Our Beliefs

What is the Bible? The Bible was written by human authors, under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is a love letter from God to all of humanity and is an authority for the believer’s life. It is completely true, and can be fully trusted in all matters concerning both this life and eternal life. Applying biblical principles to everyday life is the key to experiencing a life of freedom.

(See Exodus 24:4, Deuteronomy 4:1-2;17:19, Psalm 19:7-10;119:11;89;140, Isaiah 40:8, Jeremiah 15:16, Matthew 5:17-18;22:29, Luke 21:33, John 5:39-40;17:17, Acts 17:11, Romans 15:4;16:25-26, 2 Timothy 3:15-17, Hebrews 4:12, 1 Peter 1:25, 2 Peter 1:19-21)

Who is God? In trying to understand the nature of God, one can come to many self–drawn conclusions based on logic or human wisdom. However, the only accurate understanding of the nature of God must come from the Bible, and a study of the life and teachings of Jesus, because these are the avenues through which God revealed his character to us. Our own assumptions must not be trusted, because who God is does not need to be subject to the logic of man. Scripture teaches that God created everything we can see, (and even everything we can’t see), out of nothing. The Bible teaches that He is one yet has eternally existed as three distinct and equal personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We experience connection with God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives, in our communities, and in our world.

(See Genesis 1:1; 2:7, Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11; 20:1-2, Leviticus 22:2, Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6, 1 Chronicles 29:10, Psalm 19:1-3, Isaiah 43:3;15; 64:8, Jeremiah 10:10, Matthew 6:9; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19, Mark 1:9-11, John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8, Acts 1:7, Romans 8:14-15, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 4:6, Colossians 1:15, 1 Timothy 1:17, Hebrews 11:6;12:9, 1 John 5:7)

Who is Jesus? Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and is equal with the Father. He is eternal and has always existed, yet came to earth in human form during the first century A.D. While on earth, Jesus was fully human and fully God at the same time. He became the physical manifestation of God in the world. After living a perfect and sinless life, Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind who had ever lived and would ever live, by dying a brutal death on a cross. On the third day after His death and burial, Jesus defeated sin and death by rising from the grave, thus providing the way of salvation for all who would accept it. He then ascended into heaven and will return to earth one day to reign as King.

(See Genesis 18:1, Psalm 2:7;110:1, Isaiah 7:14;53, Matthew 1:18-23;3:17; 8:29;11:27;14:33;16:16; 27;17:5;27;28:1-6;19, Mark 1:1;3:11, Luke 1:35;4:41;22:70;24:46, John 1:1-18;29;10:30;38;11:25-27;12:44-50;14:7-11;16:15-16;28;17:1-5;21-22;20:1-20;28, Acts 1:9;2:22-24;7:55-56;9:4-5;20, Romans 1:3-4;3:23-26;5:6-21;8:1-3;34;10:4, 1 Corinthians 1:30;2:2;8:6;15:1-8;24-28, 2 Corinthians 5:19-21;8:9, Galatians 4:4-5, Ephesians 1:20;3:11;4:7-10, Philippians 2:5-11, Colossians 1:13-22;2:9, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, 1 Timothy 2:5-6;3:16, Titus 2:13-14, Hebrews 1:1-3;4:14-15;7:14-28;9:12-15;24-28; 12:2;13:8, 1 John 1:7-9;3:2;4:14-15;5:9, 2 John 1:7-9, Revelation 1:13-16;5:9-14;12:10-11;13:8;19:16)

Who is the Holy Spirit? Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity. He works in the world to make all people understand that they need Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit lives within the heart of every follower of Jesus Christ from the moment they decide to accept Him as their savior. The Holy Spirit is where we get our power from for life, ministry, and spiritual growth. As we yield our lives to the leading of the Holy Spirit we experience His power working in us and through us.

