Living Word Church exists to bring glory and honor to God’s name and the name of His Son, Jesus Christ (Col. 1:15-19).
We fulfill this declaration through our mission of Exalting Christ (Phil. 2:9-11), Making Disciples (Matt. 28:19-20), and Equipping the Saints (Eph. 4:11-16) "for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:12-13).
These four pillars of scriptural truths establish and uphold our statement of faith.
As we stated in the 3rd pillar, doctrine matters, and by that we further expand the truths by which we preach and teach.
Doctrine of God
We believe in one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each person is fully, equally and eternally God, yet there is one God. Each person has precisely the same nature and attributes and is worthy of precisely the same worship, honor and praise. The entire Christian faith is bound together with the confession of God’s Trinitarian nature.
Doctrine of Revelation
We believe that God has made Himself known to His creation. He has revealed Himself to us in His Son, the incarnate Word (Heb.1:1-2); in Scripture, the inspired Word (2 Tim. 3:16); and in creation (Ps. 8; Rom. 1:20). We believe the Scriptures, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired Word of God and are, therefore, without error in their original writings. These writings alone constitute the verbally inspired Word of God, which is utterly authoritative and free from error. The Scripture is sufficient for all that God requires for us to believe and do and is, therefore, to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it teaches; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; and trusted, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises (Is. 40:6-8). As God’s people hear, believe and obey the Word, they are equipped as disciples of Christ and witnesses to the gospel (Rom. 10:14-17).
Doctrine of Humanity
God made humanity—male and female—in His own image (Gen. 1:27-30). Set apart as His image bearers, every human being is sacred. All men and all women, bearing the image of God, are meant to represent God in His creation (1 Cor. 10:31). God declares the created order to be very good, distinguishing men and women as His agents to care for, manage and govern over it. They enjoy equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are both called to move beyond passive self-indulgence to significant private and public engagement in family, church and civic life. Adam and Eve were made to complement each other in a one-flesh union in the covenant of marriage that establishes the only God-ordained pattern of sexual relations for men and women. In God’s wise purposes, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways.
Doctrine of Sin
Through the temptation of Satan, humanity transgressed the command of God and fell from their original holiness and righteousness (Gen. 3). Now the entire human race inherits a corrupt nature that is opposed to God and His law (Rom. 3:9-20). Therefore, all humans are under condemnation. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to the mind, will, body and affections. Unregenerate humanity lives under the dominion of sin and Satan (Eph. 2:1-3). He is at enmity with God, hostile toward and hateful of God.
Doctrine of Salvation
According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: There is no man who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46). That doesn't mean we're incapable of performing acts of human kindness. But we're utterly incapable of understanding, loving or pleasing God on our own (Rom. 3:10-12). Man is the created being, and man is in rebellion against the Creator (Rom. 3:23; Jer. 17:9). God's holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by eternal death (Ezek. 18:4; Rom. 6:23). That's why simply changing our patterns of behavior can't solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences.
Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Even though God's justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Pet. 3:18). Christ's death satisfied the demands of God's justice, and Christ's perfect life satisfied the demands of God's holiness (2 Cor. 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Rom. 3:26). Jesus is the only way by which sinful man is reconciled to a holy God (John 14:6).
Doctrine of The Church
God, by His Word and Spirit, creates the Church, calling sinful humanity into the fellowship of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:12-31). By the same Word and Spirit, He guides and preserves that newly redeemed humanity. The Church is made up of those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ and have personally appropriated the Gospel. The Church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Church is an extension of the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Spirit. We believe there are two ordinances of the Church. One is that of the believer’s baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the other is the Lord’s Supper.
Doctrine of Resurrection and the Consummation of the Kingdom of God
The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ; the resurrection of the dead and the glorification of those alive in Christ; the judgment of the just and the unjust; and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. In the consummation, Satan, with his hosts and all those outside Christ, is finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment (Rev. 20:7-15), but the righteous, in glorious bodies, will live and reign with Christ forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory. Then, the eager expectation of creation will be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God, who makes all things new (Rev. 21:1-5).
Doctrine of Genuine Saving Faith
True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin (Luke 13:3, 5; 1 Thess. 1:9), pursue Christ (Matt. 11: 28-30; John 17:3), and obey Him (1 John 2:3). It isn't enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don't love and obey Him. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Eph. 2:10; James 1:22). True believers are only able to walk out their faith by the empowering of the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer at the moment of salvation (Titus 3:5; Rom. 8:15-17; Gal. 5:16). This new life is evident in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) on display in the true believer's life. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17).
We fulfill this declaration through our mission of Exalting Christ (Phil. 2:9-11), Making Disciples (Matt. 28:19-20), and Equipping the Saints (Eph. 4:11-16) "for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:12-13).
These four pillars of scriptural truths establish and uphold our statement of faith.
- We Believe in a High View of God
God is sovereign in all things. The church is the body of Christ and exists for His glory alone. God is directing and working all things after the "counsel of His will" (Ps. 22:28; 33:6-9; 115:3; Prov. 16:9; Dan. 4:34-35; Isa. 40:17-18; Rom. 9:13-29; Rev. 4:11). - We Believe in a Supreme Love for Christ
A supreme love for Christ is essential in the life of the true believer and the greatest commandment from the LORD of the church (Matt. 22:36-38, Mark 12:28-30, Deut. 6:4-5). We believe that if you love God, you will love Jesus and if you love Jesus, you will love God. By that, a supreme love for Christ is essential in exposing sin in our lives so that we may repent and grow in greater Christlikeness (Rom. 8:29, John 14:15). A supreme love for Christ forsakes all other desires, making us worthy to follow him (Matt. 10:37-39, Luke 14:33, 1 Cor. 16:22). Lastly, that love is reflected in our love for others, which is the second greatest commandment from our LORD (Matt. 22:39, Mark 12:31). Our prayer is that our love for Christ will “abound more and more” each day (Phil. 1:9-11) and that, as a true church, we will not abandon that love (Rev. 2:4-5). - We Believe in a High View of Scripture and the Preaching of Sound Doctrine
The Bible is the Inspired, Infallible, and Inerrant Word of God written in the original language and passed down to us without change. The Word of God is absolute and possesses all authority on all matters and for answering any and all questions regarding the purpose, structure, and function of the church (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19-21). We are commanded to "preach the Word," and in doing so, we must maintain a high view of God and a high view of Scripture so that our preaching, teaching, and practicing of sound doctrine are aligned with that command (2 Tim. 4:1-5). We know that sound doctrine is essential in the maturation and safety of the believer (Eph. 4:14). Doctrine matters. - We Believe in Personal Holiness
Though we are in the world, we are not of the world. We are accountable to God and to each other for what we do and how we live, for we have been "bought with a price" and are not our own (Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 6:18-20; 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Pet. 1:18; Eph. 5:3-12). We do this by cultivating and practicing godliness, which is essential to the Christian life and is made up of pursuing spiritual disciplines that are both personal (bible reading, prayer, fasting) (Ps. 119:11; 1 Thess..5:17; Matt. 6:5-15, Matt. 6:16-18) and interpersonal (baptism, the Lord’s Supper, fellowship, family worship) (Matt. 28:19; Matt. 26:26-28; Acts 2:42-47; Heb. 10:25). Being that we are not our own, we believe in God’s created order with regards to sexuality, gender, and marriage. We belong to Christ (Gen. 2:21-25, 3:16; 1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:22-32; 1 Pet. 3:1-7; Col. 3:18-19).
As we stated in the 3rd pillar, doctrine matters, and by that we further expand the truths by which we preach and teach.
Doctrine of God
We believe in one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each person is fully, equally and eternally God, yet there is one God. Each person has precisely the same nature and attributes and is worthy of precisely the same worship, honor and praise. The entire Christian faith is bound together with the confession of God’s Trinitarian nature.
