WE BELIEVE that the Holy Bible is the Word of God. It was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is the authoritative and eternal Word of God in all matters of faith and conduct and is totally true and without error in the original writings. It is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried and by which God judges us.
WE BELIEVE there is one and only one living and true God, eternal, perfect, and infinite in his being. God is an intelligent, wise, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is all powerful, all knowing, ever-present, and perfect in righteousness, holiness, wisdom, love, mercy, justice and all other perfections. His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. The triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but one in essence and being. God, the Father, enjoys and delights in a personal relationship with each person who comes to Him through Jesus Christ and confesses and follows Jesus as Savior and Lord.
WE BELIEVE that God the Son, Jesus Christ, is the eternal Son of God, co-creator with God who in His incarnation was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and as such was fully human and fully divine. He is the Word made flesh and perfectly revealed and did the will of God, without sin. He was crucified and His shed blood is a provision for the forgiveness and redemption of humankind from sin. He was raised from the dead by God the Father and appeared in a glorified body to the disciples. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He sits as our High Priest and Advocate interceding for His children. He is the only Savior and Lord of the church and will return in power and glory to judge the world and consummate His kingdom.
WE BELIEVE in God the Spirit sent from the Father and the Son. He is one with the Father and Son and is God’s active presence in the world enabling men to understand God’s truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men and women to the Savior, effects regeneration in the repentant and believing and empowers all who trust in Jesus Christ to live godly lives. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He is the agent of sanctification in the believer’s life unto the day of final redemption.
WE BELIEVE that man is the special creation of God, made in the image of God. He created them male and female, equal before God, and in the beginning, sinless and endowed with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. As a result all humanity has inherited a sinful nature, and become and is alienated from God and spiritually dead. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purposes of God. In spite of man’s sin, the sacredness of human life is evident in that God created man in His own image and sent His very Son to die and redeem humans. God desires to see all men saved.
WE BELIEVE that salvation is by grace through personal faith in Jesus Christ and there is no other salvation apart from Him. Salvation is a gift of God’s grace, offered freely to all and effectuated in those who in repentance toward God receive by faith the atoning work of Jesus Christ (the shedding of His blood on the cross, His resurrection, ascension into heaven and present intercessory ministry) and willingly submit to Him as Lord. Those who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior become children of God, justified in their relationship to God through faith, sanctified in their ongoing walk with Christ by the Holy Spirit and Word, and secure in Christ through a growing faith expressed and fostered by obedience to Christ. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration by the Holy Spirit and Word of God, justification, sanctification, and glorification by the Father.
Furthermore, WE BELIEVE that the gift of eternal life is a present possession of every true disciple of Jesus Christ, and that nothing nor anyone can take it from him. Nonetheless, it is a realistic possibility for an unrepentant believer to become deceived by and hardened by sin to the point they apostatize and speak evil of and deny the work of the Holy Spirit in their life or in the life of Jesus Christ thereby forfeiting the eternal life they once possessed.
WE BELIEVE that baptism is a public expression of faith, regeneration and the believer’s union with Christ in his death and resurrection and should be administered to those alone who have repented and give evidence of a spiritual rebirth. In addition, WE BELIEVE that Scripture teaches that all mankind are called to repent and those who are saved should be baptized in accordance with Scripture and that immersion is the Scriptural mode of baptism.
WE BELIEVE that Christians are to be joined to a local church. A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper), governed by His Word, and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by the Word. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord and should display in all areas of life the likeness of Jesus Christ. Its scriptural leaders are Elders, Pastors and Deacons (for a more detailed explanation see the Covenant for Leaders and Members). While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of Elder is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe , tongue, people and nation. The church is called out from and is separate from the world but reaches out to the world with the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.
WE BELIEVE that the local church is a community of believers whose goal is to shine as a light in the world. In addition, the Members of the local church are to be examples of God’s regenerative power which leads to holiness. The local church is also a place for instruction, fellowship and accountability. Accordingly, the exercise of biblical discipline by the community of believers is to deal with the presence of unrepentant sin in the lives of its Members. The purpose of all discipline is correction and restoration.
WE BELIEVE that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.
WE BELIEVE that all Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in their own lives and in society. The means and methods used for improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the salvation and transformation of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. Christians should live a life of joyful surrender to the will and teaching of Christ out of their love and gratitude towards Him. In addition, in the spirit of Christ, Christians should proclaim the Gospel to all mankind throughout the world; oppose racism, harassment, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality. Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth. We recognize that government is ordained by God to enforce law and order, and to prevent evil. Government should, therefore, be supported and laws obeyed except when to do so violates the commandment of God.
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.
For a more complete statement regarding essential doctrine and beliefs and for the supporting Scriptural references please see the “We Believe” document.
Wooster Apostolic Christian Church 