Our Statement of Faith
1. ABOUT GOD:
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three Persons Who are co- equal; The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit.
Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3-22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; I Peter 1:2; II Corinthians 13:14
2. ABOUT MAN:
Man has been created 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.
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1, 2
3. ABOUT ETERNITY:
Man was created to exist forever. He can live this existence separated from God through disobedience or in union with God through faith and salvation. Heaven and Hell are the future places of existence destined for those who live in union with God (Heaven) and those who choose to remain separated from God (Hell).
John 3:16; 2:25; I John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 18:8; Matthew 25:44-46
4. ABOUT JESUS CHRIST:
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a life free of sin 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 victory over sin and death. He ascended into the glory of Heaven and is there now where he rules as the head over His Church. He will return to earth again to reign forever as the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14, 15; I Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13
5. ABOUT PERSONAL SALVATION:
Salvation is a gift given to man by God. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement
or good deeds. 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 we receive Jesus Christ by faith.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6; 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1
6. ABOUT ETERNAL SECURITY:
Because eternal life is based on the gift of God to sinful persons through grace, the believer in Christ is secure in that salvation for all eternity. His salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. The Christian’s life of righteousness is motivated by God’s grace, not by fear of losing salvation.
John 10:28, 29; II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10, 14; I Peter 1:3-5
7. ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT:
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He is also referred to in scripture as the Spirit of Jesus. He is co-equal with the Father and the Son. He works to make persons aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides Christians with power for daily living, understanding of spiritual truth, and power for effective witnessing to others. The Christian is commanded to live under the Spirit’s control every day.
II Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13; 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12; 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18
8. ABOUT THE BIBLE:
The Bible is the written record of God’s revelation of Himself to man, coming to fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. The Bible was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the perfect, fully-authoritative source of instruction for knowing God and living the Christian life.
II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20, 21; II Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160: 12:6; Proverbs 30:5
9. ABOUT CHRISTIAN GROWTH:
The Bible teaches us that it is God’s desire for every Christian to grow to full spiritual maturity. This means that the goal of Christian growth is activated in our lives through working of the Holy Spirit. We also cultivate spiritual growth through such personal disciplines as: Bible study, prayer, fellowship with other Christians and sharing Christ with those who don’t know Him. Growth in Christlikeness is the surest evidence of our relationship with the Lord, and is the ultimate goal of the spiritual maturity process.
Ephesians 4:13; Romans 8:29; II Timothy 3:16-17; I Peter 2:2; John 16:24; Hebrews 10:25; I Peter 3:15
10. THE CHURCH ORDINANCES:
Jesus gave his Church two symbolic ordinances that “act out” the message of Christian faith - Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (sometimes called Communion). They are both outward expressions of an inner experience of faith. We do not believe Baptism or the Lord’s Supper possess spiritual powers to impart grace or salvation to us. Rather, their sacred significance is in the heart-felt union of the believer to Jesus that they express. Baptism symbolizes Christ’s plunge into our world’s suffering to die and rise again for our salvation. This is the way he gave for us to identify ourselves as his disciples. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, remembers the sacrifice of body and blood Jesus lovingly made for us and recalls his desire for all to receive him personally. While Baptism is done once, at the beginning of our Christian journey, the Lord’s Supper is repeated often throughout our life of Christian devotion.
Matthew 28:19- 20; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:23-26; 1 Corinthians 1:17-18; 1 Corinthians 8:8; Hebrews 13:9; Romans 14:17
Northpointe Community Church is a congregation that is Baptist in its faith and practice, and voluntarily affiliates with The Southern Baptist Convention of churches.
Cultural Lifestyle Issues and Membership at Northpointe
One’s commitment to membership involves obedience as Jesus’ disciple to his teachings. While Northpointe Church isn’t made up of perfect people, (we’re all sinners who’ve been saved by the grace of God), the Bible still instructs us to live lives worthy of the privilege we’ve received as God’s redeemed people. Followers of Jesus will find that God’s ways OFTEN conflict with cultural values and mores. We’re instructed to avoid lifestyle choices that are spiritually defiling or that would damage the reputation and message of God’s church. Note this passage for example:
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people…Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” EPHESIANS 5:1-11
Unmarried Couples Living Together
A popular cultural trend is for couples to live together prior to marriage. Not only is this damaging to individuals and society by contributing to later divorce likelihood and increased rates of abuse and poverty, the Bible teaches that it’s against the moral will of God for our lives. “Fornication”, sometimes also translated as “sexual immorality” refers to pre-marital sexual relations as well as other forms of sexual expression that fall short of God’s design for his image expressed in our sexuality. (See scriptures such as Hebrews 13:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; and 1 Corinthians 6:13-20)
We encourage unmarried couples who are living together and want to become members at Northpointe to alter their situation by marrying their partner, or by changing their living arrangement in obedience to the Lord before becoming members. Biblically, it’s damaging to our church’s testimony and message to publicly recognize members (when we publish their names before the church) who are openly living in a manner inconsistent with God’s clear instruction. 1 Corinthians 5 deals with not recognizing people as members whose lifestyles openly conflict with Scripture. Also, certain ministry roles as a non-member at Northpointe, such as teaching a class or leading a group, require our lifestyles to be consistent with the message we’re declaring. The fact is, what a Church PERMITS, it PROMOTES, even unintentionally.
Gay Relationships and Marriage
Northpointe does not affirm homosexual expression and does not recognize homosexual unions as the proper expression of the image of God our sexuality is to reflect. As with heterosexuals who openly violate God’s moral will, membership would not be appropriate without personal repentance. While welcoming all persons who desire to seek God and be recipients of Northpointe’s ministry, membership in God’s Church, and ministry leadership are high callings that carry great responsibility and must be taken seriously (see James 3:1). While God’s church will never achieve perfection in this age, we’re called to strive for and honor the purity God desires his people to exhibit as disciples of Jesus. Because these are complex issues, often with no quick, easy solutions, Northpointe’s pastors welcome dialogue privately if you have further questions or desire counsel related to these or other lifestyle issues.