STATEMENT OF BELIEFS

IN ESSENTIAL BELIEFS — WE HAVE UNITY.
IN NON-ESSENTIAL BELIEFS — WE HAVE LIBERTY.
IN ALL OUR BELIEFS — WE SHOW CHARITY (LOVE).

THE ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE:

1. ABOUT GOD
In the name of God, we declare and confess before men that we believe in the only true God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; that these three are one; the Father in the Son, the Son in the Father, and the Holy Spirit equal in essence or being with both; that this triune God created the heavens and the earth and all that in them is, visible as well as invisible, and furthermore sustains, governs, protects, and supports the same.
(Genesis 1:1,26,27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

2. ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
We believe in Jesus Christ; that He is fully God and man; that He became incarnate (flesh) by the power of the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary and was born of her; that He is the Savior and Mediator of the whole human race, if they with full faith in Him accept the grace proffered in Jesus; that this Jesus suffered and died on the cross for us, was buried, arose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and now sits on the right hand of God to intercede for us; and that He shall come again to judge the quick and the dead. (Matthew 1:22, 23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1 Cor. 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13)

3. ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, guidance in doing what is right and comfort. He gives every believer at least one spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily.(2 Cor. 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18; Galatians 5:25)

4. ABOUT THE BIBLE
The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error. (2 Timothy 1:13, 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20,21; Psalm 12:6, 119:105,160; Proverbs 30:5)

5. ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. This attitude and subsequent behavior separates people from God and causes many problems in life. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a, 59:1, 2; Romans 3:23)

6. ABOUT SALVATION
Salvation is God’s free gift to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 3:16, 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5)

7. ABOUT ETERNITY
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is eternal death in Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence in Heaven. (John 3:16, 14:17; Romans 6:23, 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9)

OUR LIFESTYLE STATEMENT
Beliefs are not worth much unless they are translated into actions (James 1:22-25). Based on what the Bible teaches, we feel very strongly about the following eight practices:

BIBLE AS OUR SOLE AUTHORITY
Since God’s Word is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our manual for living. Our first question when faced with a decision is “What does the Bible say?” We practice daily Bible reading, Bible study, and Bible memorization. The Bible is the basis for all we believe. (2 Timothy 3:16,17; Psalm 18:30)

AUTHORITY
Jesus is the recognized head of our ministry, not any person, group, or religious organization. However, we recognize the value of associating and cooperating with other groups of Christians to further His Kingdom work. Therefore, we endeavor to cooperate with our denomination, local churches and ministries as God leads us with the common purpose of making disciples of Jesus who reach out to their community. (Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 4:15)

SPIRIT-LED LIVING
We believe the only way possible to live the Christian life is by God’s power within us. So we seek to practice a daily dependence on God’s Spirit to enable us to do what is right. This is only possible through a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ. For, to abide in Him is to totally depend upon Him. (Phil. 2:13, Eph. 5:18)

TELLING OTHERS ABOUT CHRIST
It is the privilege and responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with those with whom God brings us into contact. We practice personal sharing of Jesus and inviting friends to rub shoulders with our church family both informally and formally. (Mark 16:15; 1 Peter 3:15; Acts 5:42; Matthew 28:16-20)

CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THE CHURCH
God’s Church is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ. However, God calls us to continually meet together in smaller groupings which we call local churches. All of us need help and encouragement to grow in our faith. So, God has created the local church to bring us together to enjoy worshipping, learning, serving, sharing and fellowshipping before we are sent out to reach lost people. Without the church, we are like an orphan that is left to fend for himself or herself. We don’t want that to happen. Therefore, we attempt to connect every believer with a local Christian church like Blue Rock. (Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:42-47)

MINISTRY (PRIESTHOOD) OF EVERY BELIEVER
The Bible teaches that every Christian is called to “full time” Christian service, regardless of his or her vocation. And, we practice the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry within the church. Every believer has direct access to God through prayer and God’s Word. (1 Peter 2:4-9; Romans 12:3-7; Revelation 1:6)

BAPTISM
We prefer to baptize by immersion under water. However, we are flexible to meet the physical needs of the person being baptized. Sprinkling and pouring are offered as alternatives to immersion. For, the method is not nearly as important as the activity taking place. For, it is in baptism that we publicly proclaim our faith in God and member-ship in His family. We follow Jesus’ example and command (Colossians 2:12; Matthew 3:13-17, 28:16-20)

TITHING
At Blue Rock Church we practice tithing for the support of Christ’s body, the church, as God commands. We recognize that giving the first 10% of our income is the minimum Biblical standard of giving and should always be an expression of our love towards God who first loved us by sacrificing His one and only Son. For God loves a cheerful giver and honors those who give generously to help build His Kingdom understanding that we are managers not owners of our wealth. (Genesis 14:18-20; Leviticus 27:30; Malachi 3:10-12; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Luke 12:16-48)