core Beliefs
The following are the core beliefs of Grace Community Church based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
God
we believe...
- There is one eternal and perfect God, who creates and sustains all things.
- God is partially revealed through the works of His creation, but is primarily revealed by means of self-revelation through His divine word.
- The Bible is the true word of God, inerrant in the original writings and authoritative for our lives.
- His Word reveals His triune nature, being one essence comprised of three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Humanity
We Believe...
- God created humanity in His image and likeness, originally perfect in form and in harmony with Him.
- The first humans chose to disobey God, and every person since has been distorted by this sin; no person has been born perfect, but all have fallen short of the glory of God.
- No person is able to overcome the power and consequences of sin in their own lives; no good deeds or sacrifices are able to please God.
- The end result of sin apart from the grace of God results in justice: true justice for sin is eternal separation from Him and His goodness in hell.
Salvation
We Believe...
- Because of God's great love for us, He provides a way to be saved from sin and separation from Himself.
- Salvation comes to humanity only by the free gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ, by His shed blood through His death on the cross.
- Jesus was fully God, perfect in every way and sinless His whole life, yet fully human, able to identify with us and save us through His blood.
- No human efforts save us, nor do they keep us saved; salvation is through Christ alone.
- For the believer, all sin has been punished by God through the death of Jesus Christ, regardless of amount or severity.
- Anyone who believes in Christ has been saved from the penalty of sin (justification), is being saved from the power of sin (sanctification) , and will eventually be saved from the presence of sin (glorification) when someday we fully enter into His presence.
- Salvation brings us into the family of God, and we are now children of the Father, able to freely draw near to the throne of grace.
The Church
We believe...
- With salvation comes the Holy Spirit, who guides us, encourages us, helps us grow, and teaches us in all truth.
- All those who truly believe in Jesus are marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
- The Church includes all believers in Christ, and exists to glorify God and share the gospel.
- Those who are spiritually united to Christ are eternally secure in Him.
- We believe that the two main officers of the local church, biblically, are elders and deacons.
- The ordinances of the church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
- At the second coming, Jesus will return to be with His family, the church, and with that will come the resurrection of the dead and a new creation.
