Our Statement of Faith — What We Believe
In essential beliefs - we have unity.
"There is one Body and one Spirit...there is
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us
all..."
Ephesians 4:4-6
*In non-essential beliefs - we have liberty.
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without
passing judgment on disputable matters...Who are you to judge
someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls...So then each of us will give
an account of himself to God...So whatever you believe about these
things keep between yourself and God.
Romans 14:1,4, 12, 22
In all our beliefs - we show charity.
"...If I hold in my mind not only all human
knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith
that can move mountains - but have no love, I amount to nothing at
all."
1 Corinthians 13:2 (Ph)
THE ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE:
1. ABOUT GOD
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14
2. ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. 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's glory and will return again someday
to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Matthew 1:22, 23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14, 15; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4; Romans 1:3, 4;
Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14, 15; Titus 2:13
3. ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and
the Son of God. He is
present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus
Christ. He also lives in
every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living,
understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is
right. He gives every
believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily.
2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13;
Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18
4. ABOUT THE BIBLE
The Bible is God's Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural
guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and
living. Because it is
inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error.
2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 1:13;
Psalm 119:105, 160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5
5. ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS
People are made in the spiritual image of God,
to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God's creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all
of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called
"sin." This attitude
separates people from God and causes many problems in life.
Genesis 1:27; Psalms 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a;
Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1, 2
6. ABOUT SALVATION
Salvation is God's free gift to us 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
life by faith.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8, 9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1
7. ABOUT ETERNAL SECURITY
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus
Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot "lose" it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by
the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this
security.
John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10, 14; 1 Peter 1:3-5
8. ABOUT ETERNITY
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. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
John 3:16,2:25, 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 1:8, 2:44, 46.
OUR LIFESTYLE STATEMENT - What we practice
Beliefs are not worth much unless they are
translated into actions. Based on what the Bible teaches, we feel very strongly about the
following seven practices:
Bible as our sole authority.
"The
whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to
teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our
lives; it straightens us out and helps us to do what is right."
2 Timothy 3:15
Since God's Word is the only completely
reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our manual
for living. Our first
question when faced with a decision is "What does the Bible say?" We practice daily Bible reading, Bible study, and Bible
memorization. The Bible
is the basis for all we believe.
Autonomy of each local church.
"Christ
is the head of his Body, the church. He is the source of the Body's life..."
Colossians 1:18(GN)
Christ is the recognized head of our church,
not any person, group, or religious organization. While recognizing the value of associating and cooperating
with other groups of Christians, we believe every local church
should be self-governing and independent from any denominational
control. In relating to
our "daughter churches" that we sponsor, we encourage each
congregation to determine it's own strategy, structure, and style.
Priesthood of every believer
"Christ
loves us, and by his death he has freed us from our sins and made us
a kingdom of priests to serve God."
Revelation 1:6 (GN)
You are...the King's priests...God's own
people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God."
1 Peter 2:9 (GN)
The Bible teaches that every Christian is
called to "full time" Christian service, regardless of his or her
vocation. We practice
the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every
member to find a place of service and ministry. Every believer has direct access to God through prayer and
Bible reading.
Tithing
"A tithe
of everything you produce belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the
Lord."
Leviticus 26:30
At WRCC we practice tithing for the support of
Christ's Body, the church, as God commands. We recognize that giving 10% of our income is the Biblical
standard of giving.
Immersion
"For
when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism
you were also raised with Christ...;
Colossians 2:12 (GN)
We practice baptism by immersion under water -
they way Jesus was baptized, and the way the Bible commands.
Spirit-led living
(Jesus said) "I am the Vine, you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;
but apart from me you can do nothing,
John 15:5
We believe the only way possible to live the
Christian life is by God's power within us. So we seek to practice a daily dependence on God's Spirit to
enable us to do what is right.
Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 5:18
Telling others about Christ
"Always
be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the
reason for the hope that you have."
1 Peter 3:15
It is the responsibility of every Christian to
share the Good News with those God brings us into contact with. We practice personal sharing about Christ and inviting
friends to church.