A BRIEF SUMMARY OF WHAT WE BELIEVE

SCRIPTURE (The Bible)

We believe that the Bible is God's Holy Word. The 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, being breathed out by God, are the Word of God. It is the only Book and Authority for all of our beliefs, attitudes, and actions. It alone is capable of and sufficient for informing us of and bringing us to complete salvation in Jesus Christ. It is only because of the Grace of God, by the work of Spirit of God, through the Word of God that He reveals Himself to us. The Bible is the only True, Authoritative, Infallible, Trustworthy, Necessary, Powerful, Perfect, Unchangeable, and Sufficient Word of God.
Psalm 19:7-11; II Timothy 3:15-17; II Peter 1:16-21

GOD

We believe that there is only one true and living God who alone is the Eternal Spirit, Personal Creator, Sovereign King, and All-Knowing Judge, being infinite, holy, gracious, unchangeable, and perfect in every way. He is the Creator of all things. He sustains and works in and through all of His creation to bring about His eternal purposes. God is Self-sufficient, necessary, and supreme over all. He alone is worthy of ALL praise, worship, trust, and obedience. He is one God who exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three distinct persons are co-eternal, the same in essence, and equal in power and glory. God Needs Nothing! Life is about HIM!
Genesis 1:1; Exodus 34:5-8; Psalm 145:3; Isaiah 40:12-31; Matthew 3:16-17; I Peter 1:2

JESUS CHRIST

We believe that Jesus the Christ is the only eternally existent Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, who was sent to earth to be conceived supernaturally, born sinless, to live a perfectly law-fulfilling and sinless life, to die on a cross as a sacrificial substitute in the place of all those who trust in Him, and to bodily rise from the dead on the third day. Having finished His work on the cross and having been raised from the dead, He ascended back into Heaven where He is and will be with His Father until The Day when He will come to gather His followers and to judge the rest of the world. Jesus is truly man and truly God; existing as one person with two distinct and united natures (one Divine, one human)!
Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-18, 8:48-59, 10:3-38, Colossians 1:15-20, 2:9; Hebrews 1:1-4; I Corinthians 8:6, 15:3-5

HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Person of God who supernaturally worked through men to write the Holy Bible. He alone gives true understanding of the Bible; changes and softens hearts; awakens people to their sin and their need for cleansing and salvation; gives faith and repentance to treasure, turn to, and trust in Christ; and lives in and empowers every true Believer in Jesus. He is to be completely relied upon for everything we attempt to do. The express focus of His ministry is to testify about and glorify Jesus.
Ezekiel 36:26-31; Mark 13:11; John 3:5-8, 34, 15:26, 16:7-15; Acts 4:8; Romans 8:5-17, 26-27, 12; I Corinthians 2:4, 9-16, 3:16, 6:18-20 12; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 2:8-10; I Timothy 4a; II Peter 1:21; I John 3:23-24, 5:7-8, 18-20

MAN

We believe that God created man (Adam and Eve) in His own image with knowledge, righteousness, and holiness for the express purpose of glorifying and enjoying Him forever. However, by the sin of Adam all mankind fell from intimacy with God, since Adam and Eve were the representatives and root of mankind. And due to the effects of the Fall (of Adam and thus also all those who naturally come from him) on the mind, will, and emotions, the human spiritual condition by nature is such that everyone is born dead in trespasses and sins, enslaved to sin, wholly incapable and unwilling to come to God, and under the holy and just wrath of God. As such, man is utterly incapable of saving himself, or even to cooperate with God in his salvation. He does not possess the inclination, desire or spiritual ability to turn himself to God since by his very nature he loves and prefers the darkness and in God there is no darkness at all. It is only by God's grace through the power of the Holy Spirit that man can be saved. We believe that all human beings are totally dependent upon God for everything, and even though as a result of the Fall all humans are born with sinful hearts needing to be regenerated, forgiven, and saved it is still their only purpose to glorify and enjoy God forever. We Need God! Our lives are about Him!
Genesis 1:1, 26-31; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Psalm 51:4; Romans 3:9-23, 5:12, 8:7; John 3:19; Ephesians 2:1-3; Titus 3:3; II Timothy 2:26

