What We Believe
Statement of Faith
Adopted by the Conference on June 26, 2008
From the EFCA web site.
The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:
God
1. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
The Bible
2. We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
3. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
Jesus Christ
4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus-Israel’s promised Messiah-was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
The Work of Christ
5. We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
The Holy Spirit
6. We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
The Church
7. We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
Christian Living
8. We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
Christ’s Return
9. We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
Response and Eternal Destiny
10. We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.
Relational Commitments
State College Evangelical Free Church Relational Commitments
We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19)
Our church is trusting God to make us into a community of grace that reflects the power of the gospel of Christ in our lives. As we stand in the light of the cross, we realize that love, forgiveness and reconciled relationships are the norm for the people whom God has reconciled to himself through the sacrifice of his only Son (John 13:34-35; Eph. 4:29-32; Col. 3:12-14).
Want to know God personally? Learn how.
Statement of Faith Discussions
In June 2009, our church held discussions on the statement of faith. Click on the links below to listen to each recording.
Note: to listen to an audio file click on the link below. You may also save the file to your computer by right-clicking on the link and selecting "save target as" or "save link as". An easier way to listen to the files is by subscribing to our podcast on the message archive page. If you have any problems with listening to the files, please email the church office.
Discussion Part 1 - God (30 mins led by Matt Toms)
Discussion Part 2 - The Bible (30 mins led by Matt Toms)
Discussion Part 3 - The Human Condition (15 mins led by Matt Toms)
Discussion Part 4 - Jesus Christ (20 mins led by Bill Harrington)
Discussion Part 5 - The Work of Christ (15 mins led by Bill Harrington)
Discussion Part 6 - The Holy Spirit (25 mins led by Keith Maurer)
Discussion Part 7 - The Church and ordinances (25 mins led by Dan Roe)
Discussion Part 8 - Christian Living (20 mins led by Adam Wilson)
Discussion Part 9 - Christ's Return (20 mins led by Adam Wilson)
Discussion Part 10 - Eternal Destiny (15 mins led by Adam Wilson) |
For more information on the national Evangelical Free denomination, visit efca.org.