OUR BELIEFS

The Trinity

We believe in one living and true God, eternal and of infinite power, wisdom, goodness and righteousness. He is a loving and faithful God who is the Creator and preserver of all things (Genesis 1:1; Jeremiah 10:10; 1 Timothy 1:17). In the unity of this "Godhead, there are three persons of one substance with identical qualities and attributes: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (John 1:1, 2; 4:24; 5:18; 10:30).

The Son of God

Jesus is the unique Messiah of God. Conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin, Mary, Jesus came to show us what God is like, and in turn, what we are to be like. Jesus walked our earth, suffered at the hands of men, was crucified, died and buried, and then resurrected from the dead so that he lives today. The purpose of his death and resurrection was to restore our relationship to God which is broken by our disobedience (Luke 1:27; 31:35; John 3:16; Romans 5:10; Ephesians 5:2). Christ now intercedes for the body of believers "at the right hand of the Father" (Matthew 28:5-9; Luke 24:4-7).

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit as a person of the Trinity who is the form of God who lives within us, giving us the power to live a holy life, and guiding us to truth (Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6).

The Authority of Scripture

We believe that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments combined constitute the Christians scriptures; no books may be added or deleted. The Bible is inspired by God and it is authoritative in the life of individual believers and in the life of God's church. The Bible tells us the story of God revealing himself to humanity across the centuries, a revelation which culminated in the person of Jesus Christ, and the Bible contains all necessary truth to help us form and live out a relationship with God. (Psalm 19:7; John 17:17; Romans 15:4; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17).

The Human Condition

God created us with the freedom to choose to serve God and to live in relationship with him or to choose to serve that which is not God and to live in disobedience and alienation. Each of us has played out the Adam and Eve story in our own lives, and we have experienced alienation from God. However, because of the grace of God through Jesus Christ, we have the possibility of repenting and beginning a life lived in partnership with God. God initiates this relationship. God comes to each person convicting us of sin and offering us a new life in him. God creates each of us with an in-born sense of right and wrong, and the ability to choose between the two. We will all be accountable to God regarding the choices we have made, both moral and relational.
 

Our life with God is a relationship. And just as it is possible for us to turn our backs upon any human relationship, so can we also turn our backs upon God. It is possible for a person to once live in fellowship with God, and then to choose to break that fellowship. But by the grace of God, one who has fallen into sin may, by confession and repentance, find forgiveness and restored fellowship with God (1 John 1:9; 2:1, 24-25).

Faith and Works

We cannot earn God's grace through good works; it is truly a gift of God given to us on the basis of our faith. However, what we believe will influence how we live and what we do. For example, if we believe that a train is coming down the tracks, we will normally choose not to stand on those tracks. In the same way, knowing the harm sin causes our relationship with God and the harm it does to us personally, we will choose not to sin -- not to earn God's grace, but as a result of God's grace.

Sanctification

To be sanctified means to be set apart for God's use. It was first used in the Old Testament to describe the utensils used in the temple for the exclusive use of the worship of God. In the same way, God wants to dwell within us. We become the temple of God, and we are to be set apart for his use. Sanctification is both instantaneous and gradual. It begins when we first decide to follow Christ, and it continues throughout life. Sanctification is the point in life when a believer renounces the desire to live for self and desires to live totally for the glory of God.

Gifts of the Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit has given spiritual gifts to all believers for the purpose of building up the body of Christ and bringing glory to God. The gifts are to be exercised in love, and they emphasize the need for unity (1 Corinthians 12:4, 11, 18, 21-25; Ephesians 4:11-16). All Christians are gifted by God for ministry.

Much of the Christian church has been divided over the issue of the gift of "speaking in tongues." Christians are divided as to whether this is a sign gift of the presence of the Holy Spirit or if it is a gift of languages to be used in spreading the gospel. The unity of the body of Christ is of the utmost importance. Therefore, we choose to practice the more conservative view in public worship. We do not believe that "speaking in tongues" is a necessary sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is present in the life of the believer whether or not one speaks in tongues. Following Paul's instructions for the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 12:1; 14:40), we use only languages readily understood by the congregation in public worship. If a member of Christ Community Church believes in "speaking in tongues," for the unity of God's church, we invite them to restrict this practice to their time of personal devotions and prayer.

The Unity of God's Church

All believers everywhere are a part of God's church. When one becomes a Christian, one's name is recorded on God's membership roll book: "The Lamb's Book of Life" (Revelation 20:11-15). Christ Community Church is simply one local congregational manifestation of God's universal church. Our desire is to be simply a group of brothers and sisters in Christ bonded to one another by a relationship with a common Savior. Theological differences are secondary to our bonding by faith in Christ. Divisions between Christians are sinful since they are certainly not the will of God (John 17). As such, we attempt to be an influence in the larger Christian world to put this unity into practice.

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

We believe that those who have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior and are unrepentant will be judged by God in his perfect justice and doomed to eternal punishment/destruc­tion (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 2:16). We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ to receive his believers into heaven and eternal life. The time of his return is unknown, but may be at any moment. This is the glorious hope of all God's children (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; James 5:7