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Unison Reading B This was originally found on the Mennonite Publishing House website at www.mph.org/confess/confunib.htm on January 31, 2003. This webpage is no longer found there so we have respectfully displayed it here for the use of this class. We believe in God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, who in love and holiness has called forth a people of
faith, who has spoken to us in Jesus
Christ, the Word of God become flesh, in
whom Scripture has its center, the one crucified, resurrected, and
exalted for our sake, our Savior from the dominion of sin
and evil, our peace and our reconciliation, our Lord and the head of the
church, through whom God sends the Holy
Spirit, the source of our life and the guarantee of our
redemption. We renew our covenant in Christ's church, the new community called to proclaim and to be a sign of the reign of
God, the assembly of those who have responded in faith to
Jesus Christ, the society established and sustained by the Holy
Spirit, to interpret Scripture, the trustworthy standard for
faith and life. to carry on Jesus' ministry in word
and deed, to call for repentance and make
disciples of all peoples, to baptize believers and to share
the Lord's Supper, to offer God's forgiveness and
restoration to those who sin, to use our gifts and abilities for
God's service, to live in mutual love, order, and
unity, so that the church may become one new humanity, a
light to the world. We commit ourselves to follow Jesus Christ in his path through suffering to new life, relying on the power of the Holy
Spirit and the gift of God's grace, becoming conformed to Christ rather
than to evil in the world, being transformed into the divine
image in which humanity was created. As Christ's community of disciples, faithful to his
covenant, we are called to life in the Spirit and
relationship with God through Christ, to chastity and loving faithfulness
to marriage vows, to right stewardship of all that
God has entrusted to us, to the way of peace, loving enemies
and practicing justice, to deeds of compassion and
reconciliation in holiness of life. We are the people of God, gathering to worship the one true
God, who is three-in-one. We are God's holy nation, giving our allegiance to Jesus
Christ as Lord of lords, living now according to the pattern
of God's future. We place our hope in the reign of God and its
fulfillment, in the resurrection of the dead, in God's final victory over evil, and in that day when Christ will
come again in glory and judgment to gather his church to reign with
him in righteousness and peace. To God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.
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