OUR BELIEFS
About God.
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. God is at work redeeming the world and His people in it.
Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; I Peter 1:2
About Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death.
He ascended to heaven’s glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
About The Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation.
He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live in harmony and submission with Him daily.
II Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13; 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12; 3:1
About Man.
Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God’s creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin.” This attitude separates man from God. Man is created for relationship with God and ultimately to glorify God.
About Eternity.
Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and hell are places of eternal existence.
About Salvation.
Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives (confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and repents) Jesus Christ into his life by faith.
Romans 5:1; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26
About Eternal Security.
Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security. This does not apply to believers who forsake Jesus.
John 10:29; II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10-14; I Peter 1:3-5
About The Bible.
The Bible is God’s Word to all men. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error.
We recognize that while Scripture is the supreme source for truth… man who is imperfect does not always understand or interpret correctly and that no one man or person has ultimate authority to interpret Scripture for another.
II Timothy 3:16; 1:13; II Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 119:105, 160; 12:6
About Baptism.
Water Baptism is a symbolic representation of man’s death, burial, and resurrection with Christ. There is nothing special about the water and baptism is not the marker that saves a person, but it is the initial act of obedience that a person takes in declaring Christ as their Lord and Savior. Baptism also acts as a public marker of entry into the family of the Church.
About The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is alive and working in this day just as He was in Biblical times. We believe that the Holy Spirit gifts and equips believers both in personal and ingrained manners as well as in supernatural and extraordinary measures as outlined in Scripture. We believe these gifts are to be used for the purpose of advancing God’s Kingdom and the care and support of His people and to bring glory and honor to God. We believe that as a local church body the integrity of our witness is more important that the flaunting or inappropriate display of gifts for human purposes.
1 Cor. 12:7-11; 1 Cor. 14:1-40; 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Cor. 13:2; Acts 1:8;
About Marriage, Gender, 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 (Genesis 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 (Genesis 2:18-25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Corinthians 6:18, 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that marriage ceremonies are Christian worship services that celebrate the covenant made between a man and a woman before God.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality (as defined by God’s word) is sinful and offensive to God (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
We believe that every person should be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed towards any individual are not in alignment with the teachings of Jesus and are not in accord with the Word of God or the doctrines of Pathway Church.