About Smithfield UCC
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At Smithfield UCC, Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, we believe what The Bible tells us, and The Bible says we have all sinned. Do you believe you are a sinner in the sight of God? As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. The Bible says that the penalty of our sin is death, and that because we have sinned, we deserve the lake of fire (hell.) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
We believe that sin, both what we have done and what we have failed to do - the Bible calls it "missing the mark" - describes the reality that things are not as they should be. We are self-obsessed, broken, fearful, and oppressive. We all see the problems in this world, and those of us who are humble enough to admit it realize that we've all played some role in contributing to the problems we see. Sin, its guilt, and its consequences are what Jesus came to save us from.
About The Holy Spirit: We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is to be worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son. He regenerates the sinner's heart, indwells every Christian, convicts of sin, helps us in our weakness, and empowers us to live a fruitful Christian life.
About Separation of Church and State: We believe that each local church is self-governing, and must be free from interference by any external ecclesiastical or political authority; that every human being is ultimately responsible to God in matters of faith and life; and that each person is free to worship God according to the dictates of his/her conscience. We further believe that governments are established by God; that Christians, as good citizens, should be subject to governing authorities insofar as possible, recognizing our greater allegiance to God and His kingdom in matters wherein human authorities conflict with clear, biblical mandates.