SALVATION

We believe that all people need to be saved because all are sinners and because God is Gloriously Worthy, Infinitely Holy, Perfectly Just, and Terribly Wrathful. And the Triune God, also being rich in mercy and abundant in grace has eternally purposed to save a people for Himself from every tribe, tongue, and people group of the world. The three different persons of the Godhead act together for the salvation of those whom He has chosen from eternity-past: The Father Elects the elect (The Orchestrator/Planner/Arranger of Salvation!); The Son Redeems the elect (The Obtainer/Purchaser/Acquirer of Salvation!); The Holy Spirit Calls the elect (The Operator/Presenter/Applier of Salvation!). We believe that there is salvation ONLY in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Only the perfectly sinless and law-fulfilling life of Jesus is what God accepts as the righteous requirement for everyone who trusts Him alone to be their righteousness on their behalf. Only the sacrificial, substitutionary, and wrath-bearing death of Jesus is what God accepts as the full payment for the sin of all those who trust Him alone to take their just punishment in their place. Salvation is by God's Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone. We could never do anything that could ever save ourselves, or make us earn salvation, or be deserving of it; and therefore we cannot receive any glory for it. All people are commanded to repent and believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of and salvation from their sin (the penalty, power, pleasure, and presence of sin). Salvation comes only as the Spirit of God enables us to recognize our sin and need to be cleansed and saved, leading to us repent (turn away from) of our sins and all other hopes of being saved, and believe in (understand and agree/surrender to) Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior.
John 6:44-45, 14:6; Acts 2:36-41, 4:12, 10:34-43; Romans 3:9-30, 5:1-11; I Corinthians 15:3-5; Ephesians 2:8-10

SANCTIFICATION - PERSERVERANCE - GLORIFICATION

Sanctification -We believe that all people who are truly saved grow everyday in knowing and trusting God; becoming more holy like Jesus. The gracious and powerful conviction by the Holy Spirit, confession to God, and continued faith in Jesus results in an ever-changing/growing lifestyle of repentance from sin and pursuit of holiness unto love and obedience.
John 17:17; Acts 2:36-47; Ephesians 5:26; II Thessalonians 2:13-15

Perserverance - We also believe that all true Christians will persevere in their growing and becoming more like Jesus until they die or until Jesus comes back. This perseverance is empowered and motivated by the supernatural, immutable, and unstoppable preservation of God. (Philippians 1:6; I Thessalonians 5:14-24; Hebrews 12:1-3). For there is NOTHING that can stop us from becoming more Christ-like or separate us from God's love for us who have truly been effectively called and converted to Christ Jesus!
Romans 8:28-39; John 6:39-40, 10:28-30

Glorification - We also believe that all true Christians will one day, when Jesus comes back, be transformed in an instant to be like Jesus by His grace and for His glory. In fact, God is working everything together for the end of our complete salvation: sanctification, perseverance, and glorification.
Romans 8:28-30; I John 2:28-3:3

FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

We believe that fellowship with God is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ, by God's grace, enabled by the Spirit of God, and on His terms. We also believe that fellowship with God is not only possible, but is a must for every true Believer. Life is not about just living by certain morals and principles. Life is about God, glorifying and enjoying Him forever, and to live life without Him (even without fellowshiping with Him) is completely empty. We can have fellowship with Him as we take in His Word, the Bible; humbly go to Him in Prayer; actively connect with His Church; and gladly submit to Him with faith in every area of life. God is always present with us. We can and should live life constantly acknowledging Him in everything we think, say, and do.
John 15:1-14; 17:3; I Corinthians 10:31; Philippians 3:7-14; Colossians 3:16-17; I Thessalonians 5:17; I John 1:3

FAMILY

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. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church and a wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage and to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them by consistent lifestyle example, loving discipline, and faithful instruction of the Word, to trust in Christ, make wise choices based on Biblical truth, and to love their neighbor as themselves.
Genesis 1:26-31; 2:18-25; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; Psalm 78:1-8, 127; Matthew 19:1-9; I Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-6:4; I Peter 3:1-7

THE CHURCH

We believe that The Church is the Body and Bride of Jesus Christ. Every true follower of Christ who has ever lived makes up the Body and Bride of Christ. All people in The Church (the universal people of Christ who have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into His Kingdom) have been given Spiritual Gifts by the Holy Spirit to grow, encourage, build up, and preserve The Church. Being part of The Church means that we should regularly participate in corporate worship, personal evangelism, Christian fellowship, purposeful discipleship (growing in Christ-likeness), and loving ministry within a local church. A local church is a living and loving body of people who are openly covenanted to Christ, His Body, and each other, willingly commiting to both the general and specific vision, mission, beliefs, values, and distinctives of that particular church. All true believers should be a part of a local church, under the authority and care of a plurality of equal and qualified elders, in order to best use their Spiritual Gifts for the good of the whole Church and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the glory of God.
Acts 2:38-47; Romans 12; I Corinthians 12; Philippians 2:1-4; Colossians 3:12-15; Hebrews 10:19-25; I John 1:1-4

