Real Church, Real People, Real Simple
Here's What We Believe
God. We believe in
one living and true God, Creator and Benevolent Ruler of the
universe. Without beginning or without end, God has eternally
existed in three personalities: As the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit.
Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus Christ to be fully human and
fully divine--God in the flesh. Although co-equal to the Father, He
voluntarily lowered himself to be like us. His sinless life prepared
him to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying
on the cross. He arose from the dead to demonstrate His power over
sin and death, ascended to heaven and will return again to earth to
reign as King of kings. He is the only mediator between God and man.
Holy Spirit. We believe the Holy Spirit is God's active
presence today in the life of the Christian and in the corporate
life of the Church. He seeks to convict the world about the truth of
God and empower each Christian with special wisdom, gifts and
abilities given to benefit the entire Church. While we believe the
supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the Apostles were
limited to the First Century, we certainly believe that the power of
the Holy Spirit is still available to teach, help, guide, and make
holy all believers in Christ.
The Bible. We believe the Bible to be God's Word. It was
written by human authors under the direct influence of the Holy
Spirit. It is inspired by God, without error, and is totally
sufficient for our Christian lives. No other book, creed or
statement is necessary to be saved or join the church. While all of
the Bible is inspired, the New Testament gives the pattern for the
church and the steps toward salvation. The Old Testament, while
edifying to the Christian, is no longer binding on the Christian.
Humanity. We believe we are made in the image of God, without
original sin, with the capacity to do good. Nevertheless, we seem to
have the natural tendency to rebel against God, to sin and fall
short of God's expectations. In fact, all humans have fallen short
of God's expectations and perfection. The Bible calls this
condition, “sin.”
Salvation. We believe God saves us by grace, through faith.
Nothing we can do will ever merit or earn salvation; it is a gift
from God. We choose to accept or reject what God has so graciously
offered. God's salvation is accepted by our faith, repentance,
obedience, immersion and a lifestyle that clearly demonstrates that
Jesus is Lord and Savior of our lives.
Sacraments. Following the command of Jesus Christ and the
example of the early church, we share with all believers the LORD'S
SUPPER every Sunday to remind us of Christ's death, His future
coming and the unity that exists within the Church because of His
resurrection. BAPTISM, by immersion, is our pledge to obedience and
point of contact with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We baptize
only adults who have demonstrated their personal faith in Christ and
their commitment to follow Him in their behavior, morals, values and
ethics.
Church. We believe that God adds to the Church those who have
been saved through Jesus Christ. The Church is the family of God,
the fellowship of Saints, and the Body of Christ commissioned to
continue His mission in this world. Membership in our local
congregation is open to all who have experienced a biblical
salvation and publicly make their desire known to work with us in
this congregation in fulfilling the mission of the Church.
Eternity. We believe that God created us to live forever!
When Christ returns again, those who accept God's gift of salvation
will live with Him in heaven forever. Those who ignore or reject His
offer will be doomed to spend eternity in hell separated from God
and His love. All of life is just a prelude to eternity.
Our Beliefs
The Bible is very important to us at Community. Our beliefs are based on what the Bible teaches.