Christian Tradition
Messiah College was founded by educators with strong denominational concerns; but the College has never been narrowly sectarian. We welcome students without regard to denominational affiliation. The College follows the historic Christian tradition and has adopted the Apostles’ Creed as an expression of the essential core of Christian commitments at the College.
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again, 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.
In campus worship services the College also frequently uses a confession which expresses the faith orientation of the College in a nonsectarian manner, highlighting the specific emphases of the Anabaptist, Pietistic, and Wesleyan traditions of the Christian faith.
Confession of Faith
We believe in the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who created and sustains the universe, and who desires to redeem us and all creation.
God creates each of us in the very image of God to live in loving relationships: free, responsible, and accountable to God and each other for our decisions and our actions.
God speaks to us in many different ways, times, and places but is uniquely revealed to all the world in Jesus of Nazareth, who was fully human and fully divine.
God forgives our sins, renews our hearts and minds, and calls us to join in the work of reconciliation by grace through faith in the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
God bestows on us the Holy Spirit who leads us to repentance, instructs us in righteousness, and empowers us to live joyfully as disciples of Christ, as servants of others, and as caretakers of the created order.
God calls us to unite in the Church as a visible community of believers which celebrates God’s grace in its worship and bears witness to the truth of the Gospel through its being, doing, and speaking.
God gives us the Bible as the inspired, trustworthy, and authoritative Scripture to reveal God’s ways and purposes, to nourish our minds and souls, and to instruct us in how we ought to think and to live.
God instructs us to pursue the kingdom of peace, righteousness, and justice which ultimately will prevail with the return of Christ and assures us that those judged faithful will share resurrected life with God and all the saints forever.
We praise the one God—our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer—who has called us to personal faith and new life in Christ and to so order our lives that they may demonstrate the truth of our confession. Amen.