The beginning of the Presbyterian Church can be traced back to the 16th century when John Calvin, a French reformer, trained for the Catholic priesthood, later converted to the Reformation Movement and became a theologian and minister. During this reformation, John Calvin refined reformers’ new way of thinking about the nature of God and God’s relationship with humanity. Calvin’s theology is what came to be known as Reformed theology, the religious thought Presbyterianism is founded on.
The Presbyterian faith differentiates from other religions through their following of a religious belief known as Reformed theology. Reformed theology views God as the absolute ruler over all existence and believes humanity’s main purpose as being to glorify God forever. Another factor separating Presbyterianism from other religions is their government based on a structure which emphasizes the active, representational leadership of both ministers and church members.
Presbyterian belief and practice center on the Bible and the sovereignty of God. Presbyterian’s believe the Bible is the written word of God and is the revelation of God’s truth and is perfect and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice. They believe there is one God, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. According to the Presbyterian belief, salvation is decided by God alone and that He sovereignly chooses those He will save.
Presbyterian faith centers on Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect life and sacrificial death make up for the sins of all who will trust in Him. They believe that the Holy Spirit gives God’s people the strength and wisdom to trust and follow Christ. Followers of the Presbyterianism also believe that Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind and to receive His people to Himself; and that all aspects of life are to be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.