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Statement of Faith
The Evangelical
Free Church of America is
an association of autonomous churches united around these
theological convictions:
God
1. We believe in one God,
Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and
eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally
divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has
graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for
Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
The Bible
2. We believe that God has
spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments,
through the words of human authors. As the verbally
inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the
original writings, the complete revelation of His will
for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every
realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged.
Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches,
obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that
it promises.
The Human Condition
3. We believe that God
created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when
tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are
sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and
under His wrath. Only through Gods saving work in
Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
Jesus Christ
4. We believe that Jesus
Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one
Person in two natures. Jesus-Israels promised
Messiah-was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of
the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified
under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead,
ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God
the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
The Work of Christ
5. We believe that Jesus
Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His
blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient
sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious
resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
The Holy Spirit
6. We believe that the
Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord
Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He
regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into
union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of
God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and
empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
The Church
7. We believe that the
true church comprises all who have been justified by Gods
grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are
united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which
He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local
churches, whose membership should be composed only of
believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances,
baptism and the Lords Supper, which visibly and
tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the
means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in
genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the
believer.
Christian Living
8. We believe that Gods
justifying grace must not be separated from His
sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love
Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out
our faith with care for one another, compassion toward
the poor and justice for the oppressed. With Gods
Word, the Spirits power, and fervent prayer in
Christs name, we are to combat the spiritual forces
of evil. In obedience to Christs commission, we are
to make disciples among all people, always bearing
witness to the gospel in word and deed.
Christs Return
9. We believe in the
personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord
Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only
to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed
hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial
service and energetic mission.
Response and Eternal Destiny
10. We believe that God
commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by
turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus
Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily
and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to
condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the
believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in
the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His
glorious grace. Amen.
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