OUR FAITH

From the time of the Apostles to today, Christians have laid out doctrine (beliefs) in brief, definitