What if I told you that God is real and way more than you have heard or imagined? What if I told you that if you seek Him, you will find Him? What if I told you that if you pursue a relationship with God, that you will find love, acceptance, purpose and freedom. Aren’t those the things that you long for? Well, God, who made you, knows it.
But humanity has a serious problem. The Bible calls it ‘sin’. It’s that moment when people choose to do anything wrong; ranging from a white lie to terrible crimes. While we might often see sin as trivial, we couldn’t be more wrong. The damage goes deep and always has long-lasting, painful results. God has always known this. So, he keeps sin, and those who engage in it, far from Himself. He always will. This is a problem for every single person on earth because we are very good at sinning and it breaks God’s heart.
God has always had a plan. In His great love for His creation, God sent Jesus, his own son, down to earth from heaven. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life on earth, while spreading the message that the ‘Kingdom of God is at hand’. Then, in a tragic series of events that was always a part of God’s plan to save humanity, Jesus paid the ultimate price: he laid down his life willingly, knowing that his death would have the power to save people from their sins. Then three days later, God raised Jesus from the dead! Jesus is now in heaven preparing a place for those who have turned away from their sin, who believe that Jesus is the son of God and have given him authority over their lives.
Join us here at Bethel, as we learn, grow and encourage each other to know Jesus more and to make Him known.
FORMAL STATEMENT OF FAITH
At Bethel Community Church, WE BELIEVE IN Jesus, the promised Messiah and the Son of God, risen from the dead (Romans 1:1-4, 2 Timothy 2:8). And we are grateful to God who has supplied Scripture to help us meet Jesus and learn from him. While Christians may have different interpretations of some parts of Scripture, there are certain doctrines which are foundational to our faith. It is these doctrines that comprise our Statement of Faith. WE BELIEVE THAT:
- There is one God, the Almighty Creator of all things. He is eternally existent in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is holy, merciful and compassionate, and is the righteous judge of all men. (Deut. 6:4, Psalm 90:2, Rev. 4:8, Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14, 1 John 4:8, John 4:24, Neh. 9:17, 2 Pet 2:4-9)
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He has existed from eternity past as the second person of the Godhead, but also became a man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for our sins, was buried, and rose bodily from the dead. He ascended into heaven, was exalted by the Father, and now intercedes as our High Priest, and will return visibly in person. (John 1:1,14, Matt. 1:18-25, Romans 1:4, Heb. 7:25, 1 Pet. 3:18, 1 John 3:5, Acts 1:11)
- The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. He glorifies the Lord Jesus, convicts people of sin, regenerates sinners and indwells all Christians. He guides, instructs, empowers, and gives gifts to believers for godly living and the building up of the Church. (Matt. 28:19, John 14:16,17,26, John 16:7-15, Titus 3:5, 1 Cor. 6:19, Gal. 5:22,23, 1 Cor. 12:11)
- The Holy Scripture, the Bible, as originally given by God, is inspired, infallible and trustworthy. It is the complete revelation of God's will for our salvation and the final authority for all Christians in matters of faith and life. (2 Tim. 3:15-17, Heb. 4:12, 2 Pet. 1:21, John 10:35)
- All human beings are created in the image of God and are known by God even before they are born. Every person is born with a sinful nature and is subject to God's wrath and condemnation. (Gen. 1:27, Jer. 1:5, John 3:36, Romans 3:23, 6:23)
- The death and resurrection of Christ provide the only ground for a sinner's justification and acceptance by God. All who receive the Lord Jesus by faith are redeemed by His blood and are born of the Holy Spirit, becoming children of God. Those who are thus 'born again' are sealed by the Holy Spirit and have the guarantee of eternal life. (Romans 3:21-26, 8:1, John 3:16-18, 5:24, 10:27-29, Eph. 1:7,8,13,14, 2:8,9, 1 John 5:13)
- The Church is composed of all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who are united to Him and to one another by the indwelling Spirit. The Church is the body of Christ, with Christ Himself as its Head (Col. 1:18, Eph. 1:22). The chief functions of the Church are to glorify God, to equip the saints for service, and to witness for Christ until His return. To this end, we recognize the common priesthood of all believers. (Acts 2, 1 Cor. 12:12-27, Titus 1:5, 1 Pet. 2:5,9)
- There are two Christian ordinances: believer's baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism signifies that the believer, having died with Christ, is buried with Him in baptism and is also risen with Christ into a new life. (Matt. 28:19,20, Romans 6:3,4, Acts 8:35-38) The Lord's Supper is a symbolic remembrance feast for believers, instituted by the Lord Himself, as a reminder of His Person and His sacrifice. It is central to the life of the Church. (Acts 2:42, 1 Cor. 11:23-26)
- The Lord Jesus Christ will return in person, according to the scriptures, at which time there will be a physical resurrection of the dead. Those who are not ‘born again’ will be judged for their deeds and will be eternally separated from the presence of God. Those who are ‘born again’ will receive new bodies, sinless natures and will enjoy eternity with God. (John 14:1-4, Acts 1:11, 1 Thess. 4:13-18, Rev. 19:11-20:15, Daniel 12:2, Luke 16:19-31, 1 Cor. 15:12-58, 2 Thess. 1:6-9, Rev. 20:11-15)
