We Believe

A Statement of Faith

We believe that God communicates with man: that it is His intention to reveal Himself and His ways.

We believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God; that God, through the Holy Spirit, moved upon the authors of the Scriptures in such a way that they faithfully, accurately, and completely recorded all that God intended them to record; that the Scriptures are a reliable, accurate, and fully trustworthy account of God’s nature and character, His actions in human history, His laws, and the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. We affirm that the Scriptures are to be the standard of faith and practice by which the life of the Church and the lives of its individual members and their families are to be governed. We also affirm that the Scriptures are the standard by which all revelation and tradition are to be judged.

We believe that there is a progressive aspect to God’s revelation: that there are areas of truth which are taught in Scripture, but which we do not fully understand until the Holy Spirit further illuminates them. We believe that in every generation God gives to the Church leaders under whose care, direction, and authority the truth is understood, interpreted, and applied.

GOD

We believe in the one triune God, revealed in the Bible, as the only true, eternal, and living God. He is infinite in being and perfection: He is spiritual, immortal, and invisible. He is an intelligent and personal Being. He is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and complete within Himself. He is infinite in holiness, goodness, faithfulness, mercy, righteousness, justice, and all other perfections: and is due the highest love, reverence, and obedience. He is Creator, Redeemer, and Sovereign Ruler of creation. He accomplishes all things according to His righteous will for His own glory.

He reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. God the Father determines all things after the counsel of His own will; God the Son is the Word Who speaks that which the Father has determined; God the Holy Spirit is the dynamic power of God Who brings these things into being. The three Persons act out of one will.

God the Father

The Father sovereignly governs His creation and human history by His wise and holy providence. He is all-powerful, all loving, all-wise, righteous in all His ways, and just in all His works. He demonstrates His Fatherly love for all who become His children through Jesus Christ by caring for them, providing for them, instructing them, and disciplining them. His purpose is to prepare a family of redeemed people on the earth to show forth His glory.

God the Son

Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity. He is eternally the uncreated Word of God.

Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He was God incarnate: he perfectly revealed and did the will of the Father. He took upon Himself human nature and identified fully with humanity, yet remained wholly without sin. He honored the divine will and law by His obedience, and through His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of all who would believe in Him. He was raised from the dead and appeared to His disciples. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God the Father, where He is the One Mediator, effecting the reconciliation between God and man, and providing access to the Father for the Believer.

The Father has established Him as Lord over all things, and has appointed Him as Judge of the world. He is the Head of the Church. He will return in power and glory at the end of the present age to judge the world, to reign with His people, and to complete His redemptive mission by establishing in full measure the Kingdom and Reign of God. He will then return to the Father the government of all things, so that “God may be all in all.” (I Cor. 15:20-28).

He presently dwells in all believers through the Person of the Holy Spirit as the living and ever-present Lord. He is the Heir of all things. He was and is the perfect Prophet, Priest, and King, representing God to humanity, humanity to God, and being fully entitled to reign as King.

God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He calls people to Jesus and effects regeneration. He inspired the authors of Scripture and has superintended both the recording and transmission of the Scripture. He grants revelation to men and women, enables them to understand and obey the truth, and illuminates and quickens God’s Word to them. He comforts, teaches, and guides God’s people, and empowers them to obey God, to cultivate Christ-like character, and to be witness to Jesus Christ. He bestows upon them the spiritual gifts by which they serve God in and through the Church.

Man

We believe that man was created in the image of God as the crowning work of His creation. Man stood in a unique relationship with his Creator and was commissioned to rule the earth under God’s headship.

Through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God and fell from his unique relationship with God; thus, all his descendants inherited both a nature and an environment twisted by sin. Because of sin, man is separated from God and is without hope of reconciling himself to a just and holy God through any of his own efforts. Only the grace of God can restore man to his original calling: to live in fellowship with God and to fulfill the purpose for which he was created.

Salvation

We believe that salvation involves the redemption of the whole person and is available only in and through Jesus Christ. It is offered to all people, and is appropriated and experienced by those who respond in faith to God’s call to submit to His Son as Lord and Savior. Jesus, through the shedding of His blood, obtained eternal redemption for those who through faith believe in Him. This faith is a gift from God and is preceded by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, Who enables a person to repent of his sin and self-determinism. Repentance is followed by baptism in water and the reception of the Holy Spirit. The gift of righteousness is a work of God-initiated grace, neither aided nor enhanced by human merit. “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8, NASB)

Covenant Life

We believe that God is a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. Through covenant God binds Himself to His people and His people to Himself. God has extended covenant to us in Jesus Christ. The covenant encompasses both His promises which make available to us the inherited riches belonging to Christ, and His demands which are to be faithfully met.

Entering into God’s covenant involves entering into covenant with God’s people. The primary demand of the covenant is that the people of the covenant love one another. This is the command of the Lord Jesus. Loving one another involves learning to serve, admonish, and support in brotherly fashion those to whom one is bound by God’s covenant. Practically this is experienced in relation to those who are close at hand.

The Church

We believe that the Church is the people of God: those who are participants in God’s covenant in Jesus Christ. The Scriptures give us several pictures of the Church, each illustrating an aspect of the Church’s nature and function. The Church is Christ’s body, with Him as its Head. It is His family, with Him as the First born. It is His workmanship, with Him as its Craftsman. It is His temple, with Him as its Cornerstone. It is His army, with Him as its Captain. It is His bride, with Him as its Bridegroom.

The goal of the Church is to reflect the glory of God and to make disciples of all the nations. For the accomplishment of this goal, the Lord has established leadership in His Church. The Scriptures list these offices: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, elder, and deacon.

We acknowledge that there are a variety of expressions of Church government and life which seek to fulfill the goal of the Church. The following are some features of our expression of the Church by which we seek to achieve that goal:

•Gatherings include large meetings for worship and Bible teaching and preaching, smaller house meetings for fellowship and more personal instruction, and training meetings for leadership
•Leaders work together in plurality with one man presiding.
•Pastoral ministry is personal, attempting to follow the pattern of Jesus and His disciples.
•People are joined together in committed relationships for mutual support, correction, and encouragement.

The members who comprise the Church are the means of its financial support. The tithe, which is ten per cent of a person’s gross income, is a basic standard of Christian stewardship and goes to the support of the ministries of the church. Offerings beyond the tithe are for the charitable, operational, and extra-local work and investment by the church. We further believe that when people give to God’s work with a free spirit, there is financial abundance to accomplish God’s purposes.

Each individual has particular God-given abilities which are different from, and complimentary to, those of the other members. Each member is encouraged to function in his own areas of strength, in interdependence with his fellow members.

Each individual is given natural talents as well as supernatural gifts by the Holy Spirit to be used to strengthen and extend the Church.

Covenant Ordinances and Transactions

We believe that God has provided certain ordinances and transactions which are to be a part of the Church’s life.

Baptism – in which the believer publicly proclaims his ultimate commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Through baptism, He personally identifies with Jesus’ death and resurrection, renouncing the kingdom of darkness in favor of the Kingdom of Christ.

The Lord’s Supper – in which the participants affirm and renew their covenant with God and His people, remember and acknowledge the death of the Lord Jesus on their behalf, and share in a unique way in the life of the Trinity.

Marriage – in which a man and a woman are joined as husband and wife.

Ordination – in which a man, called by God into leadership in the Church, is confirmed in his calling and authorized for his office.

Authority

We believe that God is the source of all legitimate authority, and that all earthly authority is to be subject to, and fulfill the intentions of the Divine authority. God, and God alone, has sovereignty, from which all authority emanates. The authority of the kingdom of God is put by the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14.17); and He, as he wills, puts that authority in human beings and institutions (II Corinthians 4.7).

God has enjoined man to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue and rule it. To accomplish this goal, He has established for man five spheres of authority: the individual, the family, the Church, civil government and voluntary associations (or, economies). Each has its own set of responsibilities, limits of authority, and procedures with regard to wrongdoers.

The Individual

We believe that while God has ordained both civil and spiritual government, each Christian is individually responsible to God and accountable to Him for his choices and behavior. The believer’s personal access to the Father through Jesus makes him responsible to:

•Cultivate his personal relationship to God through prayer, the study of Scripture, and obedience.
•Function as a priest to God through personal praise, worship, and intercessory prayer.
•Represent the Lord to those around him through his life and words.
•Be faithful to his conscience.

The Family

The family is the basic societal unit: the first place of common worship, common work, and common life. It is headed, and led by a man, and consists of a man and those under his care: his wife, who is his helper; his children; and any elderly or displaced persons for whom God grants him responsibility. A man, assisted by his wife, has the responsibility to lead, train, and discipline his children according to the principles and methods given in Scripture.

The Church

The Church on earth is the redeemed people of God, who are living under His delegated authority. The Church has been charged by the Lord Jesus to preach the Gospel, to make disciples of all nations, to baptize new members, and to teach all of its members all that God has commanded. Christ has commissioned His Church to be responsible for the education of its members and their families in all areas of life and to care for the poor, aged, homeless, and needy within its ranks. The Church may discipline its members by correction, admonition, reproof, and, if necessary, by ban from participation in the life of the Church community.

Civil Government

Civil government is given by God to preserve peace among all people. Its purpose is to provide liberty so that the godly may function quietly and effectively in their families and churches, and so that all people are given opportunity to be saved and to come to full knowledge of truth. In accordance with its responsibilities it may punish wrongdoers with penalty to their property or person.

Voluntary Associations

Agreements made between persons and/or institutions, for profit or charity also are under the general jurisdiction of the kingdom of God. All God’s laws and statutes pertaining to business ethics and personal integrity are applicable to all the various economies set up in society. A society is not exempt from God’s law in this regard, anymore than a man is not exempt from God’s moral laws.

Satan / Spiritual Warfare

We believe that God and His people are opposed by supernatural forces in the persons of Satan and his principalities, powers, and demons. We believe that their power has been definitely and decisively broken by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, who now lives in each believer.

We believe that Satan is a liar and a thief. As God’s people we have been commissioned and given authority to expose Satan’s lies and to take from him all that he has stolen. We believe that his power is limited by the sovereign purposes of God, and that the church’s victory over him will be complete.

Ecumenism

Christ Church understands that God, historically and currently, views His people as one people. We are committed to working with and honoring other churches and Christian leaders in the community under Christ’s Lordship. All Christians share in the responsibility for reconciliation, peace, and cooperation.

Evangelization

We believe in world evangelization. We accept the commission of Jesus Christ to make disciples of all nations, to baptize them, and to teach them to observe His commandments. We join with all those believing in Him to accomplish this urgent task. We accept this as a personal commission to each believer, as well as a commission to the entire Church.

Christ’s Return

We believe that Jesus Christ will personally return to earth in power and glory. He will come to fully establish the government of God upon the earth and to judge the living and the dead, rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked. While there are many viewpoints concerning His second coming, we believe Christians should lovingly look for His appearing, giving full attention to obedience until He comes. We believe His appearing will occasion the resurrection of the righteous to eternal life and the resurrection of the wicked to eternal judgment and death.

Judgment

We believe that every person will stand before God and be judged at the end of the age. For the righteous — those who have given their lives to obeying God’s will — this judgment will determine their reward. For the unrighteous — those who have lived a life of rebellion against God’s law and gospel — the judgment will determine their punishment.

A Statement of Standards and Values

We are a fellowship of believers committed to the Lordship of Christ, to each other, and to a pilgrimage together into a total way of like which reflects God’s nature and the ways He has for His people. We recognize that the development of Christian character must of necessity be a corporate endeavor. We believe that such a corporate effort must be essentially “family” in nature. We recognize the Church as God’s family and see the Church symbolized in the nuclear family unit, which God ordained. Just as in a family, our leaders are men whose commitment to the Lord is expressed in a lifetime commitment to the Church.

The following are some of the standards and values to which we are committed:

Personal Character

Humility

Humility is the attitude of lowliness before God and others. It is rooted in an accurate appraisal of a person’s true standing before God. It breeds kindness, gentleness, mercy, and confidence. It results in submission to God and to His representatives and thus is a key to pleasing Him.

Love

Love is a commitment to another’s highest good. Love causes one to center himself on others and to act unselfishly, even at his own expense. This other-centered approach to life is rooted in a life laid down, and is reflective of God’s own character.

Self-Control

Self-control is rulership over one’s tongue, appetites, spirit, mind, body, and emotions. It enables one to live obediently to the Lord. It also enables the Christian to respond to hardship, personal pain, disappointment, and the attack of enemies with thanksgiving, graciousness, and forgiveness.

Faithfulness

Faithfulness is consistency and trustworthiness regardless of the circumstances. Faithfulness is an essential characteristic of God’s nature and is the basis upon which promotion is measured in His kingdom.

