Christ Community Church Essentials of Faith and Teaching

The Bible
The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible—God’s infallible written Word, the sixty-six books of the Old and New  Testaments. We believe that it was verbally and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it was written without error in the original manuscripts (2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21). We hold that God has providentially preserved the biblical texts, thus we affirm the Bible to be God’s Word (Matthew 5:18; Mark 13:31; John 17:17). It is the supreme and final authority in all matters on which it speaks, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God. It is eternal and relevant for all time (Matthew 5:18). The writings of the Bible are united in a single purpose—to declare the person and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27; John 5:39).
The Bible, in its entirety, originated with God and was given through the agency of chosen men. Therefore, the Bible speaks with the authority of God through the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of its human writers. Some statements of the Bible may be difficult to understand because of our lack of knowledge of the original language, historical context, and culture of the writers. Nevertheless, the things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation are so clear in the Bible that all who are aided by God’s Spirit may understand them (2 Peter 3:15–18; 1 John 2:27).
God
There is one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:6, 46:9), infinite in being and perfection (Job 11:7–9), eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and personhood (Psalm 90:2; Matthew 3:16–17, 28:19). God is Spirit (John 4:24; 1 Timothy 1:17) and unchanging in His attributes (James 1:17). He is holy (Isaiah 6:3), omnipotent (all-powerful) (Genesis 17:1; Job 42:2), omnipresent (everywhere) (Psalm 139:7–10), and omniscient (all-knowing) (Psalm 147:5). God is love (1 John 4:8,16)—mercifully forgiving sin (Exodus 34:6–7) and rewarding those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6)—and yet perfectly just, hating all sin (Psalm 5:5).
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them out of nothing (ex nihilo), thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom, and goodness (Genesis 1:1ff; Proverbs 16:4; Romans 1:20; Revelation 4:11). By His sovereign power, He sustains His creation (Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:16–17). By His providence He operates throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes (Daniel 4:35; Ephesians 1:11).
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the eternal second person of the Godhead, who took on flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth (Luke 1:26–35; John 1:1–14; Philippians 2:6–8). Thus, He became perfect man without ceasing to be God—two complete natures, divine and human, existing in one person (Colossians 1:19).
Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and voluntarily died on the cross for the sins of mankind as their substitute, according to the eternal plan of God, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone (1 Peter 2:21–25; John 10:17–18; Acts 2:23; 2 Corinthians 5:18–21; Matthew 20:28; 1 John 2:1–2). He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose from the dead in His physical body (1 Corinthians 15:1–8). He ascended into heaven, where He is enthroned in the presence of God the Father (Acts 1:9–11). He is the only mediator between God and man and continually intercedes on behalf of believers (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:24–25).
Jesus Christ will return to earth literally, personally, and visibly. He will return to meet all believers in the air—the dead first and then those who are alive (Titus 2:13–15; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 2 Peter 3:10–13). The imminent expectation of His coming (2 Peter 1:14) should motivate believers to live godly lives.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ (John 16:12–15). He convicts mankind of sin, righteousness, and judgment, draws people to Christ, imparts new life to them, continually indwells them from the moment of spiritual birth onward, and seals them until the day of redemption (Titus 3:5; Romans 8:2–4; Ephesians 1:13–14). He baptizes believers into the Body of Christ, the church (1 Corinthians 12:13). Every believer is to yield to the influence of the Holy Spirit as they are continually filled with the Spirit in the fellowship of Christian community (Ephesians 5:18). In this way, believers experience the power to “put to death the deeds of the body,” to bear spiritual fruit, to please God, and to glorify God (Romans 8:1–17; Galatians 5:16,22–23).
Man
Mankind was created in the image of God with an immutable sex (either male or female) and blessed with communion with God (Genesis 1:26–27, 2:7). Our ancestors Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command and fell from their original blessed state (Genesis 3:1–24). Because of their sin, they, and all their descendants (all mankind) were alienated from their Creator and incurred God’s just condemnation. Moreover, this historic fall brought about the corruption of human nature, such that mankind is totally unable to please God or accomplish anything that pertains to salvation (Romans 3:9–20,23; Ephesians 2:1–3). Thus, every person is in need of forgiveness, regeneration, and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Salvation
The salvation of man is the work of God’s free grace and is not earned through human works or religious ceremony (Mark 10:17–21; Isaiah 64:6). God imputes (transfers) the righteousness and suffering of Jesus to those who repent of their sins (2 Corinthians 5:21) and trust in Christ alone for salvation. He justifies them in His sight on the basis of Christ’s death in their place, for their sins (John 3:16–18,36; Romans 3:21–26; Ephesians 2:1–10; Titus 3:4–7). God gives assurance in the Bible that, when He has begun a saving work in the heart of any person, He will bring that work to completion (Philippians 1:6; 1 John 5:13; Ephesians 1:14, 4:30).
The Bible affirms the bodily resurrection of all people: those who have received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior to everlasting life, and those who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ to everlasting punishment (1 Corinthians 15:22–24; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:4–6,11–15).
The Church
There is one true universal church, composed of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Acts 2:36). Jesus Christ is the head of the church. All those who come into union with Jesus Christ become part of His body, the church (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22–23).