What We Believe

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - A.W. Tozer

Core Beliefs

The following are the core beliefs of Grace Point Community Church based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

SCRIPTURE

We believe the Bible is God's Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme authority for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error.
2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 12:6; Psalm 119:105,160

THE TRINITY

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Mark 12:29; Matthew 28:19; Isaiah 43:10-11; Psalm 90:2

GOD, THE FATHER

We believe in God, the Father, an infinite personal Spirit, creator of the heavens and earth, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of people, and that He hears and answers prayer.
Jeremiah 23:23,24 ; John 4:24; Romans 16:27; Psalm 99:9; Jeremiah 32:17; 1 John 4:8; Matthew 5:38

JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life, and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to the right hand of the Father and will return again someday in power and glory to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Philippians 2:6; Hebrews 1:8; Hebrews 4:14-15; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23; Romans 1:3-4; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; John 1:1-5; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe the Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation and seals them until the day of redemption. He gives every believer spiritual gifts as He wills.
Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 12:7-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; John 16:7-13; John 14:16,17

SALVATION

We believe that since the very first person, mankind has rebelled against our God, our Creator and King. We are guilty and separated from God because of our sin. This separation is complete and it is eternal. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can one be saved from sin's penalty and to eternal life with Him in His Kingdom. Salvation is God's free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. When we turn from our own kingdom and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into one's life by faith. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian; therefore, if you have been genuinely saved, you cannot "lose" it. It is the unmerited favor and power of God through the Holy Spirit that gives us security in our salvation.
Acts 10:47-48 ; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 1:12; John 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1; John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 10:10,14; 1 Peter 1:3-5

SANCTIFICATION

We believe that sanctification is the process by which Christians, according to the will of God, become more like Jesus Christ.  We increasingly think more like Christ, act more like Christ, and interact with others more like Christ. It is a continuing work that begins at salvation and is carried on by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit through learning new narratives, practicing spiritual disciplines, experiencing challenging circumstances, and being in community with like-minded people.
1 Thessalonians 4:3; Proverbs 4:18; 1 John 2:20; Philippians 2:12-13

THE CHURCH

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and all Christians are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ who are committed to God and each other to introduce people to Jesus Christ and live together in His Kingdom.
Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 5:25; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Timothy 2:19; Romans 16:5; Colossians 3:16; Colossians 1:28; Matthew 28:19

THE ORDINANCES

We believe that Jesus Christ has instructed those who believe in Him to be baptized in water as a symbol of their new birth in Christ. Our practice is to baptize by immersion. For more information on baptism, visit our baptism page.
The Lord also instituted communion as a remembrance of His suffering, death, and resurrection. Neither baptism nor communion has any merit in helping a person obtain eternal life. Both baptism and the Lord’s Supper are for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47-48; Romans 6:4

THE LAST THINGS

People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is Heaven. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
John 3:16; John 14:17; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; 1 Corinthians. 2:7-9

NON-ESSENTIALS

Considering the many denominational backgrounds of our community church, we believe our attitude to other Christians should stress the importance of the main fundamental doctrines as being absolutely necessary, while being understanding in minor differences that so often are merely differences in terminology or custom, and in all things to show love to one another.
Ephesians 4:4-6; Romans 14:1; Romans 4:1-25 ; Romans 12:1-21; 1 Corinthians 13:2

Positions on current topics

INTRODUCTION

Grace Point recognizes every human being as an image bearer of God, and one who is valuable in His sight. It is our desire to minister to and love everyone who walks through the doors of our church. We also recognize that faith spaces have often been and continue to be places of heartbreak and rejection for many communities. We grieve over and apologize for any time Grace Point has harmed anyone through word or deed, knowingly or unknowingly.
Through prayer, studying the scriptures, and guidance from the Holy Spirit, we have established and are attempting to communicate positions that honor God and His Word. While acknowledging that some of these may not align with the beliefs of others, our desire is that everyone would feel welcome to join us in our pursuit of God. We strive to love all people unconditionally and to cultivate a community that will be attentive to people’s spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. We want Grace Point to be a safe place to hear a dangerous message. The Gospel of Jesus is dangerous in that it challenges us to think, act, and be different than before we knew Christ. But we also want our church to be a safe place for everyone to feel welcomed as a friend and valued as a person loved by God.
We hope that the position statements below will provide clarity for our church family and anyone who may be investigating Grace Point as a church home. If you have any questions on these positions, please email our Elder Board.

GENDER

We believe that scripture teaches that a person’s identity is not assigned by the individual or by society, but by God, who created humankind with two distinct sexes: male and female. In addition, we believe that our gender is indicated by our biological sex at birth, and that we glorify God when we affirm and value our biological sex as our gender. A more in-depth position paper on this topic will be coming soon.

MARRIAGE

We believe that scripture establishes marriage as a life-long union between a man and a woman. Therefore, we will only endorse or conduct marriages between a man and woman. A more in-depth position paper on this topic will be coming soon.

SEX AND SEXUALITY

We believe that scripture teaches that God has ordained sex for marriage (as defined above) between one man and one woman, with the purpose of having children and strengthening the marriage bond. Any other sexual activity is outside of God’s will, and is understood as sexual immorality. It is a sin against God, against our own bodies, and against those we have wronged through it. A more in-depth position paper on this topic will be coming soon.

ABORTION/LIFE

We believe that human beings are created by God in His image. Therefore every person, from conception to natural death, possesses inherent dignity and immeasurable worth - including preborn children, elderly individuals, those with special needs, and others that can be marginalized by society. As followers of Christ, we are called to defend, protect, and value all human life. A more in-depth position paper on this topic will be coming soon.

WOMEN'S ROLE IN MINISTRY

We believe that men and women are equal in every aspect as the Trinity is equal in every aspect.  However, just as we see in the Trinity, different roles complement one another. For example, the Father, the Son,  and the Holy Spirit fulfill different roles in the Godhead, but are all equal. In a similar way, we believe that although men and women are equal, the Bible instructs the role of pastor/elder to be reserved for qualified men as described in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Under the authority of the elders, we celebrate the gifts of the Spirit given to everyone to encourage and grow the church family. Gifts of leadership, teaching, mercy, helps, and more will be welcome and developed for women and men alike. A more in-depth position paper on this topic will be coming soon.

RACIAL RECONCILIATION

We believe that the history of the church, as with the history of humanity, is infused with racial inequality. As followers of Christ, we ought to live out the unity inherent in the body of Christ, a unity that has no place for racism of any kind, but sees one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. A more in-depth position paper on this topic will be coming soon.

POLITICS

We believe the only solution to our world's problems is Jesus Christ. Our mission as a church is to introduce people to Jesus Christ and grow together in His kingdom.  The church is not called to change people's behavior and lives through any form of government.  That change comes only from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
We encourage believers to participate in their society and government, but it is idolatry to raise the importance of government to equal that of the church.  God’s church has existed and expanded under many forms of government and will continue to do so through God’s power and not through our works.  We as believers should always put the great commission above our political actions and should live and work with people of different political beliefs with grace, love, and humility. A more in-depth position paper on this topic will be coming soon.