faithful and guides us into all truth, bearing witness with our spirits that we are children of God.

We believe that the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—created all things out of
nothing, and nothing has been made that was not created as an act of God’s will. All that the
triune God creates is good, and he made all things as a free expression of his perfect love.
God continuously upholds, governs, and sustains all creation by his power and wisdom.
Human free will and responsibility operate within this providential framework.

We believe that human beings were created in the image and likeness of God, and that
human nature was created good and endowed with dignity. We were made to love and glorify
God in his perfect goodness, to love others, and to desire and work for their good. God created
us male and female and designed us for family, community, and the stewardship of his
good creation. We are now fallen into the corruption of sin and are very far gone from the state of original righteousness. Yet we remain of inestimable worth to God.

We believe that human beings are fallen from original righteousness and, apart from the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, are inclined to evil from birth. Original sin, which is the corruption of
every person’s nature, is the condition into which we are all born. Sin corrupts every part of our
humanity. Apart from prevenient grace, we cannot turn to God and are unable to do works
pleasing to God. Any good will that we have comes through the grace of God in Christ and the
Spirit at work in us.

We believe that the visible Church is the communion of the faithful under the Lordship of Christ.
The Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic in nature and in calling. It is the redemptive
fellowship in which the Word of God is preached and the sacraments duly administered
according to Christ's command. Qualified men and women are ordained for ministry in the
Church by bishops through the laying on of hands. Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit, the
Church exists for the worship and glorification of the Holy Trinity, the edification of believers, and the redemption of the world.

We believe in the divine inspiration and authority of the Old and New Testaments in their
entirety. The Old Testament is not contrary to the New, for Christ offers us everlasting life in both. Scripture is true in all it affirms, entirely trustworthy, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. It contains all things necessary to salvation. Whatever is not revealed in or established by the Holy Scriptures is not to be taught as essential to salvation.
The same Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures continues to work through them,
illumining the Church’s interpretation for the edification of the people of God. They are the basis for the Church’s proclamation and a vital means of grace for all who hear them. Through the proclamation of the Word, the Spirit awakens us to sin, calls us to repentance, draws us to faith in Christ, and renews us in the image of God.

The canonical books of the Old Testament are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2
Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. The canonical books of the New
Testament are: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2
Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and
Revelation.

We believe the Sacraments, ordained by Christ, are outward and visible signs of inward and
spiritual grace, and not only pledges or symbols of the Christian’s profession of faith, As such,
they are expressions of God’s love toward us. They are a special means of grace by which God
works in us to enliven, strengthen, and confirm our faith in him.
We believe in only two Sacraments which are ordained by Christ our Lord: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

We believe in one Baptism, which marks entrance into the visible Church and the New Covenant in Christ. Baptism is a sign and seal of our incorporation into the household of faith in union with Christ’s death and resurrection. Baptism signifies repentance, cleansing from sin, and new birth in the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that the promises of the New Covenant include the children of believers, making infants proper and acceptable subjects for Christian baptism,
which should not be denied. It is the Church’s special responsibility to nurture and lead
baptized children to the confirmation of their baptism as their public profession of faith and
personal commitment to lifelong discipleship.

We believe the Lord's Supper is the Sacrament of our redemption through which we are made
participants in God’s mighty acts of salvation. Holy Communion is both a memorial of the sufferings and death of Christ and a token of the love and union which Christians have with Christ and one another. While the elements themselves are not to be worshiped, the Holy Spirit mysteriously communicates the body and blood of Christ through the Sacrament as a means of grace, though the substance of each element remains unchanged. Those who receive this Sacrament reverently partake by faith in the body and blood of Christ until he comes again.

We believe divine worship is essential to the life of the Church and the duty and privilege of
all Christians. The Lord’s Day is divinely ordained for public worship and a commemoration
of Christ’s resurrection. Gathering regularly with the people of God is necessary for spiritual
growth and our sanctification. We believe the order of public worship may be modified by
the church according to the needs of the worshipping community. Worship should always
be held in a language and form understood by the gathered people, consistent with the
Holy Scriptures, and in accordance with the order and discipline of the Church.

We believe the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and enables us to turn from evil to faith
in Christ. True repentance is expressed by our renunciation of evil and confession of sin and
our turning to active participation in the means of grace and the pursuit of good works. It is
a posture of humility, granted by God to unbelievers as a preparation for justification, and
to believers as a continual grace through which we grow in holiness and enter deeper
communion with Christ.

We believe that justification is the gracious declaration of God that our sins are forgiven
and that we are accounted righteous in his sight on the basis of Christ’s merit. This
declaration of God comes to us by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.
Justification is not the result of our own good works or personal merit. For nothing can
fulfill the demands of divine justice except the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and
nothing can cleanse us from original or actual sin apart from him. Therefore, we are
graciously invited to receive Christ by faith, placing our full trust and confidence in him as
our personal Lord and Savior. Through Christ we are made children of God and heirs of
eternal life. That we are justified by faith alone is a most wholesome doctrine and a great
comfort.
We believe regeneration is an inward renewal in righteousness through Jesus Christ and by
the power of the Holy Spirit. Unless we are born again, we cannot see the kingdom of God.
Through the new birth we are reconciled to God, made partakers of the divine nature,
experience new life in Christ, and are enabled to serve him with our will and affections.
Regeneration is our initial sanctification, after which we are renewed in holiness by degrees
as we seek to be made perfect in love.

We believe good works are the necessary fruit of faith and follow regeneration, but they do not
have the virtue to remove our sins or to avert divine judgment. We believe good works, pleasing
and acceptable to God in Christ, spring from a true and living faith. Through and by good works our faith is made evident. There are no works that may be required of believers beyond those
commanded in Scripture. Our good works do not obligate God’s favor to us or accrue merit for
others.

We believe entire sanctification is a state of perfect love, righteousness, and true holiness. It is the work of God’s grace through Word and Spirit. Entire Sanctification is received through faith
in Christ and should be sought earnestly by every child of God. Those who have been born of
God are already set free from the power and dominion of sin. They are subsequently cleansed
from original sin and washed from its pollution in thought, word, and deed. Such believers are
now free to love God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and to love their
neighbors as themselves, walking blamelessly in God’s holy commandments.
The process of sanctification prepares the way for the reception of entirely sanctifying grace,
through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We believe that perfect love or Christian perfection
does not deliver us from the infirmities, ignorance, or mistakes common to all, nor from the
possibility of further sin. The pure in heart must guard against ongoing temptations,
especially in the form of spiritual pride, by abiding in holiness through the grace and power of
the Holy Spirit.

We believe that Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the wicked to eternal condemnation and the righteous to eternal life in God’s new creation.