Statements of Faith
Hagerstown Christian Church
ARTICLES OF FAITH
(Statement of Faith)
- The Bible: Both the Old and New Testaments, is inspired of God, is the revelation of God
to man, and is the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct.
- God: God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent "I AM, the creator of
everything and the redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit to anyone & all who will allow Him to reconcile them to himself through His son Jesus Christ.
3. Jesus Christ: Jesus is God as the Bible declares:
(A) Conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35)
(B) Born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31; 35)
(C) Lived a sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; I Peter 2:22)
(D) Performed miracles (Acts 2:22, 10:38)
(E) Died on the cross for mankind's sin (I Corinthians 15:3; II Corinthians 5:21)
(F) Rose bodily from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; I Corinthians 15:4)
(G) Appeared to over 500 people after His resurrection (I Corinthians 15:6)
(H) Was exalted to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9-11; 2:33; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 1-3)
4. Mankind: Man was created good and upright for God said, "Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness (Genesis 1). However, all people have willingly sinned and
thereby incur not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from
God. (Genesis 1:26, 27; 2:17; 3:6; Romans 5:12-19). Man's only hope of salvation or
redemption, which is, being right with God, is through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God (John 14:6). We believe God made every individual person either a man or
woman, with no mistakes in their gender¦ thus eliminating any question(s) an individual
or group may have regarding one's gender. (Gen. 1:27 & 5:2, 1 Cor. 11:11-12, Deut. 22:5)
5.The Church: It is the body of Christ and consists of all who have a personal relationship with Him (I Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 2:11-12, 4:16). The head of this body, the church, is Christ (Colossians 1:18). God's purpose for the church is:
a.To be a corporate body in which man may worship God
- So the people of this world will know by our love for each other that we are
Christ's disciples
- To be a channel of God's purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the
image of His Son
- To be used by God for evangelizing the world (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark
16:15, 16)
Every person born of the Spirit (believers/followers), receiving His forgiveness & pardon
of sin through His son Jesus Christ, is an integral part of the Church as a member of the
Body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ (John
17:11, 20-23; Eph. 1:22: 2:19-22; Heb. 12:23).
6.Heaven: is the hope of every believer in Jesus Christ to live eternally with God after this life is over (I Corinthians 15).
7.Redemption: Humanity was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression, it
fell. Humanity's only hope for redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Gen.1:26-31;
3:1-7; Rom. 5:12-21).
8.Regeneration: For anyone to know God, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential (John 6:44, 65).
9.Salvation: We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ: His death, burial and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human effort (Rom. 10:9, 10; Acts 16:31; Gal. 2:16; 3:8; Eph. 28, 9; Titus 3:5; Heb. 9:22).
10.Repentance: Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation (Acts 2:21; 3:9; I John 1:9).
11.Sanctification: Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God's Word and His Spirit to order to complete the development of Christ's character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of god that the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (Rom. 8:29; 12:1, 2; II Cor. 3:18; 6:14-18; I Thess. 4:3; 5:23; II Thess. 2:1-3; Heb. 2:11).
12.Jesus' Blood: The blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100 percent sufficient to cleanse humankind from all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death (John 1:29; Rom. 3:10-12, 23; 5:9; Col. 1:20; I John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; 5:9).
13.Jesus Christ Indwells All Believers: Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to Him, thus making Jesus the Lord of their lives as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried and rose again from the dead (John 1:12; 14:17, 23; 15:4; Rom. 8:11; Rev. 3:20).
14.The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the Church, demonstrate the validity of the Resurrection and confirm the power of the gospel. The lists of these gifts in the Bible are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts of their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of biblical parameters (Rom. 1:11; 12:4-8; I Cor. 12:1-31; 14:1-40; Eph. 4:16; I Tim. 4:14; II Tim. 1:5-16; Heb. 2:4; I Pet. 4:10).
15.Two Christian Sacraments:
Water Baptism: Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new convert is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38)
The Lord's Supper: A unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross (Matt. 26: 26-29; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47, 48; I Cor. 10:16; 11:23-36).
16.Marriage: Abiding by the words & truth of scripture -
- A marriage ceremony conducted by a minister of this church, will only be conducted between (1) man & (1) woman. (Gen. 2:22-24, Mark 10:6-9,Prov. 18:22, Matt. 19:4-6, 1 Cor. 7:1&2,
- The ceremony of marriage between said man & woman will happen only after the minister spends time with them together in pre- marriage counseling. The amount of time will be determined by said minister. (Prov. 19:2, 3:5&6, Luke 14:28)
- Any marriage ceremony conducted at the premises of this church, or by any minister of this church representing this body of believer's, is a Christian worship service. In this service, we unite around Christ & his teachings on marriage, as well as his blessing on the man & woman marrying. (Matt. 19:6)
17.Healing of the Sick: Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in Jesus' commission to His disciples. Healing of the sick is given as a sign that is to follow believers. It is also a part of Jesus' work on the cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit. Though it is a gift of the Spirit, we understand per scripture, that it isn't always a guarantee in this life. But, it will most definitely take place when we enter heaven through the glorified body we will be given by God. (Ps. 103:2,3; Isa. 53:5; Matt. 8:16-17; Mark 16:17, 18; Acts 8:6,7; Rom. 11:29; I Cor. 12:9, 28; James 5:14-16).
18.God's Will for Provision: The Father's will is that believers become whole, healthy and successful in all areas of life. But because of the Fall, many may not receive the full benefits of God's will while on earth. That fact, though, should never prevent all believers form seeking the full benefits of Christ's provision in order to serve others.
- Spiritual (John 3:3-11; Rom. 10: 9, 10; II Cor. 5:17-21)
- Mental and emotional (Isa. 26: 3; Rom. 12:2; Phil. 4:7, 8; II Tim. 1:7; 2:11)
- Physical (Isa. 52:4, 5; Matt. 8:17; I Pet. 2:24)
- Financial (Deut. 28:1-14; Josh. 1:8; Ps. 34:10; 84:11; Mal. 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; II Cor. 9:6-10; Phil. 4:19)
19.Resurrection: Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a gloried body three days after His death on the cross. As a result, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected- they that are saved to the resurrection of life, and they that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation (Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21; 20:26-28; 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Cor. 15:42-44; Phil. 1:21-23; 3:21).
20.Heaven: Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the gospel of Jesus
Christ
21.Hell: After living one life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to hell where they will be eternally tormented with the devil and the fallen angels (Matt. 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 14:9-11; 20:12-15; 21:8).
22.Second Coming: Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second coming to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures (Matt. 24:30; 26:63, 64; Acts 1:9-11; I Thess. 4:15017; II Thess. 1:7, 8; Rev. 1:7).