What Does Genesis Church Believe About...?

God Himself inspired the human authors to write the books of the Bible. Every word of Scripture was chosen by God Himself, and the original manuscripts are completely trustworthy and without error. The Bible is God's Word to all humanity and is the final guide for belief and practice.

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 2:16ff.; 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

When it comes to our Creator, what we believe about Him does not change who He is. The Bible is the only trustworthy source for understanding Him. Scripture teaches that there is one God, existing eternally in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator of all that exists, and is sovereign (in complete control) over all. God is infinite in holiness and other perfections, and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present and future. To Him all creatures owe the highest love, respect, reverence and obedience.

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, and equal to the Father, and has always existed as God. Yet, He became a man, living in Israel in the first century A.D. He came to reveal God and redeem sinful man. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a perfect and sinless life, and died on a cross, becoming the perfect sacrifice for the human race. His substitutionary death made provision for the redemption of men and forgiveness of sin. Three days later, Jesus was raised from the dead, completely defeating death and the grave. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of the Father, and will return one day as the eternal King.

Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; 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

The Holy Spirit is a full and equal part of the Trinity. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement, and directs people to faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives new life to those who believe in Christ and lives within them, guiding them into truth, sealing them for salvation, gifting them for service, and developing the character of Christ in their lives. The Holy Spirit is the power source for the Christian life.

Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; 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

God created men and women in His image and likeness, meaning that they are created to relate to God, represent Him, and reflect Him. He is the pinnacle of creation, and was given the ability to choose. The first man and woman, Adam and Eve chose to sin, and the rest of the human race followed in their footsteps and suffered the consequences. People are sinful by nature and by choice, and completely unable to please God, remedy their condition, or choose Him on their own. As a result, men and women are alienated from their Creator and in desperate need of salvation.

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

Sin left us eternally separated from God. Despite human beings best and more well-intentioned efforts to impress God with their own good works, we cannot earn God's love by what we do. Salvation therefore, is a free gift, offered by God through the death of Jesus on the cross, and is received by man solely on the basis of personal faith in Christ. As a result, man is saved from the penalty of sin, is being saved from the power of sin, and one day will eternally be saved from the presence of sin.

Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1

Salvation begins and ends with God. The basis of salvation completely rests on the grace or unmerited favor of God. He initiated Salvation through election in eternity past, secured salvation in the death of Jesus, and applies salvation to those who believe. Those who truly come to God by faith in Christ will also be held secure by Him for all of eternity. We do not believe in "once saved, always saved," we believe in "if saved, always saved." Those who believe will endure to the end, because God keeps them secure.

John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom 8:1, 38, 39; I Cor 1:4-8; I Peter 1:5; Romans 5:9-10; 8:28-39; 10:12-15; 11:5-7,26-36; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 15:24-28; Ephesians 1:4-23; 2:1-10; 3:1-11; Colossians 1:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10,19; Hebrews 11:39B12:2; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2

The Christian life is both an event and a journey. Initial faith in Christ is the event, but this begins a journey of living for Christ and becoming more like Him. No person will attain sinless perfection on this earth, and therefore daily repentance is a part of the journey. God changes the lives of those who trust Him from the inside out as they grow closer to Him and as use their gifts to serve Him. Every Christian has the incredible privilege and responsibility to study the Scriptures, communicate with God in prayer, actively worship and participate in a local church, and spread the good news of Jesus Christ as a witness. God's promise is that when believers in Jesus reach heaven, God will complete the process of making every believer like Jesus.

Dueteronomy 4:1,5,9,14; 6:1-10; 31:12-13; Nehemiah 8:1-8; Job 28:28; Psalm 19:7; 119:11; Proverbs 3:13; 4:1-10; 8:1-7, 11, 15:14; Ecclesiastes 7:19; Matthew 5:2-14; 7:24; 28:17-20; Luke 2:40; I Corinthians 1:18-31; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 2:3, 8-9; I Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17; Hebrews 5:12-6:3; James 1:5; 3:17

The Bible teaches that the church is the body of Christ in the world today. The universal church is made up of all people who have believed in Jesus through the ages. A local New Testament church is a local body of baptized believers who have come together for the purposes of worship, evangelism, spiritual growth, fellowship, and service. We believe in the autonomy of each local church, free of any external authority or control. As members of the church, believers should participate by regularly attending and giving, and should utilize the gifts and talents God has given them to build up the Body and advance God's Kingdom.

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

Christian baptism is the 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 a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. Baptism also pictures the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. Baptism identifies the person with Christ, following His example, and it is a testimony to his or her faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Baptism does not save a person, but is an outward sign of an inward change, and is a requirement for membership at Genesis. Communion or the Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

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

Jesus Christ is coming again, in God's time and for His purpose, and will bring the world to it's appropriate end. While there are many theories about how the end will come, one message reigns supreme; Jesus is coming again, be ready! He will return visibly, and all men will be judged based on their response to Christ. Those who believed in Him will be resurrected and spend eternity in a literal place called heaven. While heaven will be a place of paradise, the greatest joy of heaven will be the eternal presence of God and Jesus. Those who rejected Christ in this life will spend eternity in Hell, a literal place of judgment and torment.

Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13