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In essential beliefs we have unity
"There is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all." (Ephesians 4:4-6)
In non-essential beliefs we have liberty
"Accept
him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matter.
Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he
stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him
stand. So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. So
whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and
God." (Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22)
In all our beliefs we show charity
"If
I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all
knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not
love, I am nothing." (1 Cor. 13:2)
About the Bible...
The
Holy Spirit inspired human authors to write the books of the Bible.
Every word of scripture is chosen by God himself. The Bible is God's
love letter to all of humanity and is the final authority in every
issue it communicates. It is complete truth, and we can trust it for
all matters in this life and eternity.
(Exodus 24:4;
Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalm 19:7-10;
119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36; Matthew
5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts
2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews
1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
About God...
Many
people have differing ideas about the nature of God. Most of those
ideas have one thing in common: they are the product of human
intellect! When it comes to our Creator, it matters very little who we
think God is. The Bible is the only trustworthy source for
understanding Him. Scripture teaches that God created everything we can
see -- and even everything we can't see -- out of nothing. Although it
might be difficult for the human mind to comprehend, the Bible teaches
that He is one yet has existed since the beginning of time as three
distinct and equal persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
(Genesis
1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2;
Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah
43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9;
28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans
8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians
1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7)
About Jesus...
Jesus
Christ is God's Son and an equal of the Father. He has existed from the
beginning of time, yet lived on earth during the first century A.D.
Throughout His earthly life, He was completely God and completely human
at the same time. After living a perfect, sinless life, Jesus offered
Himself as the perfect sacrifice for every human being who has ever
lived by dying on a Roman cross. After three days in the grave, He
defeated sin and death by rising from the grave. He then ascended to
Heaven and will return to earth one day to reign as King.
(Genesis
18:1ff.; Psalm 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23;
3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1;
3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38;
11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28;
Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21;
8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2
Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11;
4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians
4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15;
7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John
1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14;
12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16)
About the Holy Spirit...
The
Holy Spirit is a full and equal part of the Trinity. He works in the
world to make all people understand their need for Jesus Christ. The
Holy Spirit lives inside every follower of Jesus from the moment they
decide to follow Him. The Spirit is our power source for life, ministry
and spiritual growth. To tap into that power, we must continually yield
to the Holy Spirit.
(Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalm
51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1;
12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12;
24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38;
4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans
8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians
4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy
3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John
4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17)
About Humanity...
Man
is the pinnacle of God's creation and the only being on the earth whom
God made in His own spiritual image, with the moral ability to choose
right from wrong. Every person, although endowed with the image of God,
inherited a disobedient heart from Adam, the very first man. This
attitude of disobedience (called sin in the Bible), unless rectified
through Christ, forever keeps man from forming a relationship with his
Creator. This attitude also keeps us from being the kind of person God
created us to be.
(Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalm
1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts
17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25;
8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22;
Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11)
About Salvation...
Our
disobedient nature has eternally separated us from our Creator. No
matter how hard we try, we can never earn our way back into God's
presence. Our only hope is to trust Jesus as God's provision for our
disobedience. Whenever you make that decision, you step into the
eternal and abundant life Jesus promises for all believers.
(Genesis
3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6;
Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29;
15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32;
Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39;
10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2
Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians
1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1
Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3;
5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John
1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5)
About Eternal Security...
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true
believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been
genuinely saved, you cannot "lose" it. Salvation is maintained by the
grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is
the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.
(John 3:16; John 10:27-29; Rom. 8:35-39; John 6:37,39; Eph. 1:13-14; John 5:24)
About Christian Growth...
God
has set us apart (sanctified us) for the purpose of growing us to
become more like His Son. Through our faith in the Bible and the
transforming work of the Holy Spirit, God changes our heart in order to
change our character and actions. God's promise is that when we reach
heaven, He will complete the process of making every believer like
Jesus.
(Deuteronomy 4:1,5,9,14; 6:1-10; 31:12-13; Nehemiah
8:1-8; Job 28:28; Psalm 19:7ff.; 119:11; Proverbs 3:13ff.; 4:1-10;
8:1-7,11; 15:14; Ecclesiastes 7:19; Matthew 5:2; 7:24ff.; 28:19-20;
Luke 2:40; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 4:8;
Colossians 2:3,8-9; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17; Hebrews
5:12-6:3; James 1:5; 3:17)
About Evil...
While
God will one day do away with all evil, He currently allows evil in the
world - which provides mankind a choice. Satan is the source of all
evil and will suffer an eternity of separation from God for his
choices. (Hell was originally prepared for the devil and his demons.)
Evil is present in the world because of mankind's choice in the Garden
of Eden. Because of Jesus, we have the opportunity to choose the
goodness of God's grace over evil. While God could eliminate evil
immediately, He endures the grief of waiting to do so in order to give
more people the opportunity to come to faith in Him. God is able to
cause all things, even the evil in this world, to work together for the
good of those who love Him.
(Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:1-24;
Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Psalm 100:5; John 3:19; Psalm 81:12;
Revelation 12:7-9; Revelation 20:10; 1 Corinthians 15:56; Colossians
2:15; 1 John 2:2; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9; Romans 8:28-29)
About Eternity...
God
made you to exist forever. Heaven is a perfect place, and since none of
us is perfect we were all headed for an eternity of separation from
God. That's why God sent Jesus: to pay the price for our sins so that
we can spend eternity with Him. What you decide about Jesus Christ in
this life will determine where you will spend eternity. If you reject
Him, you'll spend it eternally separated from God in Hell. If you
accept Him, you'll spend it eternally connected with Him in Heaven.
Hell is a place of separation, suffering and darkness. Heaven is a
place of eternal joy in God's presence.
(Isaiah 2:4; 11:9;
Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark
8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John
14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5;
15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians
1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1
Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8;
2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11;
20:1-22:13)
About the Church...
The
Bible tells us that the church is the body of Christ in the world
today. The New Testament tells us the church is a local body of
baptized believers. The head of the church is Jesus Christ. The
biblical purposes of the church are worship, evangelism, fellowship,
discipleship and ministry to others. We state those purposes in a
process in Impact's Purpose Statement: To introduce people to Jesus,
merge them into our fellowship, prepare them in God's Word, lead them
to activate their gifts in ministry, and celebrate God's presence in
order to transform our community for God.
(Matthew 16:15-19;
18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30;
16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14;
12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1;
Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1
Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3)
About the Second Coming of Jesus...
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its
appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return
personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised;
and Christ will judge all men in righteousness.
(Isaiah 2:4; 11:9;
Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark
8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John
14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5;
15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians
1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1
Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8;
2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11;
20:1-22:13)
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