Grace Church & Ministry : Statement of Faith

Faith
»» We believe in one God the Father All-Sovereign, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in the Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of god, one with the Father before all ages, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not made, of one substance with Father, through whom all things were made; who for us men and our salvation came down from heaven, and was made flesh of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man, and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, died, and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father, and will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end; And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the Life-giver, that proceeds from the Father and the Son is worshipped together and glorified together, who has spoken through the prophets; In one holy, universal, and apostolic Church.

The Bible
»» We believe the Bible as originally given, to be without error, to be the fully inspired and infallible word of God and its constant truth and validity through time. We believe the Bible to be the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

Trinity
»» We believe in one eternal God in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – co-equal and co-existing. We believe that these three persons are one God, sovereign in creation, provision and redemption.

Jesus Christ
»» We believe in the true and origin deity of Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth and sinless life, in His real and complete humanity, in His authoritative teaching, in His miracles, in His substitutionary and atoning sacrifice through His death on the cross. We believe in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His heavenly intercession and on His return in power and glory at the end of time.

The Holy Spirit
»» We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit who is from the Father and the Son. We believe in the need of His work in conviction of sin, repentance, regeneration and sanctification. We also believe that the believer is empowered through the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the release of the gifts of the Holy Spirit for works of service.

The Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. Through the proclamation of the gospel he persuades men to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord. By the same Spirit a person is led to trust in divine mercy. The Holy Spirit unites believers to Jesus Christ in faith, brings about the new birth, and dwells within the regenerate. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Son who in turn came to glorify the Father. He will lead the Church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word. He is to be respected, honored, and worshipped as God the Third Person of the Trinity.

Mankind
»»We believe in the universal sinfulness of all men since the fall rendering man subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.

God made man - male and female - in his own image, as the crown of creation, that man might have fellowship with him. Tempted by Satan, man rebelled against God. Being estranged from his Maker, yet responsible to him, he became subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved and, apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to his mind, will and affections. Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin and Satan. He is at enmity with God, hostile toward God, and hateful of God. Fallen, sinful people, whatever their character or attainments, are lost and without hope apart from salvation in Christ.

Salvation
»» We believe in the need for salvation through accepting Him & repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that the sinner is pardoned and accepted as righteous in God’s sight. This justification is received as a consequence of the grace of God because of the atoning work of Jesus Christ; it is received by faith alone and is evidenced by the Fruit of the Spirit and a holy life.

The Church
»» God by his Word and Spirit creates the Church, calling sinful men out of the whole human race into the fellowship of Christ's Body. By the same Word and Spirit, he guides and preserves that new redeemed humanity. We believe in the spiritual unity and priesthood of all believers in Christ and that these include the universal church, the body of Christ. The Church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It also exists to serve him by faithfully doing his will in the earth. This involves a commitment to see the gospel preached and churches planted in the entire world for a testimony. The ultimate mission of the Church is the making of disciples through the preaching of the gospel. When God transforms human nature, this then becomes the chief means of society's transformation. Upon conversion, newly redeemed men and women are added to a local church in which they devote themselves to teaching, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper and Prayer.

The Ministry
»» We believe in the ministries that Christ has set in His church; namely, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. We believe in the present operation of the manifold Gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the New Testament.

Vision
»» Evangelizing, edifying and equipping God's people for the building up of the body of Christ worldwide.

The Second Coming of Christ
»» Jesus Christ once came to this world, lived in obscurity, endured the scorn of His contemporaries, and suffered a shameful death. He was raised to life and taken back to heaven in the presence of His followers. Before leaving this world, He promised that He will come again, but this time, with great might, splendor, and majesty. His coming will be the most dramatic event in human history. He will descend on the clouds, surrounded by His heavenly hosts. Every eye will behold this awesome sight and no one will escape from His presence.

Eternity
»» Born again, bodily resurrection.