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| What
We Believe About... |
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| God |
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| We believe there is one true, holy God eternally
existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. Each possesses, equally, all the attributes
of God in these separate personalities. In the beginning,
God created out of nothing the world and all the
things in it, showing the glory of His power, wisdom
and goodness. By His sovereign power, He continues
to sustain His creation. By His providence, He operates
throughout time, continuing to work in the world
today to fulfill His purpose of salvation. |
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| Humanity |
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| Originally created to have fellowship with God,
man defied God, choosing instead to go his own way
and was separated from God by sin, and suffered
the touch of his sin on every part of his being.
This took place at the beginning of human history
and all individuals since have suffered these consequences
and are in need of the saving grace of God through
Jesus Christ. |
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| Salvation |
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| The central purpose of God's revelations in Scripture
is to restore people to fellowship with Himself.
The salvation of mankind is completely the work
of God's free grace in Jesus Christ, and not the
result of human works or goodness. The only thing
we can do is accept God's gift by faith. When God
begins a saving work in the heart of any person,
He gives assurance in His Word that He will continue
performing it. |
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| Jesus Christ |
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| Jesus Christ is the eternal second Person of the
Trinity, united forever with a human nature through
His virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience
to the Father and voluntarily paid the price for
the sins of us all by dying on the cross as our
substitute, satisfying God's justice and accomplishing
salvation for all who trust in Him. He rose from
the dead in the same body, though glorified, in
which He lived and died. He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father where He,
the only Mediator between God and man, makes intercession
for believers. He will come again to earth, personally
and visibly, to complete history and the eternal
plan of God. |
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| The Bible |
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| The basis of our belief is the Bible composed
of the sixty-six books of the Old and the New Testament.
We believe that the Scriptures are infallible and
inerrant in 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. We believe that the Scripture,
in its entirety, originated with God and that it
was given to us through chosen people. Scripture
speaks with the authority of God while reflecting
the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of human
writers. |
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| The Christian Life |
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| The result of a saving relationship with Jesus
Christ is a life that grows in holiness and obedience
as each believer allows the Holy Spirit, the third
Person of the Trinity, to work in their life. The
Holy Spirit was sent into the world by the Father
and the Son to make real within people the saving
work of Christ. He opens the minds of sinners and
awakens within them a recognition of their need
of a Savior. At the time of salvation, He permanently
lives in every believer to become the source of
assurance, strength, wisdom and power, giving to
each believer spiritual gifts for the building up
of the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit guides believers
in understanding and applying the Scripture to their
lives. His power and control are activated by faith,
enabling the believer to live a life of increasing
Christ-like character, and to bear fruit to the
glory of the Father. |
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| The Church |
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| As a result of their union with Jesus Christ,
believers become members of His body, the church.
There is one true church universal, comprised of
all who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
The Scripture commands believers to gather and devote
themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word,
observance of baptism and communion as sacraments
ordained and established by Jesus Christ, service
to the body through the development and use of gifts
and talents, fellowship, and out-reach to the entire
world through missions and evangelism in their many
forms. |
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| Human Destiny |
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| Death seals the eternal destiny of each person.
For all of mankind, there will be a resurrection
of the body into the spiritual world and a judgment
that will determine the fate of each individual.
There are only two outcomes. Those who reject God's
plan of salvation will be eternally separated from
Him. Those who accept will be received into eternal
communion with God, and with one another, in heaven.
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| © Copyright 2000-2010: Christ's Community Church, Fort Wayne, IN |
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