(See Genesis 1:2, Judges 14:6, Psalm 51:11; 139:7, Isaiah 61:1-3, Joel 2:28-32, Matthew 1:18;3:16; 4:1;12:28-32;28:19, Mark 1:10;12, Luke 1:35; 4:1;18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49, John 4:24;14:16-17;26; 15:26;16:7-14, Acts 1:8;2:1-4,38;4:31;5:3; 6:3;7:55;8:17;39;10:44;13:2;15:28;16:6;19:1-6, Romans 8:9-11;14-16;26-27, 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11;13, Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1, 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16, Hebrews 9:8;14, 2 Peter 1:21, 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7, Revelation 1:10; 22:17)

Who is Man? Man is the highlight of all of God’s creation. Man is composed of three parts: spirit, soul (our mind, will, and emotions), and flesh. Man is the only being on earth that was made in the image of God himself, with the moral ability to choose right from wrong. Every person since the fall of Adam has inherited a sinful nature from Adam. Because of this attitude of disobedience to God, which is called sin, Man needed a way to make things right with God. Jesus Christ came to provide the avenue through which the sins of man could be washed away. Because of this, Man is able to join into a relationship with God and live the life of freedom that he was created to live.

(See Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6, Psalm 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5, Isaiah 6:5, Jeremiah 17:5, Matthew 16:26, Acts 17:26-31, Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29, 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19;21-22, Ephesians 2:1-22, Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11)

What is our purpose in life? According to the Bible, we were created to know God and make Him known to others. We were created to have fellowship with God and worship Him with our lives. God made man in His own image so that we could interact with Him in a personal way. Our specific purpose in life is revealed to us through an understanding of God’s will for our lives. This is revealed to us through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and is always in agreement with what God has revealed to us in the Bible.

(See Psalm 86:9; 95:6;139:13-16, Isaiah 43:6-7, Matthew 28:19-20, John 4:23-24, Romans 1:25; 12:1, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Ephesians 2:10;4:22-24, Philippians 2:1-2, 1 John 1:2-3)

What is Salvation? Because of our sinful nature, all people sin and miss the mark of perfection. No matter what we do or how hard we try, we can never earn our way back into God’s presence. The only way that we can enter into a relationship with God is by trusting Jesus Christ as God’s provision for our disobedience. By trusting Jesus as your savior you enter into an eternal relationship with God and begin to experience the abundant life that Jesus Christ promised for life here on earth and the life to come.

(See Genesis 3:15, Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8, Isaiah 53:5-7, Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28;28:6, Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32, John 1:11-14, 29; 3:3-21, 36; 5:24; 10:9-10, 28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17, Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32, Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18, 29-39; 10:9-10, 13; 13:11-14, 1 Corinthians 1:18, 30; 6:19-20; 15:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15, Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16, Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, 2 Timothy 1:12, Titus 2:11-14, Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12; 13:14, James 2:14-26, 1 Peter 1:2-23, 1 John 1:6; 2:11, Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5)

How do we grow as believers? When we accept Christ as our savior we immediately become new creations that have a perfected spirit. Unfortunately, our minds and our flesh are not yet perfected and must be trained to cooperate with our new, perfected spirit. Through our understanding of the Bible, and our faith in the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, God is able to bring about change in our character and actions. This is accomplished by our commitment to being a part of both corporate Christian fellowship and personal Bible study. God’s promise is that when we reach heaven, He will complete the process of making every believer like Jesus by giving us a perfected body.

(See Deuteronomy 4:1,5,9,14; 6:1-10; 31:12-13, Nehemiah 8:1-8, Job 28:28, Psalm 19:7, 119:11, Proverbs 3:13; 4:1-10; 8:1-7, 11; 15:14, Ecclesiastes 7:19, Matthew 5:2; 7:24; 28:19-20, Luke 2:40, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Ephesians 4:11-16, Philippians 4:8, Colossians 2:3, 8-9, 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17, Hebrews 5:12-6:3, James 1:5; 3:17)

Why is there evil in the world? While God will one day do away with evil, He currently allows evil in the world which provides mankind the ability to choose to obey or disobey God. Satan is the source of all evil and will suffer an eternity of separation from God for his choices. Evil is present in the world today because of mankind’s choice in the Garden of Eden. Because of Jesus, we have the opportunity to choose the goodness of God grace over evil. God is able to bring about good things out of anything, including the things that Satan intended for evil against us.

