- We believe in one God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 5:16, 45; 6:1, 4, 8, 9; James 1:17 / John 1:1; 14:9 / Genesis 1:2; John 4:24; 14:16-20; 2 Peter 1:21)
- We believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of all things visible and invisible. (Genesis 1:1; Acts 17:24-28; Hebrews 11:3)
- We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son, my one and only Savior, (John 1:14; 1 John 4:9 / John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:18)
Who was born Jesus of Nazareth, both fully human and fully divine, conceived of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, (Matthew 21:11; John 19:19 / John 1:14; Romans 5:15-17; Colossians 2:9; 1 John 1:1 / Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:26-38)
Who suffered and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, (Luke 23:1-46)
Who died and was buried, and Who rose again bodily from the dead on the third day, (Luke 23:44 - 24:8; John 20:24-29; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
Who ascended into Heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father, (Luke 22:69; Acts 1:1-9; Colossians 3:1) and Who will return to earth to judge both the living and the dead. (Matthew 24:36-42; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:10-11; 10:39-42; 1 Peter 4:5)
- We believe in the Holy Spirit, Who is an active and operative part of the triune God, (John 16:5-15; Acts 1:7-8; Romans 8:26-27) and Who indwells every Christian. (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14)
- We believe in the Bible and God’s Holy Word, Scripture. We believe God inspired the autographs (original writings) of the Scripture and those autographs were consequently without error. (Mark 12:36; John 14:26; 16:12-15; Acts 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; 2 Timothy 3:14-16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
- We accept the Bible as the final authority for all matters of faith and practice. (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:18; 24:35; Romans 15:4; Hebrews 4:12)
- We believe the Bible teaches that man, created by God, willfully sinned against God and is consequently lost and without hope apart from Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23)
- We believe the Bible teaches that salvation and the forgiveness of sins is achieved only by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 26:28; Romans 5:9; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7)
- We believe the Bible teaches that one receives God’s grace by putting faith in Christ, repenting of sin, confessing Christ, and being baptized (water immersed) into Christ, but that none of these alone is sufficient in and of itself for the assurance of salvation. (Romans 5:1-2 / Luke 24:45-47; Acts 3:19; 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9 / Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:9; Philippians 2:11; 1 John 4:15 / Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-7; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21)
- We believe in the Church of Jesus Christ, founded on the Day of Pentecost and consisting of all Christians everywhere. (Matthew 16:13-18; Acts 2:14-47)
- We believe the Bible teaches that the Elders are to exercise authority over the local congregation. (Acts 20:28; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4)
Statement on Marriage, Gender,
and Sexuality:
- We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Genesis 1:26-27.) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
- We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Genesis 2:18-25.) We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4.) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
- We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.)
- We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Gethsemane Church of Christ as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Gethsemane Church of Christ in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22.)
- We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.)
- We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Gethsemane Church of Christ.
Statement on the Sanctity of Human Life:
- We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Psalm 139.)
