Our Core Beliefs are a summary of what we believe as a Church and are therefore prerequisite to membership. They are based on and anchored to the Scriptures, our all-sufficient and sole authority. This statement protects us from error, unifies us in truth, and keeps us tethered to the Scriptures.
In addition to these core beliefs, Christ Fellowship believes that the Nicene Creed (381), the Second London Baptist Confession (1689), and the New Hampshire Confession (1853) are helpful statements of faith from saints who have gone before.
For more detailed information about our beliefs, church covenant, priorities, pastoral distinctives, and other topics, please see our church constitution.
The Scriptures
We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament canon which, being inerrant in the original manuscripts is the sole authority on all matters of faith and practice.
(Ps. 12:6; 19:7-12; 119:160; John 17:17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)
The Godhead
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections and worthy of precisely the same worship and obedience.
(Ex. 20:2; Deut. 6:4; Rom. 11:36; Col. 1:16–17; Rev. 4:11)
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, who reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the counsel of His will. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
(Gen. 50:20; 1 Chron. 29:10-13; Job 12:13, 28:20-28; Ps. 104:14, 147:5; Prov. 21:1; Isa. 55:8-9, 64:8; Dan. 2:20-21; Matt. 6:9; Mark 1:9-11; John 1:12-13, 3:35, 6:37; Acts 2:23, 4:27-28, 17:24-25; Rom. 11:33, 16:27; 1 Cor. 8:6; 2 Cor. 4:6, 13:14; Gal. 3:26, 4:4-7; Eph. 1:5, 11; 1 John 4:8-10; 1 John 3:1, 20, 4:8; Rev. 4:11)
Jesus Christ
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and is truly God and truly Man, one person with two natures, divine and human
(Matt. 1:18-20; John 1:1, 2, 14)
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ died as a substitutionary sacrifice for sin according to the Scriptures, and all who receive Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood
(2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 3:21-26; Heb. 2:9; 1 John 2:2)
We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ; in His bodily ascension into Heaven; and in his present life there as High Priest for all believers
(Matt. 28:1-10; Acts 1:9; Heb. 7:25-28)
We believe in the coming return of Christ, at which time all Christians will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and will thereafter always be with the Lord
(1 Thess. 4:14-17; 5:6, 9; 1 Cor. 15:51-53; Rom. 5:9)
God the Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration, He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
(Gen. 1:2; Job 33:4; Zech. 7:12; Matt. 3:16; John 3:5-6, 15:26, 16:7-14; Rom. 5:5, 8:9, 13, 16, 30; 1 Cor. 1:23-24, 2:14, 12:4-7, 12-13, 15:10; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; Gal. 5:22-25; Col. 1:9; Phil. 2:13; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:12-13; 2 Tim. 3:16; Titus 3:4-7; 1 Pet. 4:10; 2 Pet. 1:19-21; 1 John 2:20, 4:1-3)
Salvation
We believe salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
(John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Rom. 8:29-30; 1 Tim. 2:5)
Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers receive new life in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
(Eph. 2:4-5; John 1:13; 3:3; Rom. 6:17; 1 Pet. 1:3; 2 Cor. 5:17)
Repentance is an immediate, genuine turning from sin toward God. It includes the recognition, regret, and forsaking of sin. Faith is the knowledge of and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ and the commitment of the entire personality to him as Lord and Savior.
(Ps. 51:3-4; Mark 1:15; Luke 5:31-32; Acts 3:19, 5:31, 26:20; 1 Thess. 1:9; John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9-10; Phil. 3:9; Col. 2:5; Heb. 11:1)
Justification is the act of God whereby he declares the believing sinner to be righteous based on Jesus’ righteous life and his atoning death. It is a righteousness imputed to the believer by God.
(2 Cor. 5:21; Acts 13:38-39; Rom. 3:24-26; 4:3-5; 5:9)
Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in this grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life.
(2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 2:12-13; 1 Pet. 1:14-16; Rom. 6:22; 1 Thess. 4:3)
Glorification is the work of God whereby he will completely eliminate sin from the experience of the believer. It is the culmination of salvation and is the permanent and final state of the redeemed.
(Rom. 8:23; 1 Thess. 3:13; 1 John 3:2; Jude 24)
The Church
We believe that a visible church is a congregation of baptized believers, bound together by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel. It observes the ordinances of Christ, submits to his commands, and exercises the gifts given by the Holy Spirit for mutual edification. The local church is governed by the Word of God, which teaches that Jesus alone is its king and head; that pastors are qualified men given to shepherd the church; that deacons are qualified men given to serve the church; and that the congregation has the responsibility to affirm members, defend doctrine, hold its leaders accountable, and carry out discipline when Scripture requires. Church members are commanded to assemble regularly, love one another, promote gospel unity, seek the good of their neighbors, make disciples of the nations, and live for the glory of God.
(Matt. 5:16, 16:13–19, 18:15–20, 28:18–20; John 13:34–35, 17:20–24; Acts 2:41–42, 47, 5:14, 6:1–6, 11:26, 14:23, 20:28; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2, 5:1–13, 11:25–26, 14:1–40; 2 Cor. 2:6–8; Eph.3:10, 4:1–2, 11–12, 5:22–23; 1 Tim. 2:12, 3:1–13, 15, 4:13, 5:17, 20; Titus 1:5–9; Heb. 10:19–25, 13:7, 17; 1 Pet. 5:1–5; Rev. 5:9)
The Ordinances
We believe there are two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water and is properly identified as a believer’s baptism. It sets forth our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection with the resultant expectation to “walk in the newness of life.” Baptism is a prerequisite to church membership. The Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of the Lord’s death for the church until He comes; it is a reminder of our continual fellowship with Him.
(Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 8:35-39, 10:47-48; 16:14-15; 18:8; Rom. 6:3-5; Gal. 3:26-27; Eph. 4:4-6; Col. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 10:16-17, 11:23-32; Luke 22:14-23)
The Great Commission
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ has commissioned us to take the Gospel to the world. Since the church is the agent of baptism and the instruction of believers, evangelism and church-planting at home and abroad should be primary in the program of the local church.
(Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Rom. 10:9-17)
Creation
We believe the creation account is a historical account of God’s work of creation. We believe that God created the earth in six days, culminating in his creation of Adam and Eve in His own image. Adam and Eve are our first parents from whom all of creation, including humanity, were subjected to sin and death.
(Gen. 1-3; Ex. 20:11, 31:17; Rom. 5:12)
The Last Things
We believe that God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned bodily to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in the New Heavens and the New Earth with the Lord.
(Isa. 65:17-25; Zech. 14; Matt. 13:40-42, 47-50; 16:27; 24:36; 25:31-32, 41-46; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor. 15:22-24; 1 Thess. 4:14-18; Heb. 9:28; Rev. 1:7; 3:11; 20:1-22:13)
Practical Matters
Human Sexuality & Gender Distinctions
We believe that God has commanded there to be no sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, masturbation, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance.
(Gen. 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)
We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.
(Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)
We believe Scripture teaches that while both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder, as well as teaching and exercising authority over men is limited to qualified men.
(1 Tim. 2:9-14; 3:1-7)Abortion
We believe that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion is unjustified taking of human life. We reject any teaching that abortion in cases of rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother is acceptable.
(Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)