Beliefs and Core Values

Omega OPC is a Reformed Presbyterian Church that is firmly committed to the Westminster standards as a true summary of Christian doctrine, and we believe that training new leaders and growing the church through plants is the business of which we are always to be about. Our system of doctrine (our basic beliefs) is summarized in the following paragraphs.

  • The Bible, having been inspired by God, is entirely trustworthy and without error. Therefore, we are to believe and obey its teachings. The Bible is the only source of special revelation for the church today.
  • The one true God is personal, yet beyond our comprehension. He is an invisible spirit, completely self-sufficient and unbounded by space or time, perfectly holy and just, and loving and merciful. In the unity of the Godhead there are three “persons”: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
  • God created the heavens and the earth, and all they contain. He upholds and governs them in accordance with his eternal will. God is sovereign (in complete control) yet this does not diminish human responsibility.
  • Because of the sin of the first man, Adam, all mankind is corrupt by nature, dead in sin, and subject to the wrath of God. But God determined, by a covenant of grace, that sinners may receive forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ has always been the only way of salvation, in both Old Testament and New Testament times.
  • The Son of God took upon himself a human nature in the womb of the virgin Mary, so that in her son Jesus the divine and human natures were united in one person. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and died on a cross, bearing the sins of, and receiving God’s wrath for, all those who trust in him for salvation (his chosen ones). He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, where he sits as Lord and rules over his kingdom (the church). He will return to judge the living and the dead, bringing his people (with glorious, resurrected bodies) into eternal life, and consigning the wicked to eternal punishment.
  • Those whom God has predestined unto life are effectually drawn to Christ by the inner working of the Spirit as they hear the gospel. When they believe in Christ, God declares them righteous (justifies them), pardoning their sins and accepting them as righteous, not because of any righteousness of their own, but by imputing Christ’s merits to them. They are adopted as the children of God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies them, enabling them increasingly to stop sinning and act righteously. They repent of their sins (both at their conversion and thereafter), produce good works as the fruit of their faith, and persevere to the end in communion with Christ, with assurance of their salvation.
  • Believers strive to keep God’s moral law, which is summarized in the Ten Commandments, not to earn salvation, but because they love their Savior and want to obey him. God is the Lord of the conscience, so that men are not required to believe or do anything contrary to, or in addition to, the Word of God in matters of faith or worship.
  • Christ has established his church, and particular churches, to gather and perfect his people, by means of the ministry of the Word, the sacraments of baptism (which is to be administered to the children of believers, as well as believers) and the Lord’s Supper (in which the body and blood of Christ are spiritually present to the faith of believers), and the disciplining of members found delinquent in doctrine or life. Christians assemble on the Lord’s Day to worship God by praying, hearing the Word of God read and preached, singing psalms and hymns, and receiving the sacraments.

Our Core Values (P.U.M.P.P)

  1. That God is Preeminent in All Things. God is jealous for His own glory (Isaiah 48:11). And it is the greatest commandment of all that we love God with our whole being (Matthew 22:36-37). And the purpose of God in Christ is that He might have preeminence in all things (Heb 1:1-4; Col 1:18). We will purposefully, intentionally make God primary in all things, joyfully savoring His greatness in all we do.
  2. Living in Union with Christ. The union between Christ and the church is deeper than any other and is the basis and context for all our actions (John 17:21-23; Eph 5:32) Therefore we will endeavor not to make law keeping the basis of our actions and motivations but love of Christ.
  3. Multiplying Solid Leaders. The leadership of the church is a gift of Christ’s exaltation (Ps. 68:18; Eph 4:7ff). Leaders will be developed holistically on three levels: Theological (training in Bible knowledge and confessional standards); Personal (training in piety and household leadership); Ecclesiological (training in capacities within the structure of the church as well as on the doctrine of the church from an OPC perspective). According to Paul’s strategy (2 Tim. 2:2), we will also be committed to helping men in anyway possible to be seminary trained as their leadership develops. We are also committed to maintaining a robust internship program for both summer and year long interns.
  4. Planting Churches. It is our firm belief that planting churches is the best way to fulfill the great commission (Matthew 28:18-21). We are committed to planting new churches as often as possible both intensively an extensively. Although Williamsport is relatively small city, it services several other towns and boroughs in central Pennsylvania – second only to State College – and is therefore a strategic church planting ground.
  5. Prayer. We believe that no work is worthy of the name Christian if it is not done with complete dependence on Christ. There are many strategies that might draw crowds and move people in one direction or another, but we do not want to be those people who do many wonderful works in Christ’s name and yet are unknown to him, or oblivious to his will (Matthew 7:21-23). Prayer will not only be a part of the foundation of Omega OPC, but it will be a living part of every activity and expression (1 Thess 5:17).
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