God is the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. 

The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally existing Creator of all things and Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself in the loving relationship of three divine Persons, known as the Trinity: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and are one God.

Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 40:28; Matthew 28:18-19; 2 Corinthians 13:14 

 

Jesus is the Son of God. 

Born of the Virgin Mary, Jesus came to earth as God Incarnate. He came to identify with our greatest need—salvation from sin. Though having two natures, being fully God and fully man, he experienced suffering and temptation as every human does, yet he did not sin. As the Living Word of God, He demonstrated God’s power, character, and compassion in all he did or said. He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead on the third day to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return again someday to earth to reign as King over all nations. 

Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 25:31-46; John 1:1-5; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Peter 1:23-24; Revelation 21:22-27 

 

The Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. When a person repents from their sin and believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, they receive the promised gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit by faith. The Holy Spirit gives each of us the assurance of salvation, adopts us into the family of God, and fills us with power for godly living as God planned for us. He graciously gives every believer, who lives in daily dependence and surrender to Christ, understanding of spiritual truth, guidance in doing what is right, and humility to serve each other in the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit provides supernatural power and spiritual gifts to effectively communicate the Gospel, as confirmed by “signs and wonders”, for the Glory of God.
Luke 11:11-13; John 14:16-17, 16:7-13; Acts 1:8, 2:38-39, 43, 5:12; Romans 8:14-16; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 5:15-21 

 

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit. 

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit first given at Pentecost is the promise of the Father for every believer, which is given by Jesus subsequent to conversion to empower all of His followers to live holy lives and to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit releases the fullness of the Spirit in the believer’s life and is evidenced by the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as a more active love for Christ, for His Word and for the lost. As an example, the gifts of speaking in tongues and prophecy are frequently experienced as Believers are baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:11; Luke 24:45-49; John 7:37-39; Acts 1:4-8; 2:37-39; Acts 8:15-16; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Galatians 5:22-25; 2 Timothy 1:6-8 

 

The Bible.

(The 66 books as confirmed by the Protestant Canon)
Human authors, with the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, wrote the Bible. It is God’s inspired source of truth for every human being. God personally speaks to us through the Bible, so we understand His character, His love for every human being, His salvation for all who believe, His daily guidance for our lives as believers, and our glorious hope and future in eternity.
Psalm 12:6; 119:105,160; Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Ephesians 2:19-22; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 3:15-16 

 

The Human Condition and Need for Salvation. 

People are created in the image of God, to be like Him in character, but each person has “missed the mark” as we have failed to meet God’s standards of holiness. The Bible shows us man’s condition related to the fall of Adam and how we have failed to live as God intended because of our sinful thoughts, words, and actions. Sin, or disobedience of God’s righteousness, is why we are by nature separated from God and deserve eternal punishment. Only by God’s saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ can anyone be rescued from sin’s judgment, reconciled to God, and redeemed by His great love.
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13-16; Isaiah 53:5-6; Romans 3:22-24; Romans 5:12-21; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:13-14 

 

Salvation.

We can neither make up for our sin by self-improvement nor can we earn our salvation through good works. Only with God's offer of forgiveness, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for sin that we deserved. When we turn from our self-ruled life to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by grace through faith. 

Isaiah 53:5-6; John 1:12, 3:16,14:6; Romans 6:23, 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:8- 9; Colossians 2:13-15 

 

Singleness, Marriage, and Sexuality.

God wonderfully creates each person as male or female. These two distinct complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Both genders are equal in their standing in God’s Kingdom. 

Marriage is defined in the Bible as a covenant, a sacred bond between one biological man and one biological woman, instituted by God and entered into before God. In marriage, husband and wife become one both spiritually and physically. The Church is charged with protecting and upholding God’s original design for both singleness and marriage. Therefore, we will not perform any ceremony or support any form of marriage that is not aligned with God’s original design. Sexual intimacy was instituted and blessed by God to be enjoyed only within the covenant relationship of marriage. 

Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:21-24; Matthew 19:4-6; Galatians 3:26-29; Ephesians 5:21-33; Hebrews 13:4 

 

Any form of sexual conduct or activity outside of God’s design is sexual immorality. This includes, without limitation (exception), fornication, adultery, marital rape, homosexuality, lesbianism, bi-sexuality, trans-genderism, bestiality, incest, pornography, bigamy and polygamy. For those who have been involved in these or other sinful acts but have repented of their sin and believed in Jesus as their Savior and Lord, there is redemption, forgiveness, and freedom in Jesus Christ. 

Romans 1:18-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; Ephesians 4:17-24; 2 Timothy 2:22; 2 Peter 2:7-10; Jude 1:7,17-25 

 

Sanctity of Human Life. 

We are called to defend, protect, and value all human life because all humans are created in the image of God and are therefore sacred in the same way that God is. Human life begins at conception and is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including unborn babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through death. 

Job 10:9-12; Psalm 119:73; 127:3; 139:13-16, Isaiah 43:1-2; 44:2; Jeremiah 1:5, Luke 1:39-45; 12:6-7 

 

The Body of Jesus Christ. 

The Body of Jesus Christ comprises all who trust and follow Jesus Christ, as their Savior and Lord. We are united by the Holy Spirit to fellowship and work together in love as the Body of Christ. The followers of Jesus Christ are focused on glorifying Christ by serving each other, equipping believers for godly living and service, praying together and making disciples of all nations. We do this by proclaiming the Good News of Salvation to every person on earth and teaching all believers to observe all that Jesus Christ has taught us, including confession of our faith in Christ through Water Baptism and remembering his sacrificial death through Holy Communion. According to the Bible, Jesus established the church to be led by the five-fold ministry gifts of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip God’s people for the work of the ministry. 

Matthew 16:15-19, 28:18-20; Acts 2:37-44; Ephesians 4:1-6, 11-16; Hebrews 10:23-25, 13:7-8,15-16 

 

Liberty in Non-Essential Beliefs. 

“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarrelling on disputable matters”. Life Church shall seek to practice the Biblical teaching of extending the "right hand of fellowship" to all who profess a belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and God the Son, and respect each individual's convictions as to matters of secondary doctrines, in so far and as long as these convictions are not contrary to this Statement of Faith and the unity of this congregation. 

Matthew 7:1-2; Luke 6:37; Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22

 

Eternal Destiny for Every Person. 

People were created to exist forever. All those who have accepted the free gift of salvation and acknowledged Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will spend eternity in Heaven. Heaven is the real eternal dwelling place where all who love Jesus will experience unbroken fellowship and unending joy with God and each other. This is the believer’s true comfort and glorious hope for an eternal home where all evil, pain, suffering or death no longer exists. Believers look forward to the rewards of faithful service on earth, the total transformation of their lives to be glorified like Christ, and to receive glorified immortal bodies raised from the dead through Christ’s Resurrection power. Those who reject Jesus Christ and His gift of salvation will be eternally separated from God to spend eternity in a literal place, commonly referred to as Hell. 

John 3:16-18, 14:1-6; Romans 6:23, 8:18-30; Matthew 25:31-36, 41; 1 Corinthians 15:50-56; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 6:1-2; 9-11; 1 Peter 1:3-9; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:1-5, 22:1-5