The Bible, God’s Word to us, is central to our relationship with God and each other.  The Bible makes clear that certain truths are essential convictions of the Christian faith. Christian New Life Ministries considers these to be the following:

About God

God is the loving Creator of all that exists, both seen and unseen. God is eternal and completely good, knowing all things, having all power and majesty. God exists as the Trinity, in three distinct persons, yet one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God passionately desires a relationship with us and towards this end, continually invites us into a relationship of faith, friendship, learning, and service. (Genesis 1:1; John 14:6-9; 15-17; 16:7-15; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 John 4:9-10)

About Jesus Christ

God expressed Himself in human form through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God. He is the perfect reflection of God’s character and glory. Born of the Virgin Mary, He lived a sinless life and offered Himself as the only perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. All who believe in Him are declared righteous on the basis of His death. He rose physically from the dead, ascended to heaven, and will return again to Earth to reign forever with those who are His. (Colossians 1:13-23; 2:8-14; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Matthew 22:36-40; 1:18-25; John 1:1; 8:40,58; 11:33; 14:1-3; Hebrews 1:1-8; Acts 1:9-11; 10:42-43; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Romans 5:8-10)

About the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit, sent from God to live inside all who believe in Jesus Christ, teaches, comforts, and empowers us, giving each follower diverse gifts, fostering unity, interdependence, productivity, Christ-like character, and love among Christians. The believer receives the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. The empowering of the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father, is available for every Christian. (Acts 1:8; 2:4; Romans 5:5; 8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 3:16; 4:3-4; 5:18; John 14:26; 16:7-14)

About the Bible

We believe that God speaks to us in the Bible, which is completely without error. It is our privilege to seek to understand God’s message and apply it responsibly to our lives. The Bible is our standard and authority in all we say and do. We believe that God inspired the authors of the Bible, and they are therefore completely trustworthy. The Bible is the final authority on all matters to which it speaks. We believe that God’s unchangeable Biblical message ought to be presented in relevant and contemporary ways, free of religious jargon so it can be understandable to the people of our community. (Matthew 5:17-19; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2; Peter 1:16-21; 2 Peter 3:14-18; Joshua 1:7-8; Acts 17:11; Psalms 19:7-11; 119:9-16, 105)

About Salvation

All people are created with dignity and value in the image of God, to live in a vital relationship with God. Through our sin (failing to live by God’s moral standards), we break our intended relationship with God. On our own, we fall short and experience the destructive consequences of that broken relationship. We see the effects spiritually and socially, in this life and beyond. However, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from those consequences and to restore our broken relationship with God and others. Through Christ’s atoning death on the cross, we are redeemed. Salvation comes to people on the basis of God’s grace through faith in Jesus alone, not by any works we could do ourselves. We receive the free gift of forgiveness and are spiritually reborn through repenting of our sin and believing in Jesus Christ. Good works and a holy life, although totally unable to save us, become the natural product of repentant, believing people. (I Peter 2:24; 3:18; Romans 3:9-28; 6:23; 10:9-10; John 3:16; 5:24; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:3-8; James 2:14-26)