Core Beliefs
The following are the core beliefs of Faith Ignited based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
God
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe.
He has eternally existed as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three are coequal and are one God. What we think about when we think about God is of supreme importance.
· Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22· Psalm 90:2
· Matthew 28:19· 2 Corinthians 13:14
He has eternally existed as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three are coequal and are one God. What we think about when we think about God is of supreme importance.
· Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22· Psalm 90:2
· Matthew 28:19· 2 Corinthians 13:14
Jesus
Jesus is the Son of God.
He is coequal with the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus was the incarnation of God on earth and was fully God and fully human. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return again someday to earth to reign as King.
· Matthew 1:22, 23· Isaiah 9:6· John 1:1-5· Hebrews 4:14-15
· 1 Corinthians 15:3-4· Romans 1:3-4· Acts 1:9-11
· Colossians 2:9-10· 1 Timothy 6:14-15
He is coequal with the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus was the incarnation of God on earth and was fully God and fully human. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return again someday to earth to reign as King.
· Matthew 1:22, 23· Isaiah 9:6· John 1:1-5· Hebrews 4:14-15
· 1 Corinthians 15:3-4· Romans 1:3-4· Acts 1:9-11
· Colossians 2:9-10· 1 Timothy 6:14-15
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit lives in each Christian from salvation.
The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He provides Christians with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, guidance in doing what is right and administering grace and justice. He gives every believer spiritual gifts when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to submit to his authority daily.
· Acts 1:8· John 14:16-17, 16:7-13· Galatians 5:25·1 Peter 1:2
· 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16· Ephesians 1:13· 2 Corinthians 13:14
The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He provides Christians with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, guidance in doing what is right and administering grace and justice. He gives every believer spiritual gifts when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to submit to his authority daily.
· Acts 1:8· John 14:16-17, 16:7-13· Galatians 5:25·1 Peter 1:2
· 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16· Ephesians 1:13· 2 Corinthians 13:14
The Bible
The Bible is God's Word to us.
The Bible was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs about living. Because it is inspired by God,
it is truth without error in all that it affirms.
It is because Jesus’ story is true that we believe in the truths of scripture.
· 2 Timothy 3:16· 2 Peter 1:20-21· Psalm 119:105, 160, 12:6
· Proverbs 30:5· Isaiah 55:11
The Bible was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs about living. Because it is inspired by God,
it is truth without error in all that it affirms.
It is because Jesus’ story is true that we believe in the truths of scripture.
· 2 Timothy 3:16· 2 Peter 1:20-21· Psalm 119:105, 160, 12:6
· Proverbs 30:5· Isaiah 55:11
People
People are the supreme object of God's creation.
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin." Sin separates us from God and causes many problems in our lives. Sin distorts the image of God and thus our created purpose in life. Sin is the violation of our created purpose in life, which is to bear the image of God. Jesus came to save us from sin.
· Genesis 1:27· Isaiah 53:6· Romans 3:23
· Isaiah 59:1-2· Psalm 139:13-16· Colossians 2:13-15
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin." Sin separates us from God and causes many problems in our lives. Sin distorts the image of God and thus our created purpose in life. Sin is the violation of our created purpose in life, which is to bear the image of God. Jesus came to save us from sin.
· Genesis 1:27· Isaiah 53:6· Romans 3:23
· Isaiah 59:1-2· Psalm 139:13-16· Colossians 2:13-15
Salvation
Salvation is God's free gift of grace to us,
that cost Jesus his earthly life, 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 or her life by faith. Since a relationship is always a two-way matter,
we must reciprocate Jesus’ love in order to receive the benefits
of being in a salvation relationship with Jesus.
God never forces anyone to be in relationship with Him.
· Romans 6:23· Ephesians 2:8-9· John 14:6
· Romans 5:1, 5:8, 10:9-10
that cost Jesus his earthly life, 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 or her life by faith. Since a relationship is always a two-way matter,
we must reciprocate Jesus’ love in order to receive the benefits
of being in a salvation relationship with Jesus.
God never forces anyone to be in relationship with Him.
· Romans 6:23· Ephesians 2:8-9· John 14:6
· Romans 5:1, 5:8, 10:9-10
We were made to live forever
People will exist eternally with or without God.
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 hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life in Heaven. Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence. Heaven and hell are as much about the healthy and correct relationship status with Jesus as they are a physical place.
· John 3:16, 14:17· Romans 6:23· Revelation 20:15
· Philippians 2:5-11· Matthew 25:31-34 , Matthew 25:41
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 hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life in Heaven. Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence. Heaven and hell are as much about the healthy and correct relationship status with Jesus as they are a physical place.
· John 3:16, 14:17· Romans 6:23· Revelation 20:15
· Philippians 2:5-11· Matthew 25:31-34 , Matthew 25:41
Baptism
Baptism is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Baptism is one of two sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ.
Baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace that marks us as officially a member of God’s family. Once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, baptism is a way for us to publicly declare our new life in Christ as an outward sign of an inward grace. It is also a step of obedience based on God’s commands, and it allows us to follow the example of Jesus,
who submitted himself to baptism to "fulfill all righteousness."
We believe that in Baptism God is the main actor and God’s grace is the key action verb, therefore we do not believe that the amount of water used in baptism or the age of a person is a deciding factor in our baptism celebrations
· Matthew 3:16-17, 28:18-20· Acts 2:41, 8:12
· Romans 6:4· Colossians 2:12
Baptism is one of two sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ.
Baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace that marks us as officially a member of God’s family. Once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, baptism is a way for us to publicly declare our new life in Christ as an outward sign of an inward grace. It is also a step of obedience based on God’s commands, and it allows us to follow the example of Jesus,
who submitted himself to baptism to "fulfill all righteousness."
We believe that in Baptism God is the main actor and God’s grace is the key action verb, therefore we do not believe that the amount of water used in baptism or the age of a person is a deciding factor in our baptism celebrations
· Matthew 3:16-17, 28:18-20· Acts 2:41, 8:12
· Romans 6:4· Colossians 2:12
Holy Communion
Holy Communion (Eucharist) is the practice of sharing in
Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Communion is one of two sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ. In taking communion, we remember and experience again Jesus words at the Last Supper where He transformed the Passover meal about deliverance from slavery in Egypt into a meal about His sacrifice and our freedom from slavery to sin. When we share in the communion, we do not believe that the bread and juice actually become the blood and body of Christ, but that they become symbols of Jesus’ body and blood. We believe that the communion experience is open to all people as it is an act of grace through which
the Holy Spirit works in supernatural ways.
· Luke 22:19-20· Matthew 26:26-28
Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Communion is one of two sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ. In taking communion, we remember and experience again Jesus words at the Last Supper where He transformed the Passover meal about deliverance from slavery in Egypt into a meal about His sacrifice and our freedom from slavery to sin. When we share in the communion, we do not believe that the bread and juice actually become the blood and body of Christ, but that they become symbols of Jesus’ body and blood. We believe that the communion experience is open to all people as it is an act of grace through which
the Holy Spirit works in supernatural ways.
· Luke 22:19-20· Matthew 26:26-28