WHAT WE BELIEVE
We realize we can't tell you everything that we believe in just few paragraphs, but these are the basics. Because the Bible is our authority in all matters of faith and conduct, the following represents the core of what we believe at Jerome Christian Church. If you are new to church, we don't expect you to believe all of this on the first day. Spiritual growth is a process for everyone, including us.
THE BIBLEWe believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God, written down by 40 people of his choosing over a period of about 1,600 years. The Bible is a collection of 66 books that speaks with God's authority through the individual styles and personalities of those who wrote it down. It teaches us how to live and how to stay on the right path. No other writings are so inspired by God. The Bible is the authority in what is believed, taught, and practiced by this church.
SALVATIONMankind was created in the image of God to have fellowship with, and glorify God. Man, however, sinned against God by choosing his own way and brought death into the world. With the exception of Jesus of Nazareth, everyone who has ever come to an age of responsibility has sinned. Sin separates us from Him and we are in need of what the Bible calls “salvation.” Personal salvation is available only through the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is by God’s grace, and it cannot be earned. Salvation is through faith in Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, it occurs at baptism and it launches the believer into a fresh, new life.
CHRISTIAN LIFEThe result of a relationship with Jesus Christ is a life that is being transformed to become like we were intended to be in the first place. The Holy Spirit comes to live within every Christian at the point of salvation, empowering them for this process, for building up the church, and serving the world.
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GODWe believe in the one true and holy God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist as a tri-unity within the Godhead. God created the world in six days by his power, wisdom and creativity. He continues to work in history, sustaining his creation and fulfilling his redemptive plan.
JESUS CHRISTJesus Christ is the unique Son of God, fully divine and fully human. He became a man through a miraculous conception and a virgin birth. He lived a perfect life, committing absolutely no sin. As a perfect sacrifice, He voluntarily died on the cross for our sins and He bodily arose from the dead on the third day, appearing to many people. He came the first time “to seek and save the lost.” When He returns in judgment, He will gather His people to Himself in Heaven.
THE CHURCHAll those who experience union with Christ through salvation are united with His spiritual body, the Church. The Bible instructs believers to gather together in fellowship, worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, partaking of the Lord's Supper, serving God and reaching out to the world. Wherever Christians meet regularly there is the local expression of the Church. Under the loving care and guidance of Elders, Staff and other supportive leaders, the church family works together in love and unity to extend the Kingdom of God on the earth.
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BAPTISMBaptism by immersion is an act of humble obedience that portrays the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible identifies it with forgiveness of sins, receiving the Holy Spirit, becoming part of the church, and beginning a new life. It is preceded by trusting faith, real repentance and confessing Jesus as Lord. It is a testimony of dying to sin and rising to new life that also identifies us with the visible church family.
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THE LORD'S SUPPERThe Lord's Supper, also called communion, is a proclamation of the death of Jesus Christ. The emblems of unleavened bread and unfermented fruit of the vine that we use, represent the pure body and blood of Jesus. The Lord's Supper is a spiritual communion with the risen Christ, and a reminder of His great love. As in Bible days, we offer the Lord’s Supper each week. Believers use this time to remember Christ and his death, examine their lives, ask God for forgiveness, and personally rededicate themselves in service to God.
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HOW TO FIND REAL PEACE WITH GOD
God's Purpose: Peace and LifeGod loves you and wants you to experience peace and life--abundant and eternal.
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The Bible says..."We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 Why don't most people have this peace and abundant life that God planned for us to have? |
The Problem: Our Separation |
The Bible says... |
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God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a will and a freedom of choice.
We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God. |
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 |
Our Attempts to Reach GodPeople have tried in many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God...
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The Bible says..."There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12
"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." Isaiah 59:2 No bridge reaches across the chasm to God...except one. |
God's Bridge: The Cross |
The Bible says... |
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Jesus Christ died on the Cross and rose from the grave. The penalty for our sin is death. He paid the penalty for our sin and bridged the gap between God and people.
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"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ." 1 Timothy 2:5
"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." 1 Peter 3:18 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 God has provided the way, the only way...His only Son, Jesus Christ. Each person must make a choice. |
Our Response: Receive ChristWe must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation.
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The Bible says..."Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12 "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9 |
HERE IS HOW YOU CAN RECEIVE CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE
1.Admit your need (I am a sinner).
2.Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave (He is the Savior).
3.Be willing to turn from your sins and have Jesus become your Savior and Lord (that's called repentance).
4.Be baptized (the Bible practice is immersion) in obedience to His command, so you can have your sins forgiven by His grace. (Acts 2:38)
