The Fullness of the Means of Salvation

We believe in the fullness of the Christian faith as revealed by God and safeguarded through Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium of the Church.

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There is only one God.
God is a Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the Creator of the world and all that exists, visible and invisible (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16). In His infinite wisdom and love, He has revealed Himself to humanity (Hebrews 1:1-2; John 14:9), desires all people to come to salvation (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9), and will one day judge the living and the dead according to His justice and mercy (2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 25:31-46). The Father, the source of all creation, sent the Son into the world to redeem us (John 3:16-17; Galatians 4:4-5). The Son, Jesus Christ, is the Word made flesh (John 1:14), and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son as the Giver of Life (John 15:26; John 16:13-14).

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God has revealed Himself through His Word.
The Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the inerrant Word of God and teaches faithfully and without error what He intends for our salvation (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 119:105). Sacred Tradition, passed down from the apostles, works alongside Sacred Scripture, interpreted authentically by the teaching authority of the Church (2 Thessalonians 2:15; 1 Timothy 3:15), to guide all belief, behavior, and thought in submission to God’s will.

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Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God.
Jesus Christ is the one and only, eternally begotten Son of God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), born of the Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:23; Galatians 4:4), fully God and fully man (John 1:1; Philippians 2:6-8). He died on the cross for the redemption of humanity (1 Peter 2:24; Romans 5:8), rose bodily from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Luke 24:39), ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-11), and now reigns at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3; Ephesians 1:20-23). He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His Kingdom will have no end (Revelation 22:12; Matthew 16:27).

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We are all in need of salvation.
Every person is born with original sin (Romans 5:12; Psalm 51:5) and is in need of God’s saving grace. The punishment for unrepented sin is eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23; Matthew 25:46). However, through Jesus Christ, God has made salvation possible for all (1 Timothy 2:5-6; John 14:6). Baptism cleanses us from original sin (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21), and through faith, repentance, and the sacraments, we are continually renewed in God’s grace (2 Corinthians 5:17; James 5:16).

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We are saved by grace through faith and works of love.
Salvation is a free gift from God, which we cannot earn (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, as St. James teaches, faith without works is dead (James 2:17-26). True faith is expressed in a life of repentance, obedience, and love (John 14:15; Galatians 5:6). A repentant heart and a sincere desire to follow God’s commandments reflect a life transformed by His grace (2 Corinthians 7:10; 1 John 2:3-6).

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The Holy Spirit sanctifies and empowers the faithful.
The Holy Spirit dwells within the Church and in each baptized Christian (1 Corinthians 3:16; Romans 8:9), sanctifying us and guiding us toward holiness (2 Thessalonians 2:13; Galatians 5:22-23). Through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, the Holy Spirit strengthens and renews us (John 6:53-56; John 20:22-23). The gifts of the Spirit are given for the building up of the Church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) and are to be used humbly and for God’s glory alone (1 Peter 4:10-11).

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We affirm the authority of the Church.
The Church, founded by Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, is the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 1:22-23) and the sacrament of salvation for the world. It is made up of all baptized Christians but finds its fullness in the Catholic Church, united under the Pope and the bishops in communion with him (Matthew 16:18-19; John 21:15-17). The Church is the guardian of truth (1 Timothy 3:15) and the channel of God’s grace through the sacraments (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:42).

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We reject false doctrines and errors.
We do not support any teachings or movements contrary to the fullness of the Catholic faith, including prosperity preaching (1 Timothy 6:9-10) or any other theology that contradicts Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, or the Magisterium of the Church. Additionally, we reject Calvinism, including its doctrines of limited atonement and irresistible grace, as inconsistent with the fullness of biblical teaching and the Church’s understanding of God’s universal salvific will (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4).

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We believe in the communion of saints.
The Church is a communion of all believers—the Church Militant (on earth), the Church Suffering (in purgatory), and the Church Triumphant (in heaven) (Hebrews 12:1; Revelation 7:9-17). We are united in prayer and support one another on the journey to eternal life (2 Maccabees 12:45; Philippians 1:3-5).

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Jesus Christ will come again.
We profess the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come (John 11:25-26; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Jesus Christ will return in glory to judge the living and the dead (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15). He will separate the righteous, who will enter eternal life with Him, from those who have rejected Him, who will face eternal separation (Matthew 13:49-50; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

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We rely on God’s mercy and strive for holiness.
As followers of Christ, we acknowledge our flaws, sins, and failures (Romans 7:18-25; 1 John 1:8-9). We continually seek God’s mercy through the sacraments (Luke 15:11-32; John 20:22-23) and strive to grow in holiness (Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16). With gratitude for our Savior’s boundless mercy, we journey toward the fullness of life with Him (Philippians 3:12-14; Revelation 21:3-4).