STATEMENT OF BELIEFS
GOD
We believe…
God exists eternally and reveals Himself to us in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three, known as the Trinity, are co-equal and are one God.
Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; John 14:26, 15:26; Revelation 1:8
God is holy and perfect.
Leviticus 19:2; Isaiah 6:3; Matthew 5:48; Revelation 15:4
God is a Living God and is the source of all life.
Joshua 3:10; John 1:3, 5:26, 6:57
God is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present.
Genesis 1:1-2; Psalms 24:1-2, 139:7-10; Isaiah 40:28; Jeremiah 32:17; John 1:1-5; Hebrews 4:13; 1 John 3:20; Revelation 4:11
God knows each of us intimately and involves Himself personally in our lives. He loves us and continuously seeks a relationship with us.
Psalms 139:13-16; Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16-17
God is the Redeemer.
Job 19:25; Psalms 19:14; Isaiah 44:6, 63:16; John 3:16
JESUS
We believe…
Jesus Christ exists eternally and is one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; John 14:26, 15:26
Jesus Christ is the Son of God; yet while on earth, He was fully human and without sin.
Matthew 1:18-25, 16:16; John 1:14; Philippians 2:6-7; Hebrews 1:4-13
Jesus Christ came to earth to be the Savior of the world and give people eternal life.
John 3:16, 10:17-18, 17:1-5; Hebrews 5:9; 1 John 4:14
Jesus Christ died on the cross as a substitute for us and as payment for our sins.
Acts 5:30-31; Romans 5:6-11; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; 1 Peter 3:18
Jesus Christ arose on the third day after His crucifixion, demonstrating His power over sin and death.
Luke 24:45-48; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Jesus Christ reveals God the Father to us, and He is the only way for us to have a personal relationship with God.
John 10:1-30, 14:6-11, 17:25-26; Acts 4:12
Jesus Christ sets us free from sin and empowers us to do God’s will.
John 8:32-38; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Galatians 5:1-13; Ephesians 3:16-21; Philippians 2:12-13, 4:13; 1 Peter 2:15-16
Jesus Christ is now our advocate with God, and we are to live under His Lordship while expectantly awaiting His return.
Matthew 24:42-44; John 14:1-3; Philippians 2:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 5:4-6; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 2:1-2
HOLY SPIRIT
We believe…
The Holy Spirit exists eternally and is one with God the Father and God the Son.
Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 9:13-14; 1 Peter 4:14
The Holy Spirit provided the inspiration for men to write the Scriptures.
2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21
The Holy Spirit awakens in sinners their need for salvation.
John 14:26, 16:8-15; 1 Corinthians 2:6-8,10,14
The Holy Spirit brings understanding of the saving work of Jesus Christ.
John 14:16-18, 16:7-11; Romans 8:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:2-3
The Holy Spirit works in the believer’s life to produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23
The Holy Spirit resides in every believer from the point of salvation.
Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14
The Holy Spirit enables the believer to develop a Christ-like character.
Ezekiel 36:27; Romans 5:1-5; Philippians 2:12-16; 2 Peter 1:4-8
The Holy Spirit guides the believer in understanding and applying Scripture.
John 14:26, 16:13-15; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13
The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts designed specifically for each believer that are to be used with love in service to the church.
Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 7:7, 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:7,11-16; 1 Peter 4:10-11
The Holy Spirit is the believer’s constant source of comfort, strength, wisdom, and guidance.
John 14:16-18,26; Acts 1:8, 6:3, 9:31; Romans 8:11,26-27; 1 John 4:4
THE BIBLE
We believe…
The Bible is God’s written revelation of Himself and of His redemptive plan for people.
Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Luke 4:17-21; John 5:39-40,45-47; Acts 18:28; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Revelation 1:1-3
God chose people of faith and inspired them through the Holy Spirit to accurately record all the things He wanted revealed. He allowed them to write in their own language and style to be culturally relevant.
2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 1:12, 2:1-4; 2 Peter 1:20-21
The Bible, though a collection of 66 books, is one book and stands alone as the Word of God.
Deuteronomy 4:2; Matthew 5:17-18; Revelation 22:18-19
The Bible is altogether true and reliable, and gives us the principles needed in our everyday lives.
Psalms 19:7-11, 119:9-11,105,160; Luke 21:32-33; John 17:17, Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; James 1:21-25
The Bible’s message is one of hope in and salvation through Jesus Christ, along with judgment for sin.
Luke 24:27,44-47; John 5:24, 20:30-31; Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:19-22; 2 Timothy 3:14-15; Hebrews 9:27-28
The Bible teaches that God creates each person as male or female; that these two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the “image of God” in humankind; and that each person’s biological gender is an intrinsic, immutable aspect of his or her nature and identity.
Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7,21-23
The Bible teaches that God established marriage in the beginning as a lifelong, exclusive relationship between one man and one woman; that He has reserved sexual intimacy as an expression of love and commitment between married couples; and any other intimate expression of sexuality outside of God’s biblical intent for marriage is sin.
