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Safe Harbor's approach to doctrine can be expressed through the following motto:
In Essentials Unity
In Non-essentials Liberty
In All Things Love
Essentials represent the rock solid faith statements that undergird our preaching and teaching ministry.
Non-essentials are statements of faith that may be important to you and me, but are not clearly defined by Scripture.
In all things love means that whatever differences we may have in the fine points of belief, the attitude we aspire to communicate whenever discussing them with another will be in the spirit of love and grace.
Our Essential Beliefs Include:
1. The Bible is True!
WE BELIEVE...The Scriptures are and shall remain the only source and standard of our doctrine, faith and practice. The Bible is God's inspired Word to you and me which was communicated to ordinary people by the Holy Spirit. God reveals Himself through the pages of the Bible so that we can understand (1) Who He is, (2) How much He loves me, (3) How I can begin a new relationship with God that lasts eternally, (4) And, how I can live my life to the fullest.
2. God's love is unconditional
WE BELIEVE...God loves us despite our sinfulness. God's love is not optional or conditional. Even if I reject His love, the one fact that will not change is that God loves me. Through Jesus Christ, God's love is ultimately revealed to the human race. (John 3:16, Eph. 1:3-4, I John 4:10)
3. I am Sinner in need of a Savior
WE BELIEVE . . . Us all sin, and our sin causes a break in our relationship with God which we can not overcome by our own efforts. (Romans 3:23, 7:14-20 Eph. 2:8-9) This does not mean that a person can not do good or act in kindness. It does mean that my sin creates a insurmountable distance between a perfect God and an imperfect me that I can not overcome by my own strength.
4. Jesus died for my sins and lives Today!
WE BELIEVE ...Jesus Christ willfully died on the cross and rose from the grave making it possible for people to come back to God. (John 10:14-18, I John 2:2) While I can not pay for my sins, Jesus could and did by dying on the cross. When he rose from the grave He opened the door to the possibility of a new, purposeful, and eternal life with God.
5. Just ask God to forgive — And He will say YES!
WE BELIEVE... that if I admit to God my sins and place my faith in Jesus Christ, my sins will be forgiven and I will begin a relationship with God that lasts forever. (John 3:16, Rom. 3: 24-26, I John 1:9) God chose to love us and send us His Son, but my response to God love is up to me. My only hope to be in relationship to God rests in my decision to confess my sins to God and accept His Son, Jesus Christ, the "remedy" for my sins.
6. Jesus is the Word made Flesh, (John 1;14)
WE BELIEVE...Jesus Christ came as a human being, and is fully God. ( John 1:1-3, 14, Phil 2:6) God took on human flesh in order to clearly demonstrate His great love for you and me.
7. God’s Spirit will lead the Way
WE BELIEVE...God's Holy Spirit enables and empowers us to live our lives in keeping with God's Will. ( John 14:15-17 & 26, I Corinthians 12:3) This power is always available to us, when we open our lives to Christ's leading. We are not left to struggle on our own strength to live up to God's leading. God gives us inner strength through the work of His Holy Spirit within us to live our lives according to His commands.
8. Believers of the Word are to be doers of the Word
WE BELIEVE...If we believe, then our lives will demonstrate it. (Romans 6:11-14, James 1;22) We are saved by faith in Christ and can not earn our salvation. But as faith matures, our life should change to become more like Jesus Christ. Belief in God and His Son needs to be followed by action.
9. All Believers form the Church
WE BELIEVE...We are one in God’s Spirit with Christians of all denominations as the Christian Church universal. (Matthew 23:8, John 17:21, Eph 4:4) We do not believe that we hold the corner on the truth over other Christian Churches. Rather we share a history and a testimony as we seek to lift up Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
10. Christ will come Again!
WE BELIEVE...Jesus Christ will come again to establish fully God's Kingdom. (Matthew 24, Acts 1:11, I Thessalonians 4:14-17, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4) Christ’s work on earth will not be complete until He returns, as He promised, to establish God’s Kingdom in its fulness.
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