New Community Church Statement of Faith
We Believe:
THE BIBLE The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that Scripture in its entirety originated with God, and that it was given through the instrumentality of chosen men. Scripture thus at one and the same time speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts. They are the unique, full and final authority on all matters of faith and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God. Scripture is the final authority in all matters faith and practice. This church recognizes that it cannot bind the conscience of individual members in areas where Scripture is silent. Rather, each believer is to be led in those areas by the Lord, to Whom he or she alone is ultimately responsible.
GOD We believe that there is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons-Father,Son and Holy Spirit-each of Whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality. In the beginning God created out of nothing the world and all the things therein, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness. By His sovereign power He continues to sustain His creation. By His providence He is operating through history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.
SALVATION The central purpose of God's revelation in Scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have fellowship with God, man defied God, choosing to go his independent way, and was thus alienated from God and suffered the corruption of his nature, rendering him unable to please God. The fall took place at the beginning of human history, and all individuals since have suffered these consequences and are thus in need of the saving grace of God. The salvation of mankind is, then, wholly a work of God's free grace, not the result, in whole or in part of human works or goodness, and must be personally appropriated by repentance and faith. When God has begun a saving work in the heart of any person, He gives assurance in His Word that He will continue performing it until the day of its full consummation.
JESUS CHRIST Jesus Christ is the eternal second Person of the Trinity who was united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. He ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He, the only Mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own. He shall come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
THE HOLY SPIRIT (THE CHRISTIAN LIFE) The essential accompaniment of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. He was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to mankind the saving work of Christ. He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them. At the point of salvation He permanently indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength and wisdom, and uniquely endows each believer with gifts for the up building of the body. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scripture. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ like character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father.
HUMAN DESTINY Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. For all mankind, there will be a resurrection for the body into the spiritual world, and a judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. Unbelievers will be separated from God into condemnation. God's judgment will reveal His justice in consigning them to perpetuate in eternal retribution their own rejection of God. Believers will be received into eternal communion with God and will be rewarded for works done in this life.
THE CHURCH The corollary of union with Jesus Christ is that all believers become members of His body, the church. There is one true church universal, comprised of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Scripture commands believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of baptism and communion as the ordinances established by Jesus Christ, fellowship, service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world. Wherever God's people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the church. Under the watch-care of elders and other supportive leadership, its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.
What the Bible says about the “Church”:
A. The starting place for a biblical theology of the church is an understanding of the Kingdom of God:
1. The Kingdom of God is any place where God rules as King. It is the domain of the King. There cannot be a Kingdom without a King. (1Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 22:28)
2. Jesus is the King of God’s Kingdom; He is the Ruler of all creation. (Luke1:32-33; Matthew 4:17; Revelation 1:5; 3:14)
3. Becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of God requires us to come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This requires repentance and a return to right relationship with God, leading to a “new birth.” (Matthew 18:3-4; 5:3)
4. As citizens of the Kingdom of God we are now Christ’s royal ambassadorson the earth in our generation. (Luke 12:32; 2 Corinthians 5:20)
5. The purpose of God is to establish his kingdom among humanity. He does it for people and through people. (Acts 9:15) He uses human instruments to express his kingdom, and to extend his kingdom.
B. Definition of Local Church:
1. A local church is made up of specific people who gather together at specifictimes and in specific places (Romans 6:5; 1 Corinthians 11:18; 14:23).
2. A local church is made up of believers who have entered into a covenantrelationship with each other – it is a covenant community (1 Corinthians12:18).
3. A local church is made up of believers who each have unique gifts andcallings. This results in a specific combination of ministries that enable thelocal church to fulfill its mission in the larger community (Romans 12:4, 5).
4. A local church is under the headship of Jesus Christ who gifts it gifted people to be responsible for its care and oversight. Leadership and a proper response to leadership is essential to the proper functioning of the local church (Hebrews 13:17).
The church exists for the four-fold purpose of Exaltation, Edification, Evangelism andExtension:
Exaltation – The Church Existing for Christ. The purpose of the Church begins with the recognition that we do not belong to ourselves, having been purchased by the death of Jesus Christ; and that He alone is Lord. Enthroned with all authority, He is the Head of the Church, the One to whom entire allegiance is due. We thus should seek in all things to follow His will as revealed in the Scriptures, and bring glory to His name. Philippians2:8-10; Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 1:18-19; John 19-21; Matthew 27-28.
Edification – The Church Existing for Itself. One of the primary goals of the Church must be the life-transformation of each of its members. This requires a strong program of Bible teaching and of training in discipleship and personal evangelism. Believers are to be committed one to another. Therefore, the Body of Christ is composed of interdependent members. Each has received from the Holy Spirit gifts that are to be exercised for the building of the whole body and for the bearing of one another’s spiritual and temporal burdens. To help this process, we encourage one another to develop and use our gifts, knowing that “the whole body, as a harmonious structure knit together by that which every joint supplies, grows by the proper functioning of individual parts to its full maturity in love.” Ephesians 3:16-19; 4:11-13, 16; 2 Timothy 4:2-4; Titus 2:15; 3:14;Galatians 6:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Romans 12:4-8; Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:42-27;4:34-35.
Evangelism – The Church Existing for Proclamation. We accept the commission of Jesus as a priority of the Church collectively and of each believer individually. It is our desire to share as widely and effectively as possible the Good News of God’s forgiveness in Christ. God equips and calls believers into a variety of vocations and ministries, and within that context each person is to be a witness by word and deed to the Lord Jesus Christ. God offers His love to all without distinction and is concerned that believers achieve their full potential in Christ. The proclamation of the Gospel should be accompanied by genuine love and concern for all, and for the whole person. Matthew28:19-20; 9:36; Acts 1:8; Colossians 4:3-6; Mark 16:15; Romans 10:14-17.
Extension – The Church Existing for Reconciliation. Along with the proclamation of the Gospel, the church has been commissioned by Christ to express the nature of God’s Kingdom and extend the influence of God’s Kingdom in the world. God’s righteous rule, “on earth as it is in heaven,” is the end and goal; the church is God’s means and instrument toward that end. Specifically, the local church exists to be and serve as salt, light, and leaven in the midst of the larger community. We are committed to serving our community with the love of Christ, finding redemptive ways to both model and influence our community as representatives of Jesus. This commitment includes such things as racial reconciliation, concern for the poor, education, jobs, health care, and community and neighborhood development. Matthew 5:13-16; 22:37-39; 25:34-36; John 3:16-17;Acts 2:47; 17:6; Romans 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Philippians 2:15; James 2:5; 1 John 2:2;4:17.