THEOLOGY - continued

Covenant, 2nd paragraph - continued

Our first two theological articles, the centrality of Christ and the primacy of the Bible, come together in the last words of the second paragraph of the Covenant. We “adopt [Jesus Christ’s] standards of teaching and conduct.” In coming to this conclusion the Covenant reiterates the emphasis on ethics as found in the first paragraph.

There are primarily three kinds of religious belief. The purely intellectual approach is belief that can be proven but basically makes no difference in day-to-day living. The purely spiritual belief is entirely personal and while it makes us “feel good,” it makes little difference in how we relate to the rest of the world. Then there is belief that makes a difference. It is belief that is not only incorporated into our lives, but is lived out in our lives.

This third kind of belief is what the second paragraph of The Covenant of The United Church of Los Alamos is ultimately all about. We accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, the spiritual belief. We read and study the Scriptures, the intellectual belief. The spiritual belief and the intellectual belief then lead us to “adopt [Jesus Christ's] standards of teaching and conduct as set forth in the New Testament.” True religion, religion that is not just an intellectual or emotional experience, results in how we live our lives. At the United Church our belief in Christ is infused into every part of our living.