Our Statement of Faith These are the core beliefs of the membership of The Orchard Church.
About God, God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal, co-eternal and are one God. (Genesis 1:1,26, 27; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; I Peter 1:2)
About Jesus Christ, Jesus is the Son of God. He is fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory, and is coming again soon as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to redeem His bride, the church. (Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13)
About the Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make man aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with the power for living, enables understanding of Biblical truth, and guides them in righteous living. He provides every Christian with spiritual gifts for service at the moment of salvation. We seek to live under His control daily. (2 Corinthians 3:17, John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18)
About the Bible, The Bible is God's Word to us. It was written by human authors who were under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. The 66 canonical books, as they were originally written, are inspired by God; and are the truth without any mixture of error. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1: 20-21, 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:150, 160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5)
About Human Beings, People are the supreme object of God's creation, created in the image of God. Although every person has potential for good, all of us are marred by our own attitude and acts of disobedience against God, called "sin". By one man (Adam), sin entered into the world, and death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. This separates people from God and causes spiritual death along with many other problems in life. (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 8:3-6, 51: 1-8, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Isaiah 59:1-2)
About Salvation, Salvation is by grace through faith; and is God's free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement; or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9, John 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26, Romans 5:1)
About Eternal Security, Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. Salvation is sustained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. (John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10,14; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
About Eternity, Heaven is a literal place where God will wipe away every tear and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. Believers will live forever in God’s presence. We also, believe in a literal hell, which is a place of physical and spiritual torment, experienced as a result of eternal separation from God. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (John 3:16; John 14:7; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15, 1Thessalonians 4:16-17)
About the Church, We believe that the true church is composed of all who have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ. We also believe members of the true Church, which is the bride of Christ, are eligible for membership in the local church. God primarily ministers on earth through the local church. Christ is the head of the church, not any person, group, or religious organization. While recognizing the value of associating and cooperating with other groups of Christians, we believe that the local church should be independent, self-governing, and free from any denominational control. (Matthew 16:18; I Corinthians 12:12-14; Hebrews 10:25; Colossians 1:18)
About the Christian Home, We believe that God has given parents the responsibility to bring their children up in the nurture and discipline of the Lord. We believe that it is the parents responsibility to educate and disciple their children in the truth of God. We believe that the church must work to compliment the parent’s efforts and facilitate Godly living within the home. (Ephesians 6:4, Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Joshua 24:15)
About Baptism and the Lord's Supper, Jesus instructed His disciple to remember His death and resurrection. He gave the Church two visible symbols (called "ordinances") as reminders. These two ordinances are baptism and the Lord's Supper. While we respect all acts of spiritual obedience the Bible teaches that baptism is to be done by immersion, following salvation, as a one-time act of obedience and identification with Jesus Christ as Lord. The Lord's Supper is an ongoing symbol remembering our Lord's death, burial, resurrection and promised return. Each individual must decide their own participation in these ordinances. Regardless, we do not regard anyone's participation in these practices as a means of salvation. (Matthew 28:18-20, 26:26-29; I Corinthians 11:23-32, Colossians 2:12)
About the Christian Life, We believe that God calls us – with a holy calling -- to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. God wants us to live in the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit, so we will not fulfill the lusts of our physical bodies. We believe that the fallen, Adamic nature of the flesh cannot be eradicated in this life. Therefore, keeping ourselves constantly in subjection to Christ, we must allow God’s Holy Spirit to live through us in a daily “walk” of faith. Otherwise, the flesh will certainly demonstrate its presence in our lives, to the Lord’s dishonor. It is the responsibility and privilege of every Christian to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and to seek and to make growing disciples. (Leviticus 26:30, Philippians 2:13, Ephesians 5:18, 1 Peter 3:15, Galatians 5:16)
