What We Believe
At CRC, it is our intent to — in the words of Paul to his young protégé Timothy -- “watch our lives and doctrine closely.”
“Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” --1 Timothy 4:12-16
Why is this so important?
We are in a titanic battle for truth and a biblical worldview. If we don’t know what we believe, we won’t be able to “save our hearers.” (1 Tim 4:16)
Knowing the essential truths of the Word ensures we won’t regress into a selfish, false form of the Gospel. Rather than getting excited about our “now season” or “how we are positioned for blessing,” we will stay focused on Christ and on eternity.
These beliefs are the cornerstones of our faith. We must always check and recheck the foundation on which the whole house is built!
We believe that:
The Holy Scriptures, comprised of Old and New Testaments, are fully and verbally inspired by God and are therefore infallible in the original writings and completely trustworthy in all areas in which they speak. Their central salvation message and essential teachings are clear and accessible to all who follow the standard and self-evident rules of literary interpretation. They are therefore the supreme, unmediated, and final authority of faith and practice for every believer. (2 Tim 3:16-17)
This belief means that rather than relying on pop psychology, talk show hosts, current trends, or even the words of the preacher, you must fall in love with your Bible again and be diligent in learning how to interpret it AND obeying it.
There is only one eternal, almighty and perfect God. Within the Being of this one true God exist three eternally distinct and coequal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three Persons are the one true God. (Matt 28:18-20)
This belief affects our understanding of the Gospel, redemption, the Resurrection, and the nature of God. Considering the implications of the Trinity should motivate YOU to love, give, and serve as God did and does.
As theologian James R. White put it, “To be consistent and honest in our worship and witness, we must know who God is, and how God has revealed Himself to us. We must acknowledge the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, as Scripture has revealed them to be related to one another and to us. If the Bible is truly God-breathed, then we must worship God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. This is the plain verdict of the entire Bible. This is how God has revealed Himself, and we must love Him in truth. That truth is expressed in the words of the great hymn, “God in three Persons, blessed Trinity.” Let us, then, bless our majestic God! And let us more and more love the truth that is the Trinity!”
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, who took upon Himself human flesh through the miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He who is true God became true man, uniting two natures in one person forever. Christ lived a perfect, sinless life, died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, and ascended into Heaven where He now serves as our High Priest, our only Mediator. He will return bodily and visibly to the earth as King of kings and will judge every human being who has ever lived. (Jn 1:1-3)
Praise God! This belief should motivate you to tell everyone you can about our Savior, King, High Priest and Advocate, who is “the way, the truth, and the life!” (Jn 14:6)
The Holy Spirit is the eternal Third Person of the Triune God, the Regenerator and Sanctifier of the redeemed, the Bestower of spiritual fruit and gifts, and the abiding Advocate who empowers believers for godly living and service. (Jn 14:15-18; Acts 1:8))
This belief should give you both the faith and the commitment to action to do everything God instructs. Why? Because He is empowering you to do so!
In Adam human beings were created in the image of God (i.e., they share in a finite way the communicable attributes of God, including personality, spirituality, rationality, and morality). Through the fall of Adam that image of God in humanity has been defiled, although not eradicated. Every human being is radically corrupt and estranged from God. Human beings are condemned by God because of their descent into sin, both through their relationship to Adam and through individual choice. The desperate need of humanity is forgiveness of sins and consequent restoration of fellowship with God; yet humans remain totally unable to atone for and restore themselves. (Jn 3:16-21)
This belief should humble you, cause you to worship, motivate you to share your faith, and help you understand why people do what they do. The only answer for fallen man is Christ!
Jesus' death on the cross provided a penal substitutionary (He took our punishment) atonement for the sins of humanity. In salvation we are rescued from God's wrath by His unmerited grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone. (1 Pet 2:24)
This belief should fill your thoughts and heart with consistent awe and reverence. How could we possibly live selfishly and haphazardly if we believe this?
Those who have received the free gift of salvation will be raised from the dead or raptured (snatched up from their earthly lives) to meet Christ at His Second Coming, and their bodies will be transformed like unto His glorious, immortal body. They will live forever in the fellowship and Kingdom of God in a new heaven and a new earth. Eternal, conscious punishment apart from the fellowship and Kingdom of God (hell) is the ultimate destiny of unredeemed humanity, Satan, and his entire angelic host.
This belief should cause you to live for eternity. This should affect how you forgive, use your time, what you read, and how you treat others.
The Christian church, which is the body and bride of Christ, is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Corporately and individually, its members strive to worship, serve, and glorify God through prayer and praise, diligent study and application of the Scriptures, evangelism, sanctified living, good works, and observance of the rites of baptism and the Lord's Supper. The ultimate mission of the church is the discipleship of all nations - not only the saving of souls (which is primary) but also the bringing of the gospel to bear on every aspect of life and thought - until the Lord returns.
This belief should alter your view of the church from “somewhere I go for me” to “something I live” for Christ. We must remove consumerism from our view of the eternal Body of Christ.