Genesis 2:23-25; Exodus 20:14,17, 22:19; Leviticus 18:1-20,22-23, 20:11-21; Matthew 19:4-6; Romans 1:18-31; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,15-20; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; Jude 1:7
The teachings of the bible take precedence over church traditions or human opinions.
Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Psalms 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:17-18; Mark 7:5-13; John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13
PEOPLE
We believe…
People are the crowning work of God’s creation.
Genesis 1:26-31; Psalms 8:3-6
People are all made in the spiritual image of God to be like Him in character.
Genesis 1:27; James 3:9
People are limited and finite; therefore, we need God to sustain our lives.
1 Chronicles 29:15; Psalms 55:22, 145:15-16; Isaiah 46:4; Matthew 6:25-33
God desires our obedience and wants to enjoy a mutually loving and personal relationship with all people forever.
Genesis 2:16-18; Hosea 6:6; Matthew 22:36-40; Luke 15:1-10; John 3:16-17; Acts 5:29; Ephesians 1:3-12; Titus 2:14
God gives people freedom of choice.
Joshua 24:15; Luke 15:11-32; John 7:17, 12:47-48; Romans 1:21, 24-25
All people were physically and spiritually separated from God when Adam and Eve chose to disobey Him and sin entered the world.
Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-14
People continue to choose this path of rebellion against God and no person is without sin.
Isaiah 59:2, 64:6-7; Jeremiah 2:22; Romans 3:23, 7:19
SALVATION
We believe…
Our sin carries with it the penalty of eternal separation from God, both physical and spiritual.
Isaiah 59:2; Ezekiel 18:4; Luke 16:19-26; Romans 3:23, 6:23; Colossians 1:21-22; Revelation 20:12, 15
We can never make up for sin by our own effort or attain salvation by good deeds.
Romans 3:28, 7:21-25, 11:6; Galatians 3:1-3; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 1:9
At His own initiative, God acted to restore the relationship stained by sin.
Luke 19:10; John 3:16-17; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:13; 1 John 4:10; Revelation 3:20
Through grace, God allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die on a cross for our sin.
Isaiah 53:1-12; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 3:18
Everyone can be saved from sin’s penalty of eternal separation from God. This salvation is only possible by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s provision for sin.
John 3:36; Acts 4:12; Romans 1:16, 10:9-10,13; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 John 1:9
The moment we receive Jesus Christ in our life by faith, our personal relationship with God begins and cannot be lost.
John 1:12, 10:27-29; Romans 8:15-17,35-39; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 John 5:11-13; Jude 24-25
THE CHURCH
We believe…
The church is the only institution founded by Christ, and it has been established to carry out the ministry of Jesus in the world.
Matthew 16:18-19, 28:18-20; Ephesians 1:22-23, 3:8-11; 1 Timothy 3:15
In the New Testament, the church is described as both a local group of believers, and all of those who, throughout the ages, acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Acts 9:31, 11:26; Romans 16:1,4,5,16; 1 Corinthians 4:17, 7:17; Ephesians 3:8-10,21, 5:32; Colossians 1:18
The local church is composed of baptized believers who come together to:
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Worship - Psalms 29:2, 95:1-6,100; Ephesians 5:18-21
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Serve - Deuteronomy 10:12; Joshua 22:5; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12
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Grow spiritually - Acts 20:7; Romans 12:11; Ephesians 4:11-16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 2:1-5, 3:15;
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2 Peter 1:5-8
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Witness - Matthew 5:16, 28:19-20; Acts 1:8, 4:18-20; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; 2 Timothy 4:2
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Observe the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
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Matthew 3:13-17, 26:26-29, 28:19; Luke 22:17-20; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34
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Experience community - Acts 2:41-47; 2 Corinthians 12:12-2`; Galatians 6:1-2; Philippians 2:1-4; Hebrews 10:23-25
Our church is to conduct its own affairs under the Lordship of Christ.
Acts 1:15-26, 6:1-6, 13:1-3, 14:23,27,20:28; 2 Corinthians 8:1-8; 1 Peter 5:1-3
The church is to be uncompromising in the gospel message while being culturally relevant, so we may lead people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and encourage and guide them to become His fully devoted followers.
Acts 17:16-34; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, 10:23-33; Galatians 2:7-9
FAITH AND PRACTICE
The Bible is the final authority for all doctrines and beliefs. The Holy Spirit leads believers into an understanding of the scripture as opposed to any action taken by a church or person. The preceding statements are based on the scriptures, are the core, foundational beliefs vital to faith, and are commonly held by the people of GCC.
Our church will not seek to police an individual’s thoughts or actions in areas where the scriptures are silent. These silent areas should not be used as a basis for or cause of dissension, but should be left to the conscience of each individual as led by the Holy Spirit.
SMALL GROUPS
We believe that small groups are foundational for developing spiritually, building relationships, meeting personal needs, and encouraging and holding each other accountable.