Our Beliefs

The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, God’s infallible written Word. We are a part of the Presbyterian Church in America. As such, the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger (Pt1) (Pt2) and Shorter Catechisms contain our system of doctrine. We are convinced that they accurately describe the system of doctrine contained in the Bible. 

The church affirms the following basic Biblical truths, with all teachers and leaders agreeing that the following doctrines represent the teaching of New Life in Christ Church, and agreeing to act and teach consistently with these beliefs. 

The Bible

The Bible, consisting in the Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God, infallible and inerrant in its original manuscripts, and thus the final authority in our lives.

God

There is one true 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.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is God, the Living Word, who became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. Hence, He is perfect deity and true humanity united in one person forever.

Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and voluntarily atoned for the sins of men by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone.

Jesus Christ rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died.

Jesus Christ ascended bodily into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own.

Man

At his creation, man, being created in the image of God, enjoyed perfect communion with God in original righteousness. He sinned by disobeying God; thus, he was alienated from His Creator. That historic fall brought all men under divine condemnation.

We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Ps 139.) 

Man’s nature is corrupted and is thus totally unable to please God. Every man is in need of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Salvation

The salvation of man is wholly a work of God’s free grace and is not the work, in whole or part, of human works or goodness or religious ceremony. God imputes Christ’s righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in His sight. 

It is the privilege of all who are born again by the Spirit to be assured of their salvation from the very moment in which they trust Christ as their Savior. This assurance is not based on any kind of human merit, but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in the believer the testimony of God in His written Word.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to men. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life to the believer, continually indwells them from the moment of spiritual birth, and seals them until the day of redemption. His fullness, power, and control are appropriated in the believer’s life by faith. 

Every believer is called to live so in the power of the indwelling Spirit that he will not fulfill the lust of the flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God.

The Church

Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, which is composed of all men, living and dead, who have been joined to Him through saving faith. 

God admonishes His people to assemble together regularly for worship, for participation in the sacraments, for edification through the Scriptures, and for mutual encouragement.

Judgement

At physical death the believer enters immediately into eternal conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting glory and blessing. 

At physical death, the unbeliever enters immediately into eternal conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting judgment and condemnation. 

Second Coming

Jesus Christ will come again to the earth, personally, visibly, and bodily to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.

Great Commission

The Lord Jesus commanded all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the whole world and to disciple men of every nation. The fulfillment of the Great Commission requires that all worldly and personal ambitions be subordinated to a total commitment to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. 

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25.) 

We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4.) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10.) 

We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of New Life in Christ Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the New Life in Christ Church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by New Life in Christ Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thess 5:22.) 

We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11.) We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of New Life in Christ Church. 

Because God has ordained marriage and defined it as the covenant relationship between a man, a woman, and Himself, New Life in Christ Church will only recognize marriages between a biological man and a biological woman. Further, the pastors and staff of New Life in Christ Church shall only participate in weddings and solemnize marriages between one man and one woman. Finally, the facilities and property of New Life in Christ Church shall only host weddings between one man and one woman.