BAPTISM

We believe that Baptism is one of two ordinances that the Lord Jesus Christ has given to His Church, and thus it would be sinful for us to reject, ignore, diminish, or change the meaning, importance, or obedience to it (Him) in any way. We believe that all (and only) true believers in Christ should be Baptized, though not necessary for salvation, with water by submersion in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. It is a symbolic representation of Christ's life, death, burial, and resurrection as what cleanses sinners from the impurity, guiltiness, and consequences of sin. It is a open confession of personal faith in and identification with Christ as the only Lord and Savior. And it is a real means of grace through which God works to impart His sanctifying, strengthening, confirming, and preserving graces as it visibly and tangibly preaches the Gospel to all those who partake in it by faith in what it signifies.
Matthew 28:16-20; Luke 3:21-22; Acts 2:38-41, 7:12, 8:35-38; Romans 6:1-11; I Corinthians 1:17

THE LORD'S SUPPER (Communion)

We believe that Jesus Christ personally instituted and has commanded His Church to continue receiving the The Lord's Supper as the second of the two Christian ordinances. We believe that receiving Communion in a worthy manner (with humble and faith-filled repentance) is a way for us to remember what Christ has done for us in His death on the cross and a way for us to proclaim the Gospel (the giving of His body and blood as a sacrifice unto God for the salvation of the elect) until He comes back again. Furthermore, because eating and drinking of the elements of the Lord's Supper is to be an outward and active expression of faith in what they represent, namely the broken body and shed blood of Jesus for the complete forgiveness of sins, we also believe that by receiving the Lord's Supper God actually imparts the sanctifying, strengthening, confirming, and preserving graces as spiritual benefits and nourishment of Christ's person and work to all those who receive it by faith. And thus receiving this frequently is both a blessing to us and others as well as a means of worshiping our Savior.
Matthew 26:26-30; John 6; I Corinthians 11:23-34

CHURCH DISCIPLINE

We believe that God teaches us to discipline/correct those covenant members of Peine Ridge Church who are continually sinning unrepentantly by treating them as an unbelieving non-member, which is the prescribed way found in His Word. The purposes are to keep the rest of the body of believers pure from evil influence, to deter other members from evil out of a Godly fear, and to save the one who is unrepentant from destroying himself/herself. The particular person should be forgiven and accepted back as a member if he/she genuinely turns to Christ for forgiveness and humbly comes back asking for acceptance and forgiveness.
Matthew 18:10-35; I Corinthians 5; II Corinthians 2:5-11

THE LORD'S DAY

We believe that ever since creation, God has set apart one day each week to be holy and separate unto the Lord. While this day was historically Saturday in the Old Testament, at the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord's day changed to Sunday. During the Christian Sabbath, we believe God has called us to delight in Him by worshiping God, serving others, and resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. For Peine Ridge Church, the Lord's Day will be a day in which we exalt Christ differently than other busy days throughout the week. Namely, this will happen through our gathering together for corporate worship and participation in the ordinances, enjoying meals with believing and unbelieving people in our homes, and dwelling on God's glory in Christ's accomplishments for us. Celebration of the Christian Sabbath at Peine Ridge Church will be a joy and a delight as we remember God as Creator and man as created... completely dependent upon God for all physical and spiritual life, health, and growth.
Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11; John 20:1; Luke 24:1; Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10

HEAVEN AND HELL

We believe that everyone has an eternal destiny that they will face. Death comes; and then comes Judgment. And there are no "second chances" after death. Those who trust fully in Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior will spend all of eternity with God in the New Heaven and New Earth. And those who do not put their full trust in Him alone will spend all of eternity suffering their just punishment in Hell without the fellowship of friends, family, or God. God is Loving, but God is also Holy and Just! Heaven and Hell are literal places, where people will literally continue on forever in one place or the other.
Matthew 25:29-35, 41-46; Hebrews 9:28; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:5-8

THE RETURN OF CHRIST

We believe that the Bible promises that Jesus Christ will return one day to gather together His own and to judge those who do not trust in Him. No human knows the day or hour of His return, but all should be prepared and ready for Him because His return is sure!
Matthew 24:27-31, 25:31-46; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; II Thessalonians 1:5-10

OTHER DOCTRINAL BELIEF STATEMENTS WE ARE IN SUBSTANTIAL AGREEMENT WITH:

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