Our Faith & Virtues

 

 Live a Gospel Life

What we believe determines what we do. What we do is who we are.

Our Faith

 

Scripture

The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. It was uniquely, verbally, and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and was written without error in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority in faith and life in every age.

God

There is but one God, infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and love, Creator of the universe, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each of whom possesses all the essence and attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.

Humanity

God fearfully and wonderfully creates each person as male or female in the image of God to glorify Him. Because humanity is made in God’s image, all humans have equal dignity and worth before their Creator and all human life has sacred value from conception to death. Adam and Eve were originally created innocent before God, but chose to disobey God and became separated from the Creator. This act introduced sin into the world and infected the nature of all humanity to follow, including us. Our corrupted nature leaves us without spiritual life, incapable of pleasing God by our own human effort, and in need of salvation in order to enjoy a restored and intimate relationship with God.

Jesus Christ

God the Father, by His own choice and out of love for sinful people, sent Jesus Christ into the world to reconcile sinners to Himself. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He was God in the flesh, both true God and true man. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and voluntarily suffered and died as our substitute to pay the penalty for our sins, thus satisfying God’s justice and accomplishing salvation for all those who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. He bodily ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and humanity, makes intercession for His own. He will return to earth personally, visibly, and bodily to judge all people and establish His kingdom.

Salvation

People are freed from the penalty for their sins not as a result, in whole or in part, of their own works, goodness, or religious ceremony, but by the undeserved favor of God alone. God declares righteous all who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ, to convict people of their sins, and to impart new life to all who place their faith in Christ. He indwells believers from the moment of spiritual birth, seals them until the day of redemption, and empowers them to live a life pleasing to God.

Assurance

All who are born again of the Spirit can be fully assured of their eternal life from the very moment they put their faith in Christ. This assurance is not based on any kind of human merit, but upon the fact of God’s election, upon Christ’s complete payment for our sins, and upon the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, whom is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.

Resurrection of the Dead

At physical death, the believer enters immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his or her body to everlasting glory, and blessing. At physical death, the unbeliever enters into eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his or her body to everlasting suffering, judgment, and condemnation.

Baptism & The Lord's Supper

Jesus Christ has instructed those who believe in Him to be baptized in water as a symbol of their new birth in Christ. Baptism is only for those who have personally believed in Christ. Our practice is to baptize by immersion. The Lord also instituted the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance of His suffering, death, and resurrection. Neither baptism nor the Lord’s Supper has any merit in helping a person obtain eternal life.

The Church

All true believers make up the church worldwide and should assemble together in local churches for worship, prayer, fellowship, and teaching, in order to become conformed to the image of Christ and to become equipped to carry out the ‘Great Commission’ that Christ gave His followers in Matthew 28:19-20.

Marriage

God designed marriage for humanity. As first described in Genesis and later affirmed by Jesus, marriage is a God-ordained, covenant relationship between a man and a woman. This lifelong, sexually exclusive relationship brings children into the world and thus sustains the stewardship of the earth. Biblical marriage--marked by faithfulness, sacrificial love, and joy--displays the relationship between God and His people.

 

Urban Refuge Virtues

When we embody beliefs and values, they become living and breathing virtues that reveal who we really are. The abundant life that Jesus gives and invites us to live fully into is received by faith, embraced in the mind, and practiced in action. We believe God has expressly called our church to pursue, emphasize, and live into these virtues.

 

Live a Gospel Life

The Gospel is the heart of everything we do. The love and forgiveness of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ propel us by the power of the Holy Spirit to follow Him, be like Him, and do like Him. We desire to proclaim the hope found in His saving grace and share the truth that sets us all free.

Live a Humble Life

Humility opens the doors to greater experiences of God’s grace, which in turn enables us to extend Christlike grace to others. We treasure God’s Word, the Bible, as our greatest way of understanding God and how to live a life that reflects His kingdom. We come to the Word humbly and with teachable hearts so we can learn from the Good Shepherd. We strive to live in humility and understanding toward others, trusting that each of us has something to teach and something to learn.

Live a Connected Life

Life is far better lived in circles than in rows. Church isn’t just about attending on Sundays; it’s about doing life together as followers of Jesus Christ and expressing His love to the community we are planted in. We believe this is true not only of individuals, but also of congregations. Prompted by the Spirit, we invite opportunities to partner with other churches and ministries. We believe that we are better together than alone, and trust that God will bless unity and use it to demonstrate His heart to a watching world.

Live a Peacemaking Life

A life of faith is meant to impact our entire being, including our conscience, our will, and our affections. Compartmentalized faith and relationships divided by hostilities and earthly differences of economics, age, and ethnicity will only yield a fraction of what life could be. We pursue life in harmony with God and others which gives us the clarity and courage to live justly, mercifully, and humbly.

Live a Spiritually Healthy Life

We place a high value on healthy single, married, and family life. We want to help each other love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies. We desire to experience healing for generational patterns of dysfunction so that we can be spiritually, emotionally, and relationally healthy in the present. We strive to inspire future generations to claim their faith and establish their own authentic relationships with Jesus Christ.

Live a Generous Life

We are never more like God than when we give. We’ve not only been given salvation through Jesus Christ but gifts of unique talents, abilities, and resources. We long to see lives given to God’s work through generous contributions of service and resources in our church, in our community, and in our world.