Our Beliefs
We believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and its implicationsThe term “Gospel” was originally understood as a declaration – a pronouncement – of a new kingdom coming under a new king; and along with it, all the hopes and responsibilities that it might entail.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a declaration that God has made good on his ancient promise of restoring all things in Jesus Christ – the true King. In his living, dying, and rising again, God declares an end – both now and in the future – to all the sin, all the death, and all the injustice that we experience in ourselves, in our city, and in our world.
Jesus the King has come to fix all that is broken.
The good news of the Gospel, then, is not only about what Jesus has done so that we could “get into heaven”, but also about what Jesus is doing so that his kingdom of heaven – with all its perfect peace and beauty – could come to earth.
And so the Gospel becomes God’s invitation to everyone – to stop living by the false hopes and dreams of our disappointing desires and our over-hyped world, and to begin belonging to Jesus. As we listen to the things he has said and align our lives in faith and obedience to him, we find ourselves experiencing more and more the wonder and goodness of his kingdom.
WE BELIEVE IN THESE IMPLICATIONS OF THE GOSPEL
God is real
He cares, and he has a plan for us. Therefore our lives can have meaning and purpose.
JESUS IS KING
He has overcome sin and even death, and is now alive and active in our world, our city, and our lives through his Holy Spirit. Therefore we can have hope for change.
Good wins
Therefore we don’t have to be cynical. We don’t have to resign ourselves to just accepting things the way they are. Instead, we can call evil and sin for what it is. We don’t have to tolerate injustice, but we can join Jesus’ work against it.
Grace is true
Though we are undeserving, and though at times we don’t even know to ask for it, God’s love and restoration still come to us in Jesus Christ. Therefore, all our relationships begin to be transformed by this grace, empowering us to live lovingly towards God and towards one another.
We Need the Holy Spirit
Jesus’ kingdom really has come, and is even now being established all around us and in our hearts. But his kingdom is so different from what we’re accustomed to experiencing that we often have trouble recognizing its reality. Therefore we ask God’s Holy Spirit to help us.
There are better and worse ways to live
Therefore, we trust God to help us understand and choose the better way – most reliably through what we understand in the Bible, but also fleshed out in the context of Christian community and guided by the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel is for everyone
Our neighbors, co-workers, family members, and friends matter to God! Therefore they must matter to us. And so we love those around us as we love ourselves, inviting them with respect, warmth, and understanding into our lives, our life together, and the life of his kingdom.