Rich Past, Exciting Future

Imagine a world in which people, places, and things exist in perfect relationship and harmony. Everything is beautiful, nothing is broken, and there is no hint of wrong. The Bible calls this state of perfection “shalom”—a Hebrew word meaning completeness, wholeness, and well-being before God. This is the world of Genesis 1-2. God created the world, and everything in it, as an expression of his glory and grace—with mankind as the centerpiece and his masterpiece. Made in his image, God created us to know, worship, and enjoy him, and to serve his purposes in the world. God looked at all he had made and said, “This is very good.”

Deception and tragedy entered the story, and the wholeness of creation was breached and broken. Like all of God’s good gifts, the freedoms and privileges of creation were to be stewarded with humility and gratitude. Tragically, God’s first worshipers became his first rebels—putting themselves in the place of God. This is the essence of what the Bible calls sin. Everything in creation, every sphere of life, and every aspect of our being suffered the devastating impact of sin and death. Nothing is the way God designed it to be. Everything is broken.

But because of his great love, everything, everywhere is also the target of God’s redemption. In full view of his creatures sin and helplessness, God set in motion a plan so big and generous, he chose stars, sand, and dust to express the size of his future family (Genesis 12-17). And he promised, one Day, to fill the entire earth with his glory.

God’s promises are so big only he can keep them. The greatest expression of his generosity is seen in the gift of his son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the “Yes” to every promise God has made. He came to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. This is the Gospel.

As our substitute in life, Jesus fulfilled God’s law for us; and by his death on the cross, he took the judgment we deserve. By trusting in Jesus’ finished work, we are fully forgiven and are robed in his righteousness. As our risen Savior, Jesus intercedes for us, and reigns over all things until his return.

After his resurrection, Jesus declared, “I am making all things new!” Notice he did not say he is making all new things. God’s story is a story of restoration, not replacement. In fact, the completion of the story is even grander than the beginning. Jesus isn’t taking us back to the Garden of Eden, but into the new heaven and new earth. By his death and resurrection, Jesus placed an expiration date on all sin, evil, sickness, and brokenness. There will be no more racism, injustice, or war in the new heaven and new earth. There will be no more pain, suffering, or disaster. There will be no more death, in any form. This is the hope of the Good News of Jesus Christ. This is God’s story. We believe this story to be true, good, and beautiful, just like our God. It compels us to worship God, it fuels our hope, and frees us to love our neighbors.

If you're interested in learning more about the story that shapes our faith, there are a few resources we recommend:

The New City Catechism summarizes the main points of this story and their implications in 52 very short question-and-answer articles.

West End Community Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a group of churches whose theological beliefs are summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms.

Please feel free to contact one of our pastors or elders if you have any questions about what we believe the Bible teaches.