Statement Of Faith
Scripture
The Bible—consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New testaments—is God's revealed and inspired word without error in its original writings. The Bible is the final authority for all believers on how to live. Redeeming Grace Church believes that through the Bible, God makes known to believers Himself, the sinful condition, and the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
God
God is eternal. He has always been, is now, and always will be. He is the Creator of all
things, all powerful, all present, knows all absolutely (past, present, and future). he is holy, just, loving, merciful, patient, gracious, slow to anger, faithful, and forgiving. He exists in three persons (one in essence, distinct in person) Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, referred to as the Trinity.
Jesus Christ
Jesus of Nazareth is the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God who became man.1 He was born of the virgin Mary, withstood temptation, lived a sinless life, performed many miracles, taught with authority, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, was buried, rose bodily from the dead, appeared to many, and ascended into heaven.2 Jesus’ death was substitutionary and atoning. He inaugurated the new covenant through resurrection and defeated sin and death for all the believers. He bore the guilt of sin, reconciling his bride to the father, and will restore His Church from corruption at the final judgment.3 Jesus, the Savior is now seated at the right hand of the Father, from where he reigns, unceasingly intercedes for all believers.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. The Church believes that He convicts humanity of its guilt. He regenerates and indwells believers, cultivates Christian character, empowers believers for Godly living, equips them for faithful service, testifies to their divine adoption, gives spiritual gifts, and seals them unto final salvation.
Humanity
God created humanity in His image. Adam incurred death (both physical and spiritual) through his sin. All humans are now sinners from conception. All humanity is under God’s wrath, without excuse, rightly condemned, and incapable of remedying their predicament.5 Apart from God's gracious intervention in Christ, humanity finds itself separated from God.
Salvation
Salvation is a free gift entirely by God's grace and is based completely on the shed blood of Christ. No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless born again (John 3:5-8). Apart from the intervention of God, humanity is dead in their sins (Rom. 3; Eph. 2:1-3). All who receive the Lord Jesus Christ through faith are declared righteous by God and become Children of God (Heb. 10:19-25). It is by grace we have been saved, through faith, not by works of any kind. All believers are secure only in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:22-26; Eph. 1:13-14; 2:8-9).
The Church
Christ is head of the Universal Church that he bought with his blood. The Universal Church is composed of all those who are united to Christ. The Church has ordinances (baptism and the Lord’s supper), Church discipline, biblical offices, and members who love one another. Christ has commissioned His Church to carry His Gospel to the ends of the earth.6
Last Things
The Lord Jesus Christ will personally return to earth in glory to conclude his Kingdom in God's timing. Jesus will bring this world to its appropriate end, making all things new. Redeeming Grace Church believes in the resurrection of the physical body and the final judgment. Those who have faith in Christ will be with Him forever and those who choose to not believe in Him will be separated from Him in hell.
Gender
God created humanity male and female. Gender is unalterably designed by God to correspond to our biological sex. God created men and women equal in dignity, worth, value, and respect. God also created men and women distinct with complementary roles to glorify Him.
Marriage
Marriage consists of one man and one woman. In marriage, as a reflection of Christ's relationship to the Universal Church, husbands are to lovingly and sacrificially lead their wives while wives are to respectfully yield to their husbands.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances instituted by God for the Church as signs to represent Christ. The Lord’s Supper is designed to commemorate Christ's death and serves as spiritual nourishment but is not actually the body and blood of Jesus nor does it save. Christian baptism is the immersion of a professing believer into water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and is performed as a public witness by the believers to his or her salvation.
1 Jn 1:1-3, 14; Phil 2:6-8; Col 1:15-20; 2:9; Heb 1:3; 2:14-18.
2 Mt 4:23-25; 7:28-29; Mk 1:12-13; Lk 1:34-35; Jn 4:34; 6:38; Acts 1:9-11; 2:22-24; 32; 4:27-28; 1 Cor 15:3-8;Gal 4:4-5; Phil 2:8; 1 Tim 3:16; Heb 4:15; 5:8-9; 7:26; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 Jn 3:5.
3 Isa 52:13-53:12; Mt 26:28; Jn 10:11; 11:50-52; Acts 20:28; Rom 3:21-26; 4:25; 5:6-11, 12-21; 6:1-11; 7:4-6; 8:1-4; 1 Cor 11:25; 15:3, 17; 20-23; 47-49; 2 Cor 4:14; 5:14, 21; Gal 1:4; 2:20-21; 3:13; Eph 1:7; 2:4-6; 5:2; 25-27; Col 1:14; 2:11-15; 3:1-3; 1 Thes 5:9-10; 1 Tim 2:5-6; 2 Tim 1:10; Tit 2:14; Heb 1:3; 2:9; 9:11-10:18; 1 Pet 1:18-21; 2:24; 3:18; 1 Jn 2:1-2.
4 Ezek 36:25-27; Jn 3:1-8; 6:63; 14:16-17; 16:7-15; Acts 5:3-4; Rom 7:4-6; 8:1-27; 1 Cor 6:19; 12; 2 Cor 2:10-13; 3:1-18; Gal 4:5-7; 5:16-25; 2 Tim 1:14; Tit 3:4-7; 1 Jn 4:13.
5 Gen 1:26-28; 2:16-17; 3:1-24; 6:5; 8:21; 9:6; 1 Kgs 8:46; Ps 51:5; 58:3; Ecc 7:20; Jer 17:9; Mt 15:18-19; Jn 3:18; Rom 1:18-23; 3:9-18, 24; 5:12-19; 6:23; 8:7-8; 1 Cor 15:21-22; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 2:1-3; Js 1:14-15; 3:9; 1 Jn 1:10.
6 Mt 18:15-20; 28:18-20; Jn 13:35; 17:18; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2:41-42; 14:23; 1 Cor 11:23-26; 12:12-13; Gal 1:6-9; Eph 1:22-23; 2:20-22; 3:10; 4:11, 15-16; 5:23; Col 1:18; 2:10, 19; 1 Tim 3:1-13; Heb 10:24-25; 12:22-23; 1 Pet 2:4-7; 1 Jn 2:19; 2 Jn 9.
