What do Christians Believe?

The core beliefs of Christianity are summarized in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.

Jesus died for our sins, was buried, was resurrected, and thereby offers salvation to all who will receive Him in faith.
Unique among all other faiths, Christianity is more about a relationship than religious practices.
Instead of adhering to a list of “do’s and don’ts,” the goal of a Christian is to cultivate a close walk with God.
That relationship is made possible because of the work of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.*

*https://www.gotquestions.org/christianity.html

Want to dig into that a little more?

We have found that approaching the Christian faith with a 'guide' is very helpful and can minimize confusion and obstacles. Feel free send us a message through 'Contact Us' and we'd be glad to get on the phone or meet for a cup of coffee.

Another great 'guide' is C.S. Lewis and his classic, Mere Christianity. You can experience a recreation of Lewis' BBC radio broadcasts, the source for the book, at the wonderful CSLewisDoodle YouTube page.

Statement of SCG Beliefs

WE BELIEVE:

1. …God has chosen to reveal Himself as a triune God, the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit, He is eternal and that there is no other God but Him. (Gen 1:1-2; Matt 3:16-17, 28:19; John 15:26, 17:20-21; Exodus 20:3; Mark 12:28-30, 1 Tim 1:17)

2. …God is the creator of man and all things seen and unseen. (Gen 1:1; Acts 17:24-28; Rom 1:20)

3. …in the deity of Jesus Christ, God’s unique Son, who was born (on earth) from a virgin, was crucified and died on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins to show us the way to eternal life. He was physically resurrected and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father until His prophesied return. (Luke 1:26-35; John 1:14, 3:16-17, 14:6, 20:24-31; Acts 1:9-11; Rom 5:6-11; Col 1:15-20; 2 Tim 4:1)

4. …in the Holy Spirit, who dwells in every Christian and when called upon encourages, guides, comforts and transforms us to be like Jesus. (John 14:15-17, 25-26, 16:7-11; Rom 8:10-17, 26-27; 1 Cor 3:16)

5. …that man was created by God, in God's own image. Man willingly sinned against God and is therefore separated from God, without hope, except through Jesus Christ. (Gen 1:26-27, 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Rom 3:23; Col 1:21-22; John 14:6)

6. …the Bible is the absolute truth and inspired word of God, revealing His nature and character and His love for creation. The Bible is the final authority on matters of faith and belief (Isaiah 40:8; Matt 5:17-18; 2 Tim 3:14-17, 4:1-4; Heb 4:12; Rom 15:4; 2 Pet 1:19-21)

7. …that salvation (eternal life) comes by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is offered to all persons who believe and profess faith in Jesus Christ. We believe the Bible clearly teaches that all believers need to confess and repent of sin, follow the Biblical command to be immersed and strive to daily life faithfully committed to Christ. (John 14:6; Matt 28:18-20; Acts 2:38-39, 10:27-28, 44-48; Rom 5:9-10, 6:1-7; 2 Pet 3:9; 2 Tim 2:19)

8. …that our physical death seals the eternal destiny of each person; those who have accepted Jesus will inherit eternal life with God; the unsaved, eternal separation from God. (Heb 9:27; John 6:47; Matt 25:31-46; Rom 8:9-13)

9. …Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. We believe the Church is the body of Christ, founded on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and consisting of all Christians everywhere. (Matt 16:15-19, 18:20; Acts 2:41-42, 47; Col 1:18)

10. …God’s plan is for the elders to lead the local church and their leadership is accountable to God. (1 Pet 5:1-4; 1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)

11. …that as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to live a holy and grace filled life that reflects the love, mercy and forgiveness of Christ in all that we do. (Matt 5:13-16, 43-48, 22:36-40; Luke 10:27-37; John 13:34-35; Col 3:12-17, 4:5-6)

12. …that all Christians should actively seek the will of Jesus Christ in their own lives by working to eliminate personal sin and working to oppose sin in the world. Christians should provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless and the sick and value the sanctity of human life. In order to accomplish this, we believe that we must dedicate ourselves to prayer, to the service of Christ, to His authority over and guidance in our lives, and to the sharing of the good news of Christ’s life and ministry to those around us. (Phil 2:12-16a; James 1:27; Matthew 5:43-48, 10:7-8; Luke 9:1-2, 10:27-37; Rom 12-14; Jer 1:5; Psalms 139:13-16)

13. …marriage is solely the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His Church and to provide for the man and woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression, and the means for having children. (Gen 1:26-28, 2:15-25; Matt 19:3-9; Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:18-20, 7:1-16; Eph 5:21-6:4; Heb 13:4; 1 Pet 3:1-7)

Don't agree with these? Let's have that conversation.