Our Central Beliefs
Faith Community Church holds closely and uncompromisingly to the following description of our central beliefs that guide our ministries, and church life.
GOD THE FATHER
We believe that there is only one God who exists in three unified yet distinct persons (commonly known as the Trinity): God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God the Father is the holy, loving, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present Creator and Sustainer of everything we know, everything we don’t know, everything seen, and everything unseen. He has not withdrawn from man but has made Himself accessible and knowable to man through Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible. (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 6:1-3; 40:12-28; 43:10-11; 44:6-8; Matthew 28:19; Acts 17:24-29; Romans 11:33-36; 2 Corinthians 13:13/14; 1 John 3:19-20)
JESUS THE SON
We believe that Jesus is the one and only eternal Son of God. He is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. He is the only means of true salvation and eternal life. In His nature, He is completely God. He was with God from the very beginning, was born of a virgin as the God-man, lived a sinless life, died a cruel and literal death for the sins of every man, was buried in a tomb, and was physically resurrected to life three days later. Currently, he is interceding for all believers, reigning in heaven, and will together with God the Father be the eternal Judge of all mankind. He will one day return to earth for His Church. (Isaiah 7:14, 53:1-12; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-14; John 10:22-30; John 14:1-6; Acts 4:8-12; Romans 8:34; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; 2 Corinthians 5:10, 21; Colossians 1:15-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 1:1-3; 7:25; 1 Peter 2:21-24)
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the very essence of God yet unseen. He is actively at work in His children, in His Church, in the world, and in all places at all times. He is the eternal and ever-present Counselor, Comforter, and Power of God who initiates individuals into the family of God, seals and secures them with salvation for eternity, strengthens and equips and empowers them for service, guides them into all truth, and reveals the heart and mind of God. (Genesis 1:1-2; John 14:15-26; 16:5-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; 5:1-4; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 3:16; 12:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 1:13-14; 5:18)
THE BIBLE
We believe the Bible to be the very heart, mind, and words of God. The Bible reveals the very nature and purposes of God to mankind. It is equally inspired by the Holy Spirit word for word, without error in its original text, and is totally reliable for matters of faith and life. It is the one dependable source of truth, comfort, and guidance for every person. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3; 19:7-11; 119:89, 105, 160; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:16, 20-21)
THE CHURCH
We believe that the Church is the representation of God here on earth existing as individuals who have been forever changed by Jesus. The Church is the “bride of Christ” whose responsibility is to glorify God, make Him known throughout the world, and be known by its love for one another. The Church is not a building, but a body of believers joined together through faith in Christ. It operates primarily under the authority of Christ as its Master, and secondarily under the authority of its God-appointed leaders known as Elders.
(Matthew 16:16-19; 28:18-20; John 13:34-35; Acts 2:41-47; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians 1:20-23; 2:19-22; 3:20-21; 4:11-16; Colossians 3:12-17; 1 Timothy 3; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:9-12)
HUMANITY
We believe that all of mankind (every man, woman, and child) has been created in the image of God. We also believe that all of mankind is born with a sinful nature, which spiritually distorts the image of God within us and separates us from God. Our sinful nature operates in direct disobedience to the will of God. All of us are imperfect and all of us have broken God’s commands. We sin, not only because it’s our nature, but also because it’s our choice. Apart from God’s salvation, every human is subject to eternal separation from God and subject to His wrath. (Genesis 1:26-28; 3:1-24; Psalm 8:3-8; 14:1-3; 51:5; Isaiah 59:2; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:18-20; Romans 3:23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3)
SALVATION
We believe that everyone can experience a new life through Jesus Christ alone. For this to happen, individuals must place their complete faith in the identity, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible. In this degree of trust, the same individual will have a sincere and progressive turning away from a sinful lifestyle (repentance). We believe that salvation is completely the work of God completed in those who willingly and totally surrender their lives to Him. Because salvation is initiated by God’s grace and His Holy Spirit, true believers will remain saved by God’s grace and are sealed and eternally secured forever. This salvation results in the forgiveness of sin, a right standing before God, and being made a new creation in Christ. True believers are characterized by following Jesus, love, and obedience. (Genesis 15:6; Mark 1:14-15; John 3:1-18, 36; 10:27-29; 14:6; Romans 3:21-26; 4:16-5:11; 6:23; 8:1, 28-39; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5, 17-21; Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:1-13; Colossians 1:13-14; Titus 3:4-7; 1 John 2:6; Jude 24)
BAPTISM
We believe that baptism is an incredibly important act that indicates an individual has been saved by God and has made a conscious decision to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. Simply put, it is an outward declaration of an inward reality. Much like a wedding band symbolically represents a decision to be faithful to one’s spouse, baptism is symbolic of one’s decision to live for Jesus. It is one of the first responsibilities and acts of obedience for the new believer. We believe that baptism is through immersion in water. (Matthew 3:13-17; 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42; 8:26-39; 10:24-48; 16:16-33)
LORD’S SUPPER (COMMUNION)
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the practice set into effect by Jesus Himself for the purpose of remembering His death and sacrifice. The cup (juice) is taken as a symbolic representation of the blood of Jesus that was poured out for the forgiveness of our sin. The bread is taken as a symbolic representation of the body of Jesus that was given as our substitutionary sacrifice. In taking them both, we are remembering and announcing the Lord’s death until He chooses to return. (Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-20, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34)
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY AND HUMAN SEXUALITY
We believe God has a very specific plan for healthy relationships.
We believe that God creates people in his image as either male or female, and that this creation is a fixed matter of human biology, not individual choice. We believe marriage is instituted by God, not government, and is between one man and one woman, and is the only context for sexual desire and expression.
“In God’s plan, Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression, and the means for procreation of the human race.”
Sexual relationships outside of marriage are in direct opposition to God’s perfect intentions. We believe that sex is given by God as an expression of love to be shared and enjoyed exclusively between a husband (male) and wife (female). Further, we are convinced that the Bible leaves no room whatsoever for confusion or ambiguity where homosexual behavior is concerned. The Scripture both explicitly and implicitly regards it as falling outside of God’s intention in creating man and woman as sexual beings who bear His image as male and female.
(Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18-25; Exodus 20:12, 14; Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Psalm 112:1-9; 127:3; Proverbs 5:1-23; 31:10-31; Matthew 19:1-9; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18-20; Ephesians 5:22-6:4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Peter 3:1-7)
