7 Ones

“What We Believe”-7 Ones

We believe the Bible is the all-sufficient directive to lead men and women to God. Our goal is to follow the Scriptures without adding to them or taking away from them. Ephesians 4:4-7 lists seven grand themes which we see as essential Christian beliefs:

1. One BODY: The one body is a collective term for all people who have been saved by God’s grace through Christ’s blood. (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:24)

2. One SPIRIT: Romans 8:9-11 says that God’s Spirit lives within everyone who belongs to God.  Without this indwelling presence, a person is still outside of the “one body.”

3. One HOPE: This hope is the assurance that the promises of God are sure and true. Eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and transformational living are all God-given promises made possible by “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

4. One LORD: Jesus the Christ is the fulfillment of all Scripture (John 5:39); He is the perfect sacrifice for each person’s sin (John 1:29); He is our mediator with God (1 John 2:1); He is Lord (Romans 10:9); He is the only way to God (John 14:6); He has been given all authority by God the Father (Matthew 28:18).

5. One FAITH: Righteousness (right standing) in the eyes of God comes from a professed faith in the Gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16ff). Faith is perfected and evidenced in one’s submissive obedience to Christ (James 2:14-26). “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

6. One BAPTISM: Baptism is a re-enactment of the Gospel (good news; Romans 6:3). It is not an action that obligates God to save a person (i.e., it’s not a good work that earns our way into heaven), but is the only way one can put on Christ (Galatians 3:27), enter God’s kingdom (John 3:5), and receive the Holy Spirit and be forgiven of sins (Acts 2:38). Baptism is the submissive faith-response of anyone to God’s offer of salvation “by grace through faith” (Ephesians 2:8; Acts 6:7; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-8).

7. One GOD and FATHER of all, who is “over all, and through, and in all.” God has no equal in heaven or earth (Isaiah 40:18,28; 43:10; 44:6,8). He is awesome, worthy, and beyond comprehension. We serve Him, we draw near to Him and He draws near to us (James 4:8).