Statment of Faith

Cumberland Road Christian Church

Purpose & Beliefs

This is a summary of the Purpose & Beliefs of Cumberland Road Christian Church.

It is not a substitute for or an addition to God's Word, the Holy Bible. Scripture quotations are from the New International Version 1984

STATEMENT OF FAITH

What We Believe

In Essential Beliefs - We Have Unity

We believe in one God. God the Father, Son and the Holy Spitit is the creator of all things visible and invisible. the Bible is the inspired word of God and authority for faith & practice. We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ alone. (Isaiah 44:6,46:9; Genesis 1:1; John 1:14; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Ephesians 2:8-9)

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 and Practices - We Show Love

"if I .... can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:2

What We Believe About

1. God

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, the supernatural, eternal, pre-existent Creator and Ruler of all things. God is one, a unity of three, as revealed to us in Scripture as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1,26-27; Matthew 3:16-17; Joh 1:1-3,14; 4:24; 14:15-31; Acts 17:24-31)

2. Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is God in human form, God's one and only Son. He existed before creation in Heaven with the Father and Spirit. (John 1:1-3, 14-18; 8:58; 20:28)

Jesus was born both fully human and fully divine, conceived of the Holy Spirit through the Virgin Mary. (Colossians 2:9; Luke 1:26-38)

Christ lived a sinless, perfect life and "showed us the Father." (Hebrews 1:3; 4:15; John 1:18; 14:6-14)

He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people through His suffering and death on the cross. (Luke 23:44-24:8; John 20:24-31; Galatians 3:13)

Jesus was buried, and then on the third day was raised to eternal life. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

He is the one and only Savior and Redeemer of mankind. (Isaiah 43:11; John 14:6; Acts 4:8-12)

He ascended to Heaven, now sits at the right hand of the Father, and will return to earth to judge both the living and the dead. (Luke 22:69; John 14:1-3; Acts 7:56; 1 Peter 4:5)

3. Holy Spirit

Promised by Christ, the Holy Spirt is the Counselor, the third member of the Trinity, and Divine in every respect. He is sent by God the Father to 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 spiritual gifts, supernatural power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, discipleship, and guidance in doing what is right. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; John 16:7-15; John 14:16-17,26; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16, 6:19; 12:1-14:40; Ephesians 1:13-23; 5:18; Galatians 5:22-25)

4. Bible

the Bible, 66 Books, Genesis to Revelation, is the inspired word of God, given perfectly to man by God and preserved reliably for our benefit through all time. (2 Timothy 3:15-17; Colossians 1:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Hebrews 4:12-13)

the Bible is GOd's Word and is the only completely reliable and truthful authority. Therefore, we accept the Bible as our manual for living.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

5. Salvation

Every person is created in the image of God to fellowship with Him. Every person has worth as a creation of God, but all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus willingly offered Himself as the solution to our problem of slavery to self, sin and separation from God. (Romans 3:23; 6:23) Salvation is found only in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12)

"9If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Romans 10:9-10

In response to God's Gift of Salvation we are called to repent of sin, confess our faith and be baptized into Him. (Romans 6:1-8, 10:9-13)

6. Baptism

"....Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:38

The word for "baptism" in the New Testament is the Greek word "baptize", which means "to immerse in water." Therefore, at Cumberland Road Church, we baptize individuals by immersing them in water to identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Our practice is to follow New Testament examples that describe this process as immediately following the expression of faith. (Acts 2:37-41, 8:36-38, 9:17-19, 16:27-34, 19:1-5)

7. The Lord's Supper

In keeping with our desire to follow New Testament practices we partake of the Lord's Supper every Sunday in remembrance of Christ's death and in celebration of His resurrection. All Christians are invited to join us in this act of worship. (Acts 2:24; 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:17; Matthew 26:26-30)

8. Heaven & Hell

Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. Either we will exist eternally separated from God by sin in Hell or be in union with God through His forgiveness and grace in Heaven. (John 3:16-18; 3:36, 17:1-5; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 25; Mark 16:16; Luke 16:19-31)

9. Church

The Church of Jesus Christ was founded on the Day of Pentecost and consists of all Christians everywhere. (Matthew 16:13-18; Acts 2:14-47)

"Christ is the head of His Body, the church, He is the source of the Body's Life..."Colossians 1:18

The church exists to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ by Gathering together for prayer, worship, Bible Study, the Lord's Supper, tithes and offering, encouragement, and edifying one another through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and practical ministry. (acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Corinthians 12-14)

"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,5so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us." Romans 12:4-6

"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body - whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many." 1 Corinthians 12:12-14

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work." 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

10. Stewardship

Each member "should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.... so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 4:10-11

The God of the universe invites us to join Him in His work. No other invitation compares to this invitation to volunteer our talents, time, and finances to the Lord. Every Christian has been given one or more gifts by God to serve God, the church and others. (Romans 12:1-21; 1 Corinthians 12:1-26)

11.Prayer

In keeping with the heart of God, CRC seeks to become the "House of Prater" God has called us to be. This is accomplished by having prayer permeate all aspects and ministries of CRC including our personal lives. (Mark 1:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18-20)

12. Tithes and Offerings

Financial giving is a private matter between each individual and GOd. Members are encouraged to prayerfully tithe and sacrificially give as they have been blessed by GOd. Since we are merely stewards of God's money, we should cheerfully give back to God to fulfill the ministry of Christ's church at CRC. (1 Chronicles 29:10-20; Malachi 3:8-12; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15)

13. Church Structure

Cumberland Road Church is an independent Christian Church where Christ is the recognized head of His church, not any person, group, or religious organization. We recognize the value of associating and cooperating with other groups of Christians.

Elders: We believe the Bible teaches that the Elders are to lead and equip the local congregation. Elders serve as the spiritual "shepherds" of the church. The Minister serves as a co-elder. They provide spiritual guidance, leadership, oversight and direction in making decisions which affect the entire congregation. The Elders meet on a monthly basis with church deacons and trustees to discuss the business of the church and are constantly seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance for the most effective ways to lead and equip the congregation. (Hebrews 13:17, 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4)
Deacons: Deacons function in a service capacity to help minister to the needs of the congregation. (1 Timothy 3:8-13)
Trustees: Trustees oversee matters pertaining to property.

14. Marriage

We believe in the biblical definition and holy institution of marriage between one man and one woman, rooted as it is in God's creation of man and woman in His image and in the relationship between Christ and His Church. (Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-23)

15. Sanctity of Human Life

We believe in the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. (Genesis 9:5-6; Exodus 20:13; Psalms 139:13-16)