Know God

A disciple should gather together with the corporate church body for weekly worship. During this time, believers are equipped and edified for the work of ministry through expository preaching of God’s Word.

The Good News of Salvation for sinners comes only through God’s saving grace — not human effort — (i.e. no one can be good enough or religious enough) and must be received personally by repentance of their sins and faith in Jesus Christ as a free gift from God and part of His good purpose (Ephesians 2:4-9; Matthew 4:17; Acts 2:38; Acts 20:21). Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God (Matthew 3:8). Faith is accepting Christ as Savior and trusting Him with all their heart, mind, and spirit and to follow Him for the rest of their life on earth. This faith will always lead the saved to pursue being a disciple of Jesus and to represent his character on earth to humanity.

Repentance and Faith are inseparable experiences of God’s grace as part of regeneration, or the new birth, where sinners become new creations (who are ‘born again’) in Christ Jesus (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38)

Regeneration is a change of heart caused by the Holy Spirit through the conviction of sin and the revelation of Jesus as Lord and Savior (2 Corinthians 4:6; Titus 3:5). The Holy Spirit indwells the believer at the time of salvation (Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:2).

Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal of all sinners who repent and trust in Christ that gives the believer the righteousness of Christ (Romans 4:6,11; Romans 10:10-11; I Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9) and gives them a relationship of peace and favor with God (Romans 5:1-2; Galatians 2:16)

Those Who are Born Again (Regenerated Believers) have new affections for God and a new ambition to live for Him (Ezekiel 36:26; Matthew 22:37-39; I John 2:15; I John 3:9-10; Titus 2:11-14). This begins the process of sanctification by which the believer is progressively changed into Christ-likeness (Romans 6:22, 8:29; Colossians 3:10). Believers follow in obedience with the Holy Spirit in this process of growth and transformation (Philippians 2:12-13; I Timothy 4:7-8; Galatians 5:16) through various spiritual disciplines and a new nature in Jesus Christ. The believer is enabled by the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit to walk in a growing relationship with the living God (Galatians 5:25), to cultivate Christian character (2 Peter 1:5-7), and to serve Christ and His Church through spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12:4-6). All true believers persevere to the end of the age, being kept by the power of God through faith (Mark 13:13; I Corinthians 15:1-2; Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 3:14; Jude 24)