Statement of Faith

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God is the creator of the world we live in. He controls what happens with His creation. He is eternal, meaning that He has always existed and always will. He exists in three forms, all at  the same time - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 

All human beings, male and female, were made in the spiritual image of God. His intent was that we would conform to His character. Mankind was made to give God glory - to be living, walking, breathing reminders that He exists. We fall short of the standard because of sin, our innate predisposition to disobey God. It is part of us and was not caused by anything we experienced after we were born. Our sinful attitude separates us from God. We cannot have a right relationship with God on our own--we need to be forgiven of our sin, and that is only possible by believing that Jesus's sacrificial death on the cross was for each of us.  

Eternal life is promised to all of us. We are not earthly beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience! We have two possible destinations when our lives on Earth end - Heaven and Hell. The difference between destinations does not depend on whether you were a good person or a bad person; it depends on whether or not you have asked Jesus Christ into your heart and accepted the gift of salvation for the penalty of your sins. If you have accepted Christ, you are as sure to live forever in Heaven as if you were already there right now! 

Jesus Christ is the only Son of God the Father. He came to this Earth in human form more than 2,000 years ago, lived a sinless life and died a sacrificial death for every sin that mankind had committed to that point and would commit afterward. He then rose from the dead and resides in Heaven with God the Father. He has promised to return to Earth to establish a Kingdom here, and all who have accepted a relationship with Him. We describe those who are part of that Kingdom as the ones who are "saved" or "born again."  

Salvation is the condition of being forgiven of one's sins. It's not the end of your life as a Christian; it is the beginning! Men, women and children who are saved express their love for God by serving Him, telling others about Him and worshipping Him - thanking Him for who He is and what He has done. Church services involve many ways of worshipping God through music, the sharing of His word, fellowship with others and financially supporting His work. A true worship service isn't about any individual; it is about God. 

The Holy Spirit is the presence of God here, presently, as described in Acts Chapter 2 and throughout the Bible. Becoming a more mature Christian involves allowing the Holy Spirit to take control over every aspect of your life. It is a long and difficult process. In fact, it never ends, because even after we're saved, we retain our sinful nature. When we become more familiar with the Holy Spirit, He provides us with power for living, understanding of God's ways, courage to share His love with others and guidance to live right. 

The Bible is God's Word for His people. It was written over the course of centuries by human authors under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is inspired, meaning it reflects God's heart for how we should live and not the opinions of the human authors. It is also inerrant, meaning that it is absolutely true in all respects, according to 2 Timothy 3:16.

The Bible is Truth and our challenge is to obey it fully, and seek understanding for what we do not understand to come into agreement with the Word of God. The Bible is God's standard, and we experience more success in our spiritual lives as we conform our lives to its teachings. There are many translations of the Bible available, but you can find His heart and His directions for us in any one of them. 

The Church is the fellowship of all Christians around the world.  All men and women who have sincerely accepted Jesus Christ as Lord (ruler) and Savior (salvation giver) of their lives are members of what is also called the Body of Christ and the Family of God. As in any other family, we can disagree about many things. But also as in any other family, when we have the same Father we have a common bond that never goes away.

The local assembly is also the most common term for an individual body of Christian believers - like Gospel Road Church. More than just a building, a church is a community of faithful men and women united to worship God together and make Him known to others in a variety of ways.

Baptism is a ritual or sacrament practiced in Christian churches to demonstrate that an individual life has been transformed by salvation through Jesus Christ.  It is not a substitute for salvation through Jesus Christ. It is not a substitute for salvation, but a public recognition that salvation has transformed an individual life. At Gospel Road Church (GRC) we believe baptism can only occur if a man, woman or child has the capability of understanding what salvation means. We call it water baptism because it involves immersion in a body of water. There is nothing wrong with dedicating an infant or young child to God, but it does not take the place of that child's eventual need to  make his or her own decision for Jesus Christ.  

Baptism in the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost baptism, is a noticeable indication of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life, such as what happened in Acts chapter 2. It can show in many ways. There are many manifestations of Holy Ghost baptism you will find at our church. For those who accept the Baptism, a dimension to their relationship with God is available that they did not have before. 

Communion is a sacrament practiced within the Church to remember the sacrificial death and promised return of Jesus Christ. There are many different ways to observe communion, but each way is modeled on a ceremony Jesus led His disciples in the day before His death, and uses bread or wafers and juice. Communion is most commonly observed during worship services of a local church, but at GRC we believe it can and should be celebrated individually and among families - any time a Christians choose to remember Him together - and can be done as after as one is led to do it.

Tithing is God's command for His people to give to His work through local congregations. We believe the Bible supports paying one's tithe to his or her local congregation. 

Offerings are financial gifts above and beyond the tithe. They are commonly targeted toward a specific church project, such as a compassionate outreach or other event, or the purchase or construction of facilities. They can also be given as an indication of trusting God for a specific need in your personal life. 

Biblical Sexuality is expressly defined by God. Before birth, God wonderfully and  immutably creates each person as male or female through genetic encoding and physiological manifestation. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one's biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within a person. 

God ordained the family as the foundation of human society, and that it's made up of people related by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman. 

Marriage has only one meaning: the uniting of one biological man and one biological woman in a single, exclusive union, as precisely described in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only within the confines of marriage. Because marriage is a covenant between one man, one woman, and God, the church has the responsibility, in its sole discretion, to evaluate the readiness of those seeking to enter into the marriage covenant. The church may decline to perform or host a marriage ceremony that is contrary to the church's Statement of Faith or the Bible.