What We Believe

While the only "Creed" we confess is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He is our Lord and Savior, below are some general beliefs most people in the congregation hold.

God

We believe that there is one God who created and sustains the entire world. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere at once, and all-loving. God is always good and His fundamental characteristic is love. God is one God in three separate but equal parts (commonly called the Trinity). God exists as God the Father, God the Son (as Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. While this relationship is impossible for us to understand, it’s helpful to think of an apple. An apple has three parts – the skin, the flesh, and the seeds – yet each of these three parts is still an apple. God is holy, perfect, and worthy of worship.

Jesus (Christ)

Jesus is God in the flesh and is the Son of God. Jesus was an integral part of the creation of the universe and has always existed with God the Father. Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary in the city of Bethlehem and while He was on Earth, He did many great things. Jesus is the perfect example of God, and when we know Jesus, we know God. Jesus took all of our sins with Him when He died by crucifixion, he was buried for three days before being raised from the dead in a moment that redefined all of history. In the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, all of our sin and shame were defeated, as was death itself. After His resurrection, Jesus sat down next to God the Father on the Throne in Heaven.

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the part of God that lives inside each Christian. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to overcome temptation, and fills us with faith in God’s promises. The Holy Spirit moves within our churches and guides us to the life God calls us to live.

The Bible

The Bible is the inspired Word of God. It tells us who God is and what He has done. Through the Holy Spirit, God guided the writing, selection, and translation of the texts that appear in our Bibles today. The Bible is designed to reveal God to us and to guide us to a life lived with Christ.

Sin and Salvation

Sin is a big word thrown around all the time in churches but still is very difficult to define. In short, we sin every time we turn away from God. Every time our priorities do not match up with God’s, we sin. Sin is a like a disease that has infected everyone within the world and even infects creation itself. Thankfully, Jesus chose to do what we could not, and through His death, all of our sins have forever been erased (salvation). Through Christ’s death, we have a pathway to eternal life with God in Heaven. God’s love for us is so deep, that He offers this salvation to us freely, as a gift. We can only truly accept this gift when we recognize our own sin, turn away from it, and acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Salvation is given to us by God’s grace alone.

Baptism

Baptism is the public symbol of obedience to Jesus. It reminds us of how Jesus has washed all of our sins away and formally brings us into the universal church. We practice what is called Believer’s Baptism, which means that we only baptize those who are old enough to make the decision to follow Jesus for themselves. We practice baptism using immersion. It should be noted that Baptism is not a requirement for salvation, but rather a public acknowledgement of our decision to follow Jesus.

The Church

The Church is more than any one congregation. The Church is not a building. The Church is not some sort of “Holiness Club.” It is a group of people who acknowledge how desperately they need a Savior, and are committed to chasing after that Savior. The Church is the Body of Jesus Christ on this Earth. We are tasked with meeting together to worship God with our lives and to build the Kingdom of God here on Earth. We build this Kingdom because it is a place where there are no divisions between people, where the blind see, the deaf hear, and the paralyzed can walk. It is a Kingdom where all the sadness of this world doesn’t exist. We are called to make ourselves look more like this Kingdom. As each Christian has the Holy Spirit living inside of them, each of us have a part in building this Kingdom. Each Christian is called to some sort of ministry within the Church, and each of us can develop a personal relationship with God.

Communion

Communion is also known as the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper. We celebrate it weekly at Woodson Chapel. Communion is God's gift to each of us, and just as Jesus died for all people who place their faith in Him, this table is for all people. He prepared the meal and He invites us into His presence. It is a time for each of us to refocus ourselves on the gift Jesus gave us through His death and resurrection. It symbolizes Christ’s presence with each of us through our lives and reminds us of His sacrifice for each of us.

Woodson Chapel Christian Church