We believe that there is one Divine Being who exists equally in three distinct persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God has chosen to reveal himself to us through his Son, Jesus Christ, The Bible, and his creation.
He continues to sustain his creation, and provides for our needs.
God loves us and desires to be in a relationship with us.

God as Father reigns with providential care over all creation. He is sovereign.
He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise.
God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

Genesis 18:1       Psalms 2:7, 110:1       Isaiah 7:14, 53:1-12       Matthew 1:18-23, 3:17, 8:29, 11:27, 14:33, 16:16, 27, 17:5, 27, 28:1-6, 19       Mark 1:1, 3:11       Luke 1:35, 4:41, 22:70, 24:46       John 1:1-18, 29, 10:30, 38, 11:25-27, 12:44-50, 14:7-11, 16:15-16, 28, 17:1-5, 21-22, 20:1-20, 28       Acts 1:9, 2:22-24, 7:55-56, 9:4-5, 20       Romans 1:3-4, 3:23-26, 5:6-21, 8:1-3, 34, 10:4       1 Corinthians 1:30, 2:2, 8:6, 15:1-8, 24-28       2 Corinthians 5:19-21, 8:9       Galatians 4:4-5       Ephesians 1:20, 3:11, 4:7-10       Philippians 2:5-11       Colossians 1:13-22, 2:9       1 Thessalonians 4:14-18       1 Timothy 2:5-6, 3:16       Titus 2:13-14       Hebrews 1:1-3, 4:14-15, 7:14-28, 9:12-15, 24-28, 12:2, 13:8       1 Peter 2:21-25, 3:22       1 John 1:7-9, 3:2, 4:14-15, 5:9       2 John 7-9       Revelation 1:13-16, 5:9-14, 12:10-11, 13:8, 19:16      

As the third equal person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit's role is to reside in the life of every believer at the point of salvation, to mark and seal them as believers, and guiding and equipping them for the purpose of effectively building the Kingdom.
By his presence we can understand and apply the truth of Scripture, and are empowered to live God honoring lives.
The Holy Spirit applies all of the work of Christ to our lives, supernaturally developing his character in us expressed in conduct and action.

Genesis 1:2       Judges 14:6       Job 26:13       Psalms 51:11, 139:7       Isaiah 61:1-3       Joel 2:28-32       Matthew 1:18, 3:16, 4:1, 12:28-32, 28:19       Mark 1:10,12       Luke 1:35, 4:1,18-19, 11:13, 12:12, 24:49       John 4:24, 14:16-17,26, 15:26, 16:7-14       Acts 1:8, 2:1-4,38, 4:31, 5:3, 6:3, 7:55, 8:17,39, 10:44, 13:2, 15:28, 16:6, 19:1-6       Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27       1 Corinthians 2:10-14, 3:16, 12:3-11,13       Galatians 4:6       Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30, 5:18       1 Thessalonians 5:19       1 Timothy 3:16, 4:1       2 Timothy 1:14, 3:16       Hebrews 9:8,14       2 Peter 1:21       1 John 4:13, 5:6-7       Revelation 1:10, 22:17      

Human beings are the supreme part of God's creation, and are designed to be in relationship with Him.
However, the first humans willingly chose to listen to Satan and were deceived.
At that point, sin entered the world and our relationship with God was severed.
Every human being since that time has suffered the consequences of alienation from God.
We are open to Satan's influence, unable to please God, and are hopelessly condemned to spend an eternity without Him.
Our greatest need as humans is to have our relationship with God restored.

Genesis 1:26-30, 2:5,7,18-22, 3, 9:6, Psalms 1, 8:3-6, 32:1-5, 51:5       Isaiah 6:5       Jeremiah 17:5       Matthew 16:26       Acts 17:26-31       Romans 1:19-32, 3:10-18,23, 5:6,12,19, 6:6, 7:14-25, 8:14-18,29       1 Corinthians 1:21-31, 15:19,21-22       Ephesians 2:1-22       Colossians 1:21-22, 3:9-11      

Over an approximate period of four thousand years, God inspired human authors to reveal his truth to us - which is the Holy Bible.
It comes in the form of sixty-six books of the various writing styles and languages of that time that all point to the same truth - that God is actively working to redeem the world.
Every word of Scripture is accurate, trustworthy, and without error.
Therefore, we can look to the Bible as the complete and final source of authority for how God wants us to live.

Exodus 24:4       Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 17:19       Joshua 8:34       Psalms 19:7-10, 119:11,89,105,140       Isaiah 34:16, 40:8       Jeremiah 15:16, 36:1-32       Matthew 5:17-18, 22:29       Luke 21:33, 24:44-46       John 5:39, 16:13-15, 17:17       Acts 2:16, 17:11       Romans 15:4, 16:25-26       2 Timothy 3:15-17       Hebrews 1:1-2, 4:12       1 Peter 1:25       2 Peter 1:19-21      

Because there is no way for humans to achieve reconciliation with God, we must totally depend on his grace and mercy. Salvation is by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ.
Through faith in what Jesus did for us by offering himself as a sacrifice on the cross to atone for our sins, we can be restored, and have peace with God again.
When we make the decision to accept Jesus Christ as Savior, our sins are forgiven, and we receive the Holy Spirit into our lives.
We belong to Christ and are destined for eternity. Our commitment is both private and public.
We demonstrate this privately by faith and repentance (turning from our former way of life), and publicly through confession of Jesus as Lord, and submitting to Christian baptism.

