Statement of Faith

The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. We interpret the Scriptures according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. 

The Godhead

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13-14; John 14:10, 26).

God the Father

We teach that God the Father - the first person of the Trinity - orders and disposes all things according to his own purpose and grace (Ps. 145:8-9; 1 Cor. 8:6). As the absolute and highest Ruler in the universer, He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption (Ps. 103:19, Job 1:6-12; Rom. 11:36). He is the Creator of all things (Gen. 1). His fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with mankind. As Creator He is Father to all men (Eph. 4:6), but He is spiritual Father only to believers (Rom. 8:14; 2 Cor. 6:18). He has decreed for His own glory all things that come to pass (Eph. 1:11), and continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events (1 Chron. 29:11). This He does so as in no way to be the author and approver of sin (Hab. 1:13; John 8:38-47; Jas 1:13), nor to abridge the accountability of moral, intelligent creatures (1 Peter 1:17). He has graciously chosen from all eternity those whom He would have as His own (Eph. 1:3-6); He saves from sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ; and He relates Himself to His own as their Father (Luke 3:38; John 1:12,18; Gal 4:5; Eph. 1:3-6; Heb. 12:5-9).

The Person and Work of Christ

(1) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isa. 7:14, 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2; 14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8). 

(2) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:3-5). 

(3) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

(1) We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1: 13-14). 

(2) We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27). 

(3) We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly so that they can do the work of the ministry (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12; 1 Pet. 4:10). 

(4) We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gifts of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit, and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22). 

The Total Depravity of Man

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, that man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19). 

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).

Eternal Security, Assurance, and Obligation of Believers

(1) We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5). 

(2) We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

The Church

(1) We believe that the universal church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27). 

(2) We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches are taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17; 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11). 

(3) We believe in the autonomy of the local church to be free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). 

(4) We believe water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the Church in this age (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

Missions

We believe that God has given the church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to make disciples so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to the nations and not wait for them to come to us (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20).

Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that God commands separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11).

The Second Advent of Christ

We believe the Church will be caught up to meet Christ in the air (1 Thes. 4:13-18) prior to the seven-year tribulation period (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 6:1-18:24).  At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally return to the earth and establish His Messianic Kingdom (Dan. 2:44-45, 7:8-14; Zech. 14:1-11; Rev. 19:11-20:6), fulfilling the promises made to the Nation of Israel. At the end of the Millennium, Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, the ungodly will also be judged (Rev. 20:7-15), followed by a New Heaven and New Earth in which all believers will reign with The Lord God forever (Rev. 21:1-22:5).

The Eternal State

(1) We believe in the bodily resurrection of all souls; the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13). 

(2) We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6). 

(3) We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7: Rev 20:11-15).

The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is an evil spirit, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

Creation

We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods (Genesis 1-2; Ex. 20:11).

Civil Government

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions; 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14). 

Gender, Marriage, 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. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a denial of God’s prerogative to exercise His will in creating men and women. 

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. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage. 

We believe that any form of homosexuality, pedophilia, lesbianism, bisexuality, incest, transgender, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. 

We believe that by performing a marriage ceremony within our church body, we are calling on and recognizing God's authority over the union and cannot do so in the circumstances clearly shown to be sinful and against His will. 

We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Applegate Community Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to our members and the community, it is imperative that all members, regular attendees, and persons employed by Applegate Community Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Gender, Marriage, and Sexuality (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:18-25; Gen. 19:5; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-20; Matt. 5:16; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9, 18; 7:2-5; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; 5:22; Heb. 13:4).

Divorce and Remarriage

We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage are regarded as adultery except on the grounds of sexual immorality or abandonment by an unbelieving spouse. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the Church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the office of Pastor. Divorced or remarried men may be considered for elder or deacon upon approval of the elder board. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom 7:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6; 1 Cor. 7).

Lawsuits Between Believers

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32).

Abortion

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, congenital disabilities, gender selection, or any other reason are biblical. 

We believe that any action to terminate life early is murder. We reject any teaching that euthanasia, mercy killing, or assisted suicide is acceptable (1 King 3:14; Job 14:5; Psalm 139:16).

Giving

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the basis for giving and that every Christian should give offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church for the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the offering once the gift has been made. (Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17).