Bayfield Christian Church

Loving God and Loving Others

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Statement of Faith


About God
God is the Awesome Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has lived forever in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. God the Father cares for all He has made and is only revealed to us through Jesus Christ.Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22; Psalms 90:2; Matthew 28:19; John 14:26; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 14:6 

About Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God in the flesh, God revealed! He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin named Mary, and lived a sinless human life. He was fully God and fully Man. He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He rose from the dead bodily after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven where He lives and works on our behalf. He promised to return personally again someday to earth to reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords.Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:22,23; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-5; 14:6-30; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3,4; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; 1 Timothy 6:14, 15; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 4:14, 15; 7:25-27; Revelation 19:11-16 

About The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. The Spirit of God is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He lives, as the Comforter, 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 spiritual gifts to serve Him and His church and nurtures those gifts as they grow. As Christians and the Church, we seek to keep in step with the Spirit, living under His control daily. We know how much we need His guidance & direction…and we are so thrilled by His presence in our daily lives!John 14:16, 17; 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1:13; 5:18 

About The Church
We believe the Church is the Body of Christ on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the will of God according to the Word of God. Through faith in Christ we are members of the church in a universal sense, and we practice that membership in the church locally. Believers humbly submit themselves to Christ and the leadership, which He has established in the church. Believers belong to one another and take care of one another, and use their time, talents, and treasure to serve the church and the world. The Church’s mission is the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, to “go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Can you believe it? We are the church, Christ’s body, God’s tangible expression of His message of love to our world – what and awesome privilege and responsibility.Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:15-16; Colossians 1:17-18; Romans 12:4-8; Hebrews 10:23-25; Matthew 28:18-19 

About The Bible
The Bible is God’s very Word to us. Human authors, under the supernatural guidance of God’s Spirit, wrote it. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because God inspires it, it is the truth without error. Psalm 12:6, 119:105, 160; Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 1:13, 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21 

About People
People are made in the spiritual image of God to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation and affection. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin.” This condition separates people from God eternally and causes many problems in life, including our own eventual spiritual & physical death. But because people are God’s most special creation, His heart & love goes out for us…and good thing too…He is the only one who could somehow bridge this separation, and defeat the death which to looms ahead of us all. Genesis 1:17; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a, 59:1,2; Romans 3:23, 5:12-20 

About Salvation
Because of God’s love for people, God rescued us and saved us from our own demise! God sent Jesus Christ to die on a cross as our sacrifice and substitute to satisfy God’s wrath against the sin of people. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. We can never make up for our sin by self-effort, self-improvement or good works. Salvation is God’s free gift to us and is maintained through the grace and power of God. We must accept His gift through faith. The Bible teaches that we express our faith in Jesus Christ by believing, trusting, and confessing Him as our Lord and Savior, repenting of our self-directed life and being baptized (immersed in water) as a public testimony of our faith in Him. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ as the Scripture teaches, we are forgiven of our sin, born again of the Holy Spirit, and inherit eternal life. It is good to be rescued from sin and death and now live the way God intended…living a peaceful relationship with Him forever!John 1:12-13, 3:16, 10:29, 14:6; Romans 5:1, 8-9, 6:23; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8,9; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10-14; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Acts 2:36-38 

About Baptism

We believe that commitment to Christ in belief is to be accompanied by publicly identifying with Christ through baptism by immersion. Baptism (the immersion of a repentant believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) has from the beginning of the church been normative practice for believers and the church. People who heard and believed the gospel, repented of their sins, and confessed Jesus as their Lord and Savior, were then baptized as a public testimony to the world of their trust in His sacrificial work for the forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 3:13-17, 28:19; Acts 2:36-38 

About The Lord’s Supper
We believe in the Scriptural observance of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. This is the center of our worship because it is done in remembrance of the death, burial, and resurrection, which Jesus accomplished on our behalf. We do not hinder any follower of Jesus Christ from participating in the Lord’s Supper. It is an awesome expression of the unity of Christ’s Body and the consistent remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ!1 Corinthians 11:23-29 

About The Unity Of The Church
We believe that Christian unity is the result of the fact that in reconciling us to himself, God joins us to one another by His Spirit. We are part of a movement of churches that are non-denominational and who have always desired to help the Church to be united together and strong in its commitment to the Bible alone as the church’s guide to faith and practice. Christian unity is not only a gift to be treasured; it is also a goal to be attained. While our Lord has given us the gift of being one in the forgiveness of the cross, our goal is to attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ as we pursue unity in our faith and fellowship. In the essentials of the faith we strive for unity, in the non-essentials of the faith, we allow for diversity, and in all things, we strive to show love for each other in the church. Ephesians 4:4-6; John 17:20-23 

About The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ
We believe in the bodily, visible return of Christ for his followers to live with them forever. We believe that, just as Jesus did not claim to know when that day would be, we will make no claims to know when that day is either. But we will live life, love and worship God as a church, and be alert and prepared as if the day could happen anytime. For the sake of the unity and integrity of the church, we avoid arguments or statements over specific timelines and other such fads of human nature when it comes to the future of the world and our lives. We believe the call of jesus is to keep faithful to living and walking in faith, prepared for the day He chooses to return.Titus 2:13; Matthew 24:30-42; Revelation 22:12-13 

About Satan
We believe that Satan is real. He is a spiritual entity who can speak to God and others, tempt people, plan and scheme against God’s glory, and accuse believers. The Old Testament & New Testament both attest to the reality of Satan. Jesus himself faced Satan, and as he overcame Satan’s attacks, Jesus can help us in our struggle against the evil schemes and temptations we face as followers of Jesus. Satan can lead anyone not committed to Christ (angelic beings or people) in warfare against God, His plans, and His people. But the scriptures promise that Satan and all who are with him are less powerful than Christ himself and are doomed to a certain, everlasting judgment from God. Genesis 3:22-24; Ezekiel 28:12-19; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 6:11-12; Revelation 12:7-9, 20:10 

About Eternity
We believe that God’s intention is to live with people eternally in a peaceful relationship with Him. Through faith in Christ, we can live in that kind of relationship with Him forever. We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and we also believe in the bodily resurrection of those who are saved by Christ through their faith in Him. We also believe in the bodily resurrection of those who have not been saved by Christ. People were created to exist forever in one of two conditions. Those who have not placed their trust in Jesus Himself will exist eternally separated from God, experiencing conscious separation and punishment in Hell. Those who have placed their trust in Jesus will exist eternally with God in Heaven, enjoying an everlasting relationship with Him. The Scriptures teach that Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. John 3:16, 5:28-29, 14:17; Romans 6:23, 8:17-18; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9; Revelation 20:15 

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