Genesis 3:15       Exodus 3:14-17, 6:2-8       Matthew 1:21, 4:17, 16:21-26, 27:22-28:6       Luke 1:68-69, 2:28-32       John 1:11-14,29, 3:3-21,36, 5:24, 10:9,28-29, 15:1-16, 17:17       Acts 2:21, 4:12, 15:11, 16:30-31, 17:30-31, 20:32       Romans 1:16-18, 2:4, 3:23-25, 4:3, 5:8-10, 6:1-23, 8:1-18,29-39, 10:9-10,13, 13:11-14       1 Corinthians 1:18,30, 6:19-20, 15:10       2 Corinthians 5:17-20       Galatians 2:20, 3:13, 5:22-25, 6:15       Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-22, 4:11-16       Philippians 2:12-13       Colossians 1:9-22, 3:1       1 Thessalonians 5:23-24       2 Timothy 1:12       Titus 2:11-14       Hebrews 2:1-3, 5:8-9, 9:24-28, 11:1-12:8,14       James 2:14-26       1 Peter 1:2-23       1 John 1:6-2:11       Revelation 3:20, 21:1-22:5      

The church is the community of believers who represents Jesus Christ to the world. The Bible refers to the church as the body of Christ, with Christ at the Head of the church.
God divinely arranges each part of the body (individual believers) in such a way that the church can carry out its mission ( Matthew 28:18-20 ).
To remain healthy, each part of the body must contribute and function together in harmony - one part supporting the others.
Everyone in the church works toward the growth and maturity of the body as a whole.
In that way, the church will be in the best shape to work with God in reconciling the world to himself.
The church is instructed to gather regularly for the purposes of worship, teaching, fellowship, communion, encouraging, and equipping for ministry.
The church is an autonomous local congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant membership.
Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, lead by the Holy Spirit of God to follow the Word of God (the Bible).
Each member is responsible and accountable to Jesus Christ as Lord. The biblical offices are elders and deacons.
While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of elder is limited to men as qualified by the Bible.
The church practices the two ordinances of Christ, baptism and communion.
The New Testament also includes the church or the Body of Christ as all Christians from all ages, and people.

Matthew 16:15-19, 18:15-20       Acts 2:41-42,47, 5:11-14, 6:3-6, 13:1-3, 14:23,27, 15:1-30, 16:5, 20:28       Romans 1:7       1 Corinthians 1:2, 3:16, 5:4-5, 7:17, 9:13-14, 12       Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:19-22, 3:8-11,21, 5:22-32       Philippians 1:1       Colossians 1:18       1 Timothy 2:9-14, 3:1-15, 4:14       Hebrews 11:39-40       1 Peter 5:1-4       Revelation 2-3, 21:2-3      

Baptism is immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
It is an act of obedience that symbolizes the believer's faith in Jesus Christ who was crucified, buried and risen just as the believer's death to sin, burial of the old life and resurrection to walk in newness of life in Jesus.
It is a public testimony to a believer's faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is a prerequisite to church membership.
Communion is an act of obedience for Christians partake of the bread and the fruit of the vine to memorialize the death of Jesus Christ and His return.

Matthew 3:13-17, 26:26-30, 28:19-20       Mark 1:9-11, 14:22-26       Luke 3:21-22, 22:19-20       John 3:23       Acts 2:41-42, 8:35-39, 16:30-33, 20:7       Romans 6:3-5       1 Corinthians 10:16,21, 11:23-29       Colossians 2:12      

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male and female.
These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God ( Gen 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 ( Gen 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 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 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 & offensive to God ( Mat 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10 ).

Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15-25, 3:1-20       Exodus 20:12       Deuteronomy 6:4-9       Joshua 24:15       1 Samuel 1:26-28       Psalms 51:5, 78:1-8, 127, 128, 139:13-16       Proverbs 1:8, 5:15-20, 6:20-22, 12:4, 13:24, 14:1, 17:6, 18:22, 22:6,15, 23:13-14, 24:3, 29:15,17, 31:10-31       Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, 9:9       Malachi 2:14-16       Matthew 5:31-32, 18:2-5, 19:3-9       Mark 10:6-12       Romans 1:18-32       1 Corinthians 7:1-16       Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-4       Colossians 3:18-21       1 Timothy 5:8,14       2 Timothy 1:3-5       Titus 2:3-5       Hebrews 13:4       1 Peter 3:1-7      

This Statement of Beliefs does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs and faith.
The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of humankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe.
For purposes of Heyworth Christian Church's faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Elder Board is Heyworth Christian Church's final interpretive authority on the Bible's meaning and application.