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The
Essentials
A STATEMENT OF FAITH for Haverhill Christian Church
We live in a pluralistic age.
With so many doctrines and belief systems swirling around us
it can be confusing and overwhelming.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that just
because a belief claims to be Christian or Biblical, doesn’t
make it necessarily so.
And they can’t all be equally valid. So, how do we sort our
way through this maze?
A good rule of thumb that has been used for centuries among
Christians is:
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In essential beliefs-
Unity Eph. 4:4-6
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In non-essentials-
Liberty. Romans 14:1
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In all things – Love 1
Corinthians 13:2
Which only raises the
question:
“What are the essential doctrines or beliefs of the
Christian faith?”
Of course, there are a number
of distinctive practices and beliefs that set followers of
Christ apart from each other. It wouldn’t be wise or loving
to ignore or dismiss those differences. There is something
worth learning from all of them. Some choose to emphasize
holiness, another grace, while another expresses loyalty to
a certain historical leader or a particular form of church
government. Like panes in a stained glass mural, each color
plays an important part in painting the picture.
But some people are surprised to learn that historically
there has always been a broad area of consensus regarding
Christian belief. There have been a number of attempts to
express this consensus in writing. Generally these efforts
tend to focus on seven foundational beliefs.
SEVEN ESSENTIALS:
ABOUT GOD -
We believe that God is Tri-une, One in
essence & yet three-in one
God is
the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He is all-powerful,
all-knowing, and present everywhere. He has eternally
existed in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. These 3 are co-equal and are one God.
Gen. 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2 ; Matt.
28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Cor. 13:14
ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS -
We believe in the Historical Creation of Man
People
are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in
character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation.
We were designed for everlasting life and fellowship with
ours Creator. Although every person has tremendous
potential for good, all of us are marred by a fallen human
nature. Sin and the rejection of God and His ways is the
root cause of all misery and suffering in this world.
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6 Isaiah 53:6;
Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1,2
ABOUT JESUS CHRIST -
We believe in the absolute deity of Jesus
Christ, and in his full humanity. born of a virgin, died
for our sins, risen bodily from the dead, He will return
personally and visibly in power and glory.
Jesus,
the Messiah or Christ, is the Son of God. He is co-equal
with the Father, fully God and yet also fully human. Jesus
lived a sinless human life and gave himself as the perfect
sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He
arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His
power and authority over sin, death & the devil. He is the
only mediator between God and Man. There is no other name
by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
After His
resurrection, He ascended to Heaven’s glory. He is King of
Kings and will return personally and visibly, in power and
glory.
Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5;
14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans
1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Tim. 6:14-15; Titus 2:13
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
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We Believe in the Ministry of the Holy
Spirit, who indwells God’s people and empowers them to live
for Jesus Christ.
The Holy
Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. He is “the
other comforter” who dwells in the hearts of believers,
convincing them of the truth of Jesus’ teaching and helping
them to do right. Conviction of sin, faith in Christ, new
birth and Christian growth are all the work of the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s presence is the guarantee of our
relationship with God, and the source of Christian unity
“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are
God's children.” Rom. 8:16.
2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13; 14:16-17;
Acts 1:8; Eph. 1:13; 5:18; 1 Cor. 2:12; 3:16; Galatians
5:25
ABOUT THE BIBLE -
WE
BELIEVE THE BIBLE TO BE TOTALLY TRUSTWORTHY
The Bible
is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors, under
the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the
supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living.
It is our road map for faith, doctrine and conduct. Because
it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture
of error.
2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 1:13;
Psalm 119:105,160; 12:6; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 15:4
ABOUT SALVATION -
We Believe in Salvation through Jesus Christ
alone
Salvation
is God’s free gift to us. But we must accept it. We can
never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good
works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of
forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we
turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we
are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives
Jesus Christ into his life by faith.
John 1:12; 14:6; Rom. 6:23; Eph 2:8,9;
Titus 3:5; Gal 3:26; Romans 5:1
ABOUT ETERNITY -
We Believe That People were created to exist
forever.
We will either exist eternally separated from
God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and
salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To
be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and
Hell are real places of eternal existence.
John
3:16; John 14:17; Rom. 6:23; Rom. 8:17-18; Rev. 20:15; 1
Cor. 2:7-9
A Few Distinctives
Every
church has some unique values and beliefs that shape and
mark its identity. These are things, which we consider to
be important because they mark who we are and why we feel
God has called us together to serve and worship Him. For us,
these include:
We are a
non-denominational Fellowship -
Our church is not governed by or obligated to
any outside church hierarchy or leadership. We are an
independent fellowship of believers. Our leadership team
consists of elders who have been called by Christ and
recognized by the church family for the purpose of serving
and directing the life and ministry of HCC.
The fellowship of Christian Churches
was formed out of a desire to simply be genuinely and
authentically “Christian”-Nothing more, and certainly
nothing less. Because of that, we choose to focus on what
followers of Christ can readily agree upon as being Biblical
and essential to the faith. Our primary concern is not
tradition or being popular, but what does the Bible say?
We practice baptism by immersion -
In
the New Testament, whenever someone made a decision to
follow Christ, they marked their response to the Gospel by
identifying with Jesus in the waters of baptism. The word
“baptism” is simply the Bible’s word for immersion.
We observe the
Lord’s Supper every week
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We are rather simplistic about things: Whenever possible, we
want to follow the practices of the Christians in the Bible.
The New Testament is clear that whenever the believers came
together for worship on the first day of the week, they had
communion. It is our privilege to do the same.
We celebrate that
Jesus Christ changes lives
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We haven’t arrived yet. We are all still in the process of
becoming more like Christ. Sometimes it can be a pretty
rough road. But we know this: when Jesus is allowed to reign
and rule in someone’s life, that person is never the same.
We want to point people to Jesus, who heals the broken,
rescues the lost & sets captives free.
In
essential beliefs- unity
“There is one Body and one Spirit...there is one Lord, one
faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all...”
Eph. 4:4-6
In non-essential beliefs-
liberty
“Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on
disputable matters. ...Who are you to judge
someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or
falls. ..So then each of us will give an account of himself
to God...So whatever you believe about these things keep
between yourself and God.” Romans 14:1,4,12,22
In
all our beliefs - Love
“...If I
hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the
very secrets of God, & if I have the faith that can move
mountains - but have no love, I amount to nothing at
all.” 1 Cor. 13:2
(Phillips)
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