Statement of Faith
Statement of Faith
from South Potomac Church
1. We believe in God.
God, the Creator of heaven and earth, exists and has revealed Himself to mankind. The Bible is a special expression of this revelation. This revelation also finds its ultimate expression in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. God is spirit and eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. We believe in the Bible.
The Bible, the books of the Old and New Testament, is the inspired Word of God, infallible and inerrant in the original writings. It is our only absolutely trustworthy guide and the supreme and final authority for faith and life.
3. We believe in sin.
Man and woman were created in the image of God. Subsequent to creation they sinned, and thereby incurred, not only physical death, but also spiritual death. As a consequence human beings now experience both separation from God and alienation from each other. Since that original sin all people are born with a sinful nature.
4. We believe in Jesus Christ and His Death for us.
Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, preexistent with the Father, and the eternal Word become flesh, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He was crucified, suffered, bled, and died. He was buried and three days later rose from the grave victorious over death and the powers of darkness. He ascended to the right hand of God the Father where He is glorified as Lord of all.
5. We believe in the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit convinces men and women of sin, effectually calls them, and is the divine agent by whom they are born again into the kingdom of God. He indwells, enlightens, and empowers believers to live in union with Christ. Each believer has been endowed by the Holy Spirit with spiritual gifts for the edification of Christ’s Church and the expansion of His kingdom.
6. We believe in justification by faith.
Men and women are accountable for their response to the forgiveness, pardon, and reconciliation offered them in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we trust in Him, we are freely justified by God’s grace, receive eternal life, and are adopted into His family. Failure to believe in Him results in eternal separation from God.
7. We believe in holy living.
God’s will is for believers to exhibit transformed lives evidenced by purity, holiness, and growth in Christ-like character. He desires that they each participate, according to their spiritual gifts, in the task of effectively sharing the message of salvation with those who have yet to believe in Jesus.
8. We believe in the Church, universal and local.
The Church consists of all those who have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. When individuals enter into a relationship with Christ, they also become members of His universal church which is visibly represented by local assemblies or churches of believers. The primary purpose of the Church, both universal and local, is to worship God and glorify Him by building up believers and effectively reaching the world with the gospel of Christ.
The ordinances of the church are two in number: Baptism, or the public identification of the believer with Christ; and the Lord’s Supper, a memorial of the atoning death of Christ until He comes again.
9. We believe in the return of Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ will one day return personally, bodily, and visibly to judge all the peoples of the earth and to establish His kingdom, over which He will reign in righteousness and peace. Since His return may be at any time, we should strive to live holy lives pleasing to Him.
10. We believe in resurrection and rewards.
All men and women will ultimately face bodily resurrection and judgment, for the believer resulting in rewards and for the unbeliever resulting in punishment. On the basis of belief in Christ’s atoning death the believer will ultimately spend a life of everlasting joy in the presence of God, and on the basis of rejection of Christ’s atoning death the unbeliever will ultimately spend a life of everlasting sorrow separated from the presence of God.