Essential Tenents of Faith

As adopted by Franklin First Presbyterian Church, 6/15/15

1. Worship God alone, living all of life to His glory, renouncing all idolatry and all inordinate loves that   might lead us to trust in any other help;

2. Worship God in humility, being reticent in either de-scribing or picturing God, recognizing that right worship is best supported not by our own innovative practices but through the living preaching of the Word and the faithful administration of the Sacraments;

3. Eliminate from both speech and thought any blasphemy, irreverence, or impurity;

4. Observe the Sabbath as a day of worship and rest, being faithful in gathering with the people of God;

5. Give honor toward those set in authority over us and practice mutual submission within the community of the Church;

6. Eradicate a spirit of anger, resentment, callousness, violence, or bitterness, and instead cultivate a spirit of gentleness, kindness, peace, and love; recognize and honor the image of God in every human being from conception to natural death.

7. Maintain chastity in thought and deed, being faithful within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman as established by God at the creation or embracing a celibate life as established by Jesus in the new covenant;

8. Practice right stewardship of the goods we have been given, showing charity to those in need and offering generous support of the Church and its ministries;

9. Pursue truth, even when such pursuit is costly, and defend truth when it is challenged, recognizing that truth is in order to goodness and that its preservation matters;

10. Resist the pull of envy, greed, and acquisition, and instead cultivate a spirit of contentment with the gifts God has given us.