Diligence

Diligence is persistent application and earnest effort towards accomplishing a task, and is ‘the precious possession of man’ (Prov. 12:27)

Wisdom

Wisdom is the ability to discern, comprehend, and determine appropriate actions. It enables a man to discreetly and flexibly apply the ways of God. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, is acquired by those who are teachable, and proceeds out of covenant love. “In a multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Prov. 11:14)

Integrity

We believe Christians have a vital responsibility to be people of integrity. We embrace values that characterize integrity, honest, moral courage, good citizenship, and financial responsibility. We believe that a man’s word should be his bond. We further believe that a man of integrity will speak “true” words, words that say what he means.

Personal Conduct

Excellence

Excellence is the quality of goodness, order, beauty, variety, and completeness, which reflects God’s own character and activity. Commitment to excellence causes attention to detail and quality, producing the finest results in daily responsibilities, thereby bringing glory to God and providing both fulfillment and prosperity.

Dignity

Dignity is the quality of conducting oneself in an appropriate and honorable manner. It emanates from an inner quality of life which brings glory to God.

Stewardship

Stewardship is the handling of all that is in our charge with the understanding that it belongs to God and has been entrusted to our care. Good stewardship is the wise, faithful, and thorough investment of, care for, and profitable use of that for which one is responsible.

Honor

Honor is the manifest respect given to that which God esteems. Honor should be appropriately demonstrated toward worthy individuals and institutions such as leaders, parents, marriage, etc.

Loyalty

Loyalty is faithfully standing with members of the covenant community in their times of weakness and need as surely as in their times of strength and success. Loyalty is sincere fidelity and allegiance to leadership in times of crises and failure as well as in times of triumph. Loyalty is a primary characteristic of covenant.

Service

Service is unselfish ministry to the needs and desires of others. Service is to become a way of life for God’s people: it is a practical manifestation of covenant love.

Social Ethics

Marriage and the Family

•We affirm that the institution of marriage should be held in honor by all. Rather than viewing it as a partnership between two people, we see it as a sacred covenant by which a man and a woman become one. This relationship is characterized by covenant love, loyalty, discipline, and security. We believe that the husband is to lead his wife with self-giving love, and that the wife is to support and cooperate with the leadership of her husband.
•We believe that the family is the basic unity of society, and is the place where children are to be born, brought to maturity, and prepared to enter society.
•We believe that many of our society’s current problems, crises, and breakdowns are directly traceable to delinquent parents and the decay and erosion of family life.
•We seek to place the highest priority on the development of healthy family life.

Work

Work is one of the primary means by which a person is to fulfill his God-given calling. It is to be an expression of one’s abilities, and, as such, it enhances one’s sense of identity and personal worth. Work is to be the basis of one’s financial support; it is to be done with an attitude of gratefulness and is be a primary source of personal fulfillment. Rest and recreation are not escapes from the responsibilities of work, but are important and integral parts of a person’s way of life in that they equip him to function well in his work.

Some Current Social Concerns:

•Divorce – We oppose divorce and seek to minister redemptively in the lives of those who have been touched by it, and preventively in the lives of those who have never experienced it.
•Abortion – We believe that a person’s life begins at conception, and we strongly oppose abortion as the wanton taking of life.
•Homosexuality – We oppose all forms of homosexual practice as sin, and view homosexual orientation as a perversion of God-given identity. We believe in God’s redemptive ability to restore those involved in homosexual activity or orientation, if they will repent, turn to God, and give themselves to walking in obedience to Him, as empowered by the Holy Spirit and supported by the Christian community.
•Male and Female Roles – We believe that God intentionally created men and women with different strengths, capacities, and roles, while endowing them with equal value and importance. We believe that marriage is a sacred covenant between a man and a woman.
•Debt – The Scripture establishes definite principles concerning the assumption of personal debt, and primarily advocates a debt-free way of life. We oppose the assumption of debt for the immediate gratification of material desires, which is a practice that threatens to undermine the moral and economic stability of our nation. We endorse instead a disciplined, realistic manner of life in which each person lives within his present, God-given financial and material provision.

Conclusion

These statements of faith, standards, and values are foundational for God’s ongoing leadership in our lives as we give ourselves to being a part of the covenant people of God.

We recognize other members of the Body of Christ whose doctrinal expressions are different from ours and desire to walk toward unity with all who are committed to the Lordship of Christ.

These statements are not to be construed as walls, but as doors through which we may communicate with others and they with us.