We are a church that believes in the God of the Bible.
That means a couple of key things.
It means that we believe that God is the source and reason for living. And this is not a bad thing! Because God is love. He’s the source of love because he is the originator of it – he had the original idea. So everything else we believe or do is shaped by this filter: How does this show God’s love?
It means we believe that the Bible is the primary way we get to know the basics of who God is and what he wants for us.
It also means we believe that God the Father loved this world so much that he sent Jesus, the second person of the Trinity (the Son), to redeem us from our sin and heal our brokenness through his death on the cross and his resurrection. We believe that God calls us to partner with him to share this message of hope to a broken world. We believe that God lives in us through his Holy Spirit (# three in the Trinity) and his presence empowers us to live the life he wants for us.
We’ve unpacked our core beliefs below, concerning God, Creation, Sin (Corruption), Salvation, and the Church, so if you want to know more, keep reading!
If you are looking for further clarification on any word, phrase or belief below, please feel free to email us at grape@ecentral.com or call us at 303.774.7672.The simplest way to know what we believe is found in an ancient Christian creed called the Apostle’s Creed.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Some Specifics
The Bible (God’s Written Revelation)
We believe the Bible is God’s written revelation. In it, God reveals himself, his love for us, renews our understanding of the world and ourselves, and directs us in all our relationships and activities. We believe fully inspired and without error in all it intends to teach. The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit but through human authors, and it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and action.
2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31, 32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32
The Trinity (The Mystery of 3=1)
We believe there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. How can three persons be one God and not a committee of three gods? We don’t get how that works either, but according to the Bible, they are equal in every way, carrying out different yet complimentary work in the areas of creation, everyday involvement in our lives, and the redemption and renewal of this world. They live in a complete community of love that is our ultimate example of other-oriented living.
Genesis 1:1, 26; John 1:1, 3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19, 20; Ephesians 4:5, 6
God the Father
We believe that God the Father is the originator of creation and is it’s ultimate caretaker. As any real father should be, he is concerned about every part of our lives, no matter how small, and actively participates in our lives to draw us closer to him.
Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1, 2; 2:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6
God the Son – Jesus Christ
We believe that God the Son is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. He is the author of creation because when he spoke, all that is came into existence. We believe in his virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe that his death paid for our sins, that his real resurrection from the dead gives us life, that his return to heaven gives us an advocate in heaven, and that he will one day come back for us so we can be with him and reign with him forever.
Genesis 1, Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 8:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30, 31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9, 10; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Timothy 3:16
God the Holy Spirit
We believe that God the Holy Spirit gives life to creation through his breath. The Holy Spirit moves in our hearts to bring us to faith in Jesus, cleanses and renews our hearts, and builds a community of love and holiness for all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit lives in every follower of Jesus, and that he is our helper, teacher, and guide who is always with us.
Genesis 1, John 14:16, 17, 26; John 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26
Creation (All That Exists)
All that exists was created by God therefore everything ultimately belongs to him. Just as the masterpiece points to the artist that created it, creation points to God. Everything from the order of sub-atomic particles to the expanse of space points to the brilliance of God’s work. When God finished creating, he looked and saw that it was good, even very good. Even though sin has polluted God’s good creation, our universe still shows the beauty and intricacy of God’s craftsmanship.
Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 10:12-14; Isaiah 40; Psalm 139; Romans 1:20; 2 Corinthians 5:20
Sin (Pollution)
When God finished creating the world, the Bible says that he saw that it was “very good.” Unfortunately, it didn’t stay that way. Corruption entered the world through sin and disrupted the natural order of things. Just as a small amount of engine oil pollutes good drinking water so sin has polluted or distorted every part of life. The world still reflects God’s goodness, but we don’t have to look very far to see it’s corruption. Brokenness, disease, hate, arrogance, alienation, abuse of creation, death and ultimately separation from God, are some of the effects sin has on our world.
Genesis 1:3-19; Romans 8:22; Romans 6:23; 5:12; Galatians 5:19-21
Redemption (Making It Right Again)
When Jesus came to earth, his mission was to redeem all of creation and make it new again – the way it’s supposed to be. Christmas and Easter are the book ends of Jesus mission. God became a human, a baby in a manger, grew up to be a man, lived a full life on this earth without sin, and then voluntarily took on the consequence of our sin by dying on a cross. When Jesus came back to life on the 3rd day, he beat sin and death giving him the right to give real, lasting life to anyone he chooses and receives his gift.
Colossians 1:12-20; 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4, 57; Ephesians 1:7; Psalm 49:7
The Church (God’s Community)
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Jesus is the head and all believers are members. We believe the local church is an expression of the universal church and is the hope of the world in that God has given the church the privilege of sharing the good news of Jesus with every person from every nation in the world.
Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-25
The Way We Live (Life)
We believe that a follower of Jesus should live for the glory of God and the well being of others. We are called to live lives that reflect God living in us, to be faithful stewards of his possessions; and to seek a deep relationship with Jesus that leads to a life that if “mature and complete, not lacking anything.
1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 12:1,2; John 14:15, 23, 24; James 1:4; 1 John 2:3-6; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Colossians 1:9, 10
Last Things (The End is Just the Beginning)
We believe Jesus is coming back. We believe Jesus will bring ultimate justice to the universe, that he will raise our bodies from the dead, that he will renew all creation, that he will bring an end to sorrow, sickness, and violence so we will experience unadulterated joy in his presence. We also believe the Bible teaches that those who choose against Jesus will get what they want, eternity without him.
Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5, 15; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation
