what we believe
Narrative Theology
† References connection to Essential Beliefs. Click each to learn more.
We believe God inspired the authors of Scripture by his Spirit to speak to all generations of believers, including us today. Scripture isn't a relic of the past; it's a living word calling us into an active, ongoing relationship with God. We immerse ourselves in this authoritative narrative communally and individually, wrestling with its truths, asking how they reshape our lives, and faithfully interpreting and living out that story as we're led by the Spirit of God. †4 †6
In the beginning God created all things good. He exists eternally in perfect relationship with himself: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a community of divine love that has no beginning and will have no end. God created us in his image precisely because he wanted us to reflect that same relational design. We bear his image and carry a sacred calling: to serve, care for, and cultivate the earth alongside him. We're designed for deep fellowship with God, one another, our own inner selves, and creation. But the story takes a tragic turn. The enemy tempted the first humans, and through their choice to sin, darkness and evil entered our world and became woven into its fabric. That one decisive act fractured everything; our relationships with God, with each other, with ourselves, and with creation all shattered. We've been living with those broken pieces ever since, desperately in need of redemption. †1 †2 †5 †7
Yet God refused to let his creation slip away into destruction and decay. He promised restoration, not abandonment, but redemption. God set this restoration in motion by choosing Abraham and his descendants to represent him to the world. He made an audacious promise: I will bless you so abundantly that through you, every nation on earth will experience my blessing. When these chosen people found themselves enslaved in Egypt, crying out under the weight of their oppression, God heard their anguish. He liberated them from their oppressor and brought them to Mount Sinai, where he revealed their true identity: his treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. Throughout Israel's long and complicated story, God remained stubbornly faithful to his people, refusing to give up on them even when they repeatedly turned away from him in unfaithfulness. †2
God brought his people into the Promised Land, but their blessing always hinged on a single reality: they were called to embody the living God to the nations around them. They began moving toward this missional calling, yet they stumbled. They welcomed foreign gods into the land, turned a blind eye to the poor, and mistreated the foreigner among them. Then the prophets emerged; voices crying out from Scripture, holding up a mirror so Israel could see how their treatment of the oppressed and marginalized revealed the truth about their hearts. Through these prophetic voices, God's profound heart for the poor blazed through the pages of Scripture. We believe that same heart beats with the same intensity today: God cares deeply, urgently, for the marginalized and oppressed among us. †8
Israel's disobedience had consequences. They grew indifferent to God's purposes, and in that indifference, they became irrelevant to the very calling that gave them meaning. For a season, they were sent into exile. Yet even in exile, a faithful remnant never lost hope. They looked forward with longing to a day when God would renew his reign, when peace and justice would finally triumph over all that stands against them. We believe that ancient longing found its fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah; conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, the mystery of God becoming human flesh. Jesus came announcing good news to the poor, binding up the brokenhearted, setting captives free. He proclaimed that God's kingdom had arrived in a completely new way, bringing about a new exodus, beginning the restoration of our shattered world right then and there. His words and his very presence confronted the oppressive systems of the religious elite and the Roman Empire. Many rejected him for it. Yet rather than retreat, Jesus walked the path of suffering, crucifixion, death, and burial; and then resurrection. Through that path of self-giving love, he brought hope to all creation and made peace and reconciliation possible between God and humans. Jesus is our only hope for true peace and reconciliation. Through faith in him, we've been forgiven and restored to right relationship with God. God is actively reconciling us to each other, to ourselves, and to his creation through the work of Christ. †3 †7
The Spirit of God affirms as children of God all who trust Jesus. This isn't a distant affirmation from heaven; it's a lived reality. The Spirit empowers us with gifts for serving one another, convicts us when we drift, guides us toward truth, comforts us in our sorrow, counsels us in our confusion, and leads us ever deeper into encounter with God. We experience all of this through the communal life of worship and through the missional expression of our faith; the ways we actually live out what we believe. The church is rooted and grounded in Christ, and we practice spiritual disciplines and celebrate baptism and the Lord's Supper as tangible expressions of our covenant with him. As both a global and local expression of Christ's body, the church embodies the living, resurrected Jesus through love, peace, sacrifice, and healing. We are his presence in a broken and hurting world; Christ living in and through us. †4 †8
We believe the day is coming when Jesus will return to judge the world, bringing an end to injustice and restoring all things to God's original intent. God will reclaim this world as his own and rule forever. The groaning that echoes through creation will finally cease. God will dwell with us here in a restored creation where death is no more, where tears are wiped away, where our fractured relationships with God, others, ourselves, and creation are made completely whole. On that day, we'll beat our weapons into farming tools, enemies will lie down together in peace, and all will flourish exactly as God always intended. This is what we long for. This is what we hope for. And we're giving our lives right now to living out that future reality; to making it present, to embodying it, to pointing toward it in everything we do. †9
Feel free to also read The Gospel Primer’s narrative: The Story of God →
We’re a church that exists to be the people of Jesus; living out his ways, together, in word and deed.
Our Essential Beliefs
1. Triune God.
There is one God. Within the unity of the Godhead are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal, co-existent, and co-eternal. God is perfect in beauty, holiness, goodness, truth, and love. By His divine authority and power, He sovereignly upholds, sustains, and governs the world. He is holy, just, righteous, personal, and loving. To Him, every disciple owes the highest love, allegiance, reverence, and obedience.
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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
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Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”
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Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.
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The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.
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“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
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In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.
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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.
2. God the Father.
God the Father is the Creator of all things, bringing the heavens and the earth into existence out of nothing by the word of His power. He is ever present, all powerful, all knowing, and all wise, and He sustains all things by His powerful word. He is faithful to all His promises and fatherly in His attitude toward humanity. God the Father graciously gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, for the sins of all mankind.
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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
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Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
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Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
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Is this the way you repay the Lord , you foolish and senseless people? Isn’t he your Father who created you? Has he not made you and established you?
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Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly: “O Lord , the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.”
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The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.
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The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.
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But the Lord is the only true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King! The whole earth trembles at his anger. The nations cannot stand up to his wrath.
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One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
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“But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
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For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
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For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.
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All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.
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Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?
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And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.”
3. God the Son.
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on the cross. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus is the disciple’s Rescuer, King, Lord, Master and Shepherd. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
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For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
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In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
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Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?” “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe. I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me…”
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After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
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God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
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I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
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And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. For, At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
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…while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
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So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
4. God the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of Salvation. The Holy Spirit provides understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in living holy and wise. He cultivates the disciple’s character, comforts the believer and bestows spiritual gifts by which they serve His church. The disciple of Jesus seeks to live under the Spirit’s control daily.
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“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
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“But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’”
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“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
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But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
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Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
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But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
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Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
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And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
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Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
5. Man.
God made man - male and female - in his own image, as the crown of his creation. Man was made in the image of God, to be like Him in character and for relationship with God, one another, creation, and ourselves. Tempted by Satan, man by his free choice sinned against God. Because of man’s sin and therefore rebellion, God cursed man. Man become subject to divine wrath and is under the effects of sin on earth. Man is therefore in need of God’s grace.
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Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
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Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies. Snake venom drips from their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace. They have no fear of God at all.”
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Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.
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Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
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Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
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Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord , meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
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For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
6. The Scriptures.
The Bible is God's Word to all men. We accept that only the 66 books of the Old and New Testament are the inspired and therefore inerrant, Word of God. The Bible was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for the Disciple’s doctrine, life and mission. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error.
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Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.
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But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
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Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
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The Lord ’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.
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Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. The very essence of your words is truth; all your just regulations will stand forever.
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Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.
7. The Gospel.
The gospel is simply the good news that God sent his Son to defeat sin and death by his life, sacrificial death and resurrection, and is making all things new. More broadly the gospel is the biblical and historical narrative that God has and is bringing redemption and restoration to all things through King Jesus. God chose a man, Adam who fell short of his purpose. God chose a nation, Israel who failed at their purpose. Ultimately God sent his Son, the second Adam and King of the Jews to bring redemption to all who trust in Him.
The gospel announces the end of all human pursuits for righteousness. No ordinance, ritual, work or any other activity on mans part is required in order to be saved. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin's penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. We believe that once salvation is given, it cannot be lost. Those who are truly redeemed are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. The gospel is the disciples means for salvation and sanctification.
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But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
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“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
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Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
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Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
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For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
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What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” ) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed. But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.
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Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
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Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
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God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
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But— When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.
8. The Church.
The church is a local community of Jesus followers unified through faith and loving allegiance to Jesus Christ. It is committed to the teachings of Jesus, to obeying all of His commands, and it seeks to bring the gospel to the world. The church works together in love and unity, practices spiritual disciplines, celebrates baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and proclaims the good news of forgiveness and restoration through word and deed.
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“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
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Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
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And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
9. The World to Come.
We believe in the literal second coming of Christ at the end of the age. The future and glorious return of Jesus Christ will be physical and visible. In His own time and in His own way God begin the restoration of all things. He will raise the dead from the grave and separate the righteous from the wicked. The wicked will be separated from God’s presence for eternal punishment and the righteous for endless joy with the Triune God. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is Eternal Life. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.
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For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
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For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
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And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.
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And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.
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And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.