(See Genesis 2:17; 3:1-24, Psalms 81:12;100:5, John 3:19, Romans 3:23;5:12;8:28-29, 1 Corinthians 15:56, Colossians 2:1, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 John 2:2, Revelation 12:7-9; 20:10)

What are Spiritual Gifts? Spiritual gifts are divine abilities that are given to believers to empower them for ministry. Every believer is given at least one spiritual gift and is encouraged to pray for all of them. There are several places that they are listed in the Bible. They are not simply talents or skills that can be learned or fabricated. Spiritual gifts come directly from the supernatural empowering of the Holy Spirit. At Freedom Life Church, we believe that all of the spiritual gifts listed in the Bible are still relevant for the church today. Some of the spiritual gifts that the Bible describes are: Words of Wisdom/ Knowledge, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning of Spirits, Speaking in Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues, Faith, Love, Mercy, Administration, Helps/Service, Apostleship, Teaching, Preaching, Giving, Intercession, Evangelism.

(See 1 Corinthians 12-14, Ephesians 4:11-13, Hebrews 2:4)

What is the afterlife going to be like? God made us to exist forever. God is perfect and Heaven is his home. Because of this, only perfection can enter into Heaven. Because of sin, none of us could attain that goal without Jesus Christ intervening. His sacrifice has provided a way for us to be made perfect. If we accept the salvation that Jesus Christ offers we are then made to be righteous and perfect in Christ. Through this transformation we can look forward to spending eternity in heaven with God. If we reject the salvation that Jesus has offered we cannot enter into the presence of a holy God, and therefore cannot enter into Heaven. Our rejection of God’s provision leaves us to the only other alternative for eternity, Hell. God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. This is why He sent Jesus to die for our sins.

(See Isaiah 2:4; 11:9, Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27;30;36, 44; 25:31-46; 26:64, Mark 8:38; 9:43-48, Luke 12:40, 48;16:19-26;17:22-37;21:27-28, John 14:1-3, Acts 1:11; 17:31, Romans 14:10, 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28, 35-58, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Philippians 3:20-21, Colossians 1:5; 3:4, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:7; 2, 1 Timothy 6:14, 2 Timothy 4:1;8, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 9:27-28, James 5:8, 2 Peter 3:7, 1 John 2:28;3:2, Jude 1:14, Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13)

What is the church? According to the Bible, the universal church is the body of Christ in the world today. Jesus Christ himself is the head of the body. In the New Testament we see the example of the church being local bodies of baptized believers that met together on a regular basis to strengthen one-another and to cooperate in ministry. As we see in the Bible, the purposes of the church are worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry to others. These purposes are the driving force behind Freedom Life’s Mission Statement: To provide a community where you are free to know God just as you are, free to grow in your relationship with Him at your own pace, and free to sow into His kingdom by expressing your gifts and passions.

(See Matthew 16:15-19;18:15-20, Acts 2:41-42;47;5:11-14; 6:3-6;13:1-3;14:23,27; 15:1-30;16:5; 20:28, Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14, Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11;21; 5:22-32, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:18, 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14, Hebrews 11:39-40, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3)

What about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper? Baptism is a celebration of the conversion experience in a believer. It is an outward symbol of an inward decision. In baptism, the believer is completely immersed in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is symbolic of being crucified, buried, and resurrected with Christ into new life, putting away the old nature, which is corrupt and sinful, and being born into life with Christ. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act that Christ has told his followers to continue doing, as a remembrance of what He did for us. The Lord’s Supper is done by partaking of bread and the fruit of the vine, as a reflection of the death of Christ on our behalf and in anticipation for his return in glory. This is a privilege reserved for believers.

(See Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20, Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26, Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20, John 3:23, Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-49;16:30-33; 20:7, Romans 6:3-5, 1 Corinthians 10:16;21;11:23-29, Colossians 2:12)