THE CORE VALUES OF TRUE LIFE CHURCH
The name True Life Church was chosen because it represents the three core values of our church and is based upon a couple of statements that Jesus made concerning the Church and Himself.
The first statement is found in John 14:6 when Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
In the second statement Jesus clearly reveals that the Church is not a human idea, nor is it a man-made institution. Jesus said, in Matthew 16:18, “I will build MY church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
1. True - (Truth) Our Foundation To understand why God’s truth is a core value of our church, one needs to understand relativism. Relativism is the idea that views are relative to differences in perception and consideration. There is no universal, objective truth; each point of view has its own truth.
One of the main reasons that we chose True Life Church rather than Life Church or New Life Church was to put to the forefront, the belief that there is such a thing as universal truth and that that universal truth is found in the Bible, God’s Word!
2. Life - Our Focus We chose the word Life because 1 John 5:12 states that “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” This statement does not describe the physical, temporary life that we all experience but the spiritual, eternal life that Jesus came to give us through His atonement on the cross.
This “true” life is eternal and is immediate when we truly trust Jesus for our salvation and invite Him to come and live in and through us. This eternal life is so much greater than anything else we can experience that Jesus himself said “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” John 10:10. Therefore, it is a core value and the mission of our church to bring as many people as possible into a life-giving relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ!
3. Church - Our Family Early Christians were known as the “people of the Way” Acts 22:4. During the past several decades many Christians in America have ceased participating in a local church or group of believers. Yet once again, we are reminded that Jesus said that he would build “his” church.
Paul describes Christ’s relationship with His church this way in Ephesians 5:25; “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her.”
Our church is committed to submit ourselves wholly to Jesus and the Church that he gave himself for and that he is building here in our valley. Many in our culture state that they have been victimized or wounded by the actions of Christians or churches. With God’s help, we will do all that we can to facilitate the healing of those who have been hurt and also to overcome their prejudices against the Church, which have been caused by those who have used the Church for their own selfish agendas.
Ephesians 5:27 explains Christ’s purpose in giving himself for the church was that we would be “radiant, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”
We understand that absolute perfection, as a church, is not attainable in this world, but we commit ourselves to being as much like Jesus as possible!
WHAT WE BELIEVE
About The Bible
The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that Scripture in its entirety originated with God and was given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through chosen men. Scripture both speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts. They are the unique, full, and final authority on matters of faith and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Psalms 19:7-11; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23-25
About God
We believe that the one and only true God is the creator, ruler, and sustainer of all things. He exists in three co-equal and co-eternal persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – each of whom possesses all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personhood.
Genesis 1:1-2; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10-13; Matthew 28:19; Luke 24:49 1 Corinthians 8:5-6
About Jesus
We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all humanity by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose bodily from the grave, was seen by many, and ascended into heaven where he intercedes for his people and rules as Lord of all creation. Jesus will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to fulfill history and the eternal plan of God.
Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 53; Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:5; Acts 1:3; 1:9-11; 4:10-12; Luke 24:36-48; Romans 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-20; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 4;14-15; Revelation 22:20
About The Holy Spirit
The result of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a maturing life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. He was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to mankind the saving work of Christ. He enlightens the mind of sinners, awakens in them recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them. At the point of salvation, He indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength, and wisdom, and uniquely empowers each believer with spiritual gifts for the strengthening of the Body. The Holy Spirit provides each Christian with power to live in a manner pleasing to God, to understand spiritual truth, and to serve as ambassadors for Christ in our world.
John 14:16-17, 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16, 6:19-20, 1 Corinthians 12; 2 Corinthians 3:16-18; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:11-13
About Salvation
The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scriptures is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have fellowship with God, humanity defied God, choosing to go their independent way, and thus were alienated from God and suffered the corruption of their nature, rendering them unable to please God. The fall took place at the beginning of human history; therefore, all individuals since are sinners, are suffering these consequences and are in need of the saving grace of God.
The salvation of humanity is completely a work of God’s free grace and not the result, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness, and must be personally appropriated by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation results in a person becoming a new creation and being continually transformed into the image of Christ.
Luke 24:46,47; John 3:16; Romans 5:12-21, 10:13-15; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 3:8-9; Colossians 1:13-14; Titus 2:11, 3:5-7
About The Church
The church is composed of all persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ, are united together in faith and fellowship. The church is expressed in many unique and diverse ways through local congregations as it fulfills its five primary purposes: to worship God; to experience community with each other; to engage in the process of spiritual growth; to equip each other for service; and to reach the world through mission.
Matthew 16:18, Matthew 28:16-19; Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 2:19-22, 4:3-4, 11-16; Hebrews 10:25
As the church, we participate in living illustrations of God’s covenant with us through two symbolic acts:
- Baptism: Baptism by immersion is a public profession of faith in Christ. It is symbolic of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. It is a declaration to the world that we have died to sin and have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life. Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19-20; Luke 3:21-22; Acts 8:36-39; 16:31-34; Romans 6:1-4
- Communion: The Communion consists of two elements: the bread and the cup. These elements are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ. Communion is a memorial of Christ’s sufferings on the cross and a celebration of our salvation. Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34
About Eternity
Created to exist forever, each person’s death consummates his or her eternal destiny. Upon Christ’s return, the dead will be raised together with those who are alive to face the judgment of God. He or she will either consciously exist in Hell—eternally separated from God by sin, or, in the new Heaven and new earth—eternally in union with God through forgiveness and salvation.
John 3:16; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 9:27; 1 John 2:25; 5:11-13; Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:1-8
This list of core beliefs is an intentionally brief list, upheld with an understanding of freedom in which less essential matters are left to the conscience of our church leadership and our members. The less essentials are important because we embrace the whole Word of God; but we also recognize there may be different interpretations and applications. We respect varying points of view, provided the essentials are not compromised.
We speak the truth to define our faith and extend it to others, but we speak out of love for them, and out of love for Jesus Christ, who said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:35 NRSV
"In Essentials, Unity – In Non-Essentials, Liberty – In All Things, Love”
