About St. Thomas Syriac Orthodox Church
-
Welcome to the web page of St. Thomas Syriac Orthodox Church in Austin, Texas. We believe that baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordained by the Lord Jesus himself - baptism as a symbol of entrance into the body of Christ and the Lord's Supper a regular reminder of the death, resurrection, and return of Christ. Baptism symbolizes the believer's death to sin and new life in Christ. Those baptized are done so in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Together they are simultaneously God's pledge to us, divinely ordained means of grace, our public vows of submission to the once crucified and now resurrected Christ, and anticipations of his return and of the consummation of all things.
We believe that from all eternity God determined in grace to save a great multitude of guilty sinners from every tribe and language and people and nation, and to this end foreknew them and chose them. We believe that God justifies and sanctifies those who by grace have faith in Jesus, and that he will one day glorify them - all to the praise of his glorious grace. In love God commands and implores all people to repent and believe, having set his saving love on those he has chosen and having ordained Christ to be their Redeemer.
About Salvation: We believe that salvation (eternal life in heaven) comes by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ (his death on the cross). (Matthew 26:28; Romans 5:8-11; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9)
About Generosity: Give it away - You can give without living, but you can't love without giving. 'The son of God... loved me and gave himself for me.' - Galatians 2:20
