Statement of Beliefs
Regardless of its "flavor," every religious group operates upon the basis of a set of beliefs. Individual churches of Christ are no different. We are what we are because of what we believe. The following provides a broad brush view of fundamental beliefs, indisputable things which are held to be essential to the existence and ministry of this church.
SCRIPTURE
The bible is the exclusive written revealed message of God to humanity. It is God's absolute and complete truth (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:19-21).
GOD
The God revealed in scripture is the only God. He is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), himself being three distinct personalities (Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19). He alone is the eternal, transcendent, sovereign, holy Creator of all that is, visible and invisible. He is Judge of all humanity and Savior of all who turn to Him in dependence upon Jesus Christ the Lord, himself being God the Son.
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is God the Son (John 1:1-3, 14; John 20:30, 31). As the predicted Messiah of Old Testament prophecy, the Son of God came to the world to save sinners by giving His life on the cross as a sacrificial payment for all the sins of all time (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 1:7). His dead body was raised after being three days in the tomb (I Corinthians 15:3,4) as a final consummate proof of His divine nature (Romans 1:3,4). No sinner may be saved apart from belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:1, 2). In addition, those who deny the divine nature of God the Son can be neither saved nor fellowshipped by those who are saved in Christ (I John 2:22, 23; II John 7-11).
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is Himself God (Romans 8:9). He is the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). The sinner is convicted of guilt by the Spirit-empowered word, and pointed toward Jesus for salvation (John 16:8, 13-14; Acts 2:37, 38). The Holy Spirit also resides, in some sense, within the saved one (Acts 2:38; Galatians 4:6). In connection with the believer, the Spirit is both the seal of salvation and the source of holy life-change (Ephesians 1:13, 14; Galatians 5:19-24).
HUMANITY
The human race was created by God in His image (Genesis 1:26, 27). However, at a given stage of life, each person chooses to resist the will of God and succumb to selfish and sinful desire (James 1:13-15). At that juncture, the sinner becomes separate from the life of God and dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). Through redemption and forgiveness of sin in Jesus Christ, the lost one is invited back to God's presence and purpose. The highest aims of humanity ought to be salvation from sin and living out God's glorious purpose in His Son.
SALVATION
Salvation refers basically to God's rescue of sinners from the penalty and bondage of sin. It is based upon the redemptive work of Jesus Christ at the cross (I Peter 2:24) and His subsequent resurrection from the dead. Therefore, salvation is preeminently a work done by God for man. It is not a work done by man for God. Salvation is an act of grace (Ephesians 2:8), and cannot be earned by the sinner. It is, instead, freely offered by the mercy of God in Christ (Romans 3:24). That is, it is offered without charge. Otherwise, it would be unaffordable.
Though salvation (justification) is unearned, it is not unconditional. The sinner must repent of sin and be willing to receive that which only God could achieve. One must trust (have faith in) what God did about sin in Christ. In the New Testament record, those who heard and believed this gospel were consistently baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:37-38, 41; 8:36-38; 10:47, 48; 16:13-15). In scripture, a believer never minimized nor rejected immersion into Jesus' name. As a matter of fact, refusal to be immersed indicated a rejection of the teaching at hand (Luke 7:29, 30).
SANCTIFICATION
Upon conversion to Christ, the saved one is separated for holy service to the Lord. Sanctification is also applied to that person's progressive maturation as a disciple of Christ. His thinking and behavior become more holy or sanctified to God (I Thessalonians 4:3; I Peter 1:13-15). The Holy Spirit is the power source whereby holy character and Christlikeness are developed in the believer's life (Romans 8:9, 12-14; II Thessalonians 2:13).
CHURCH
"Church" refers to redeemed sinners assembled in the fellowship of God through Christ (Ephesians 5:25; Acts 20:28). God's purpose for His church is that it glorify Him through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:21) by fulfilling His purpose for that church. To the church (disciples, followers of Christ) has been given God's evangelistic mission for the world (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16). The church is designed to equip and encourage one another to impact the present age for the name of Christ (Ephesians 4:11f.).
AFTERLIFE
The testimony of scripture is that human life is not restricted to the present earthly realm. A person continues in conscious existence beyond physical death (Hebrews 9:27). One's personal identity will be retained in the realm beyond the present life (Luke 9:30, 31). Man is more than a biological being, a mere body (Matthew 10:28). Upon death, one enters into the realm known as eternity or the eternal. That aspect of human existence is described in various ways, depending upon its setting in the bible. Jesus spoke of a literal heaven and hell (Matthew 28:18; John6:38; Matthew 5:29, 30). He also referred to the fact of a physical resurrection (John 2:19-22). Furthermore, scripture warns of impending final judgment upon all who reject God (Acts 17:30, 31; John 5:28, 29). However, those belonging to Christ will dwell in His endless presence and glory (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 1:10). The quality of one's afterlife experience is directly tied to his relationship with Jesus Christ during the present life.
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