Doctrine of Revelation
We believe that God has made Himself known to His creation. He has revealed Himself to us in His Son, the incarnate Word (Heb.1:1-2); in Scripture, the inspired Word (2 Tim. 3:16); and in creation (Ps. 8; Rom. 1:20). We believe the Scriptures, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired Word of God and are, therefore, without error in their original writings. These writings alone constitute the verbally inspired Word of God, which is utterly authoritative and free from error. The Scripture is sufficient for all that God requires for us to believe and do and is, therefore, to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it teaches; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; and trusted, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises (Is. 40:6-8). As God’s people hear, believe and obey the Word, they are equipped as disciples of Christ and witnesses to the gospel (Rom. 10:14-17).
Doctrine of Humanity
God made humanity—male and female—in His own image (Gen. 1:27-30). Set apart as His image bearers, every human being is sacred. All men and all women, bearing the image of God, are meant to represent God in His creation (1 Cor. 10:31). God declares the created order to be very good, distinguishing men and women as His agents to care for, manage and govern over it. They enjoy equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are both called to move beyond passive self-indulgence to significant private and public engagement in family, church and civic life. Adam and Eve were made to complement each other in a one-flesh union in the covenant of marriage that establishes the only God-ordained pattern of sexual relations for men and women. In God’s wise purposes, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways.
Doctrine of Sin
Through the temptation of Satan, humanity transgressed the command of God and fell from their original holiness and righteousness (Gen. 3). Now the entire human race inherits a corrupt nature that is opposed to God and His law (Rom. 3:9-20). Therefore, all humans are under condemnation. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to the mind, will, body and affections. Unregenerate humanity lives under the dominion of sin and Satan (Eph. 2:1-3). He is at enmity with God, hostile toward and hateful of God.
Doctrine of Salvation
According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: There is no man who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46). That doesn't mean we're incapable of performing acts of human kindness. But we're utterly incapable of understanding, loving or pleasing God on our own (Rom. 3:10-12). Man is the created being, and man is in rebellion against the Creator (Rom. 3:23; Jer. 17:9). God's holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by eternal death (Ezek. 18:4; Rom. 6:23). That's why simply changing our patterns of behavior can't solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences.
Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Even though God's justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Pet. 3:18). Christ's death satisfied the demands of God's justice, and Christ's perfect life satisfied the demands of God's holiness (2 Cor. 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Rom. 3:26). Jesus is the only way by which sinful man is reconciled to a holy God (John 14:6).
Doctrine of The Church
God, by His Word and Spirit, creates the Church, calling sinful humanity into the fellowship of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:12-31). By the same Word and Spirit, He guides and preserves that newly redeemed humanity. The Church is made up of those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ and have personally appropriated the Gospel. The Church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Church is an extension of the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Spirit. We believe there are two ordinances of the Church. One is that of the believer’s baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the other is the Lord’s Supper.
Doctrine of Resurrection and the Consummation of the Kingdom of God
The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ; the resurrection of the dead and the glorification of those alive in Christ; the judgment of the just and the unjust; and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. In the consummation, Satan, with his hosts and all those outside Christ, is finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment (Rev. 20:7-15), but the righteous, in glorious bodies, will live and reign with Christ forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory. Then, the eager expectation of creation will be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God, who makes all things new (Rev. 21:1-5).
Doctrine of Genuine Saving Faith
True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin (Luke 13:3, 5; 1 Thess. 1:9), pursue Christ (Matt. 11: 28-30; John 17:3), and obey Him (1 John 2:3). It isn't enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don't love and obey Him. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Eph. 2:10; James 1:22). True believers are only able to walk out their faith by the empowering of the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer at the moment of salvation (Titus 3:5; Rom. 8:15-17; Gal. 5:16). This new life is evident in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) on display in the true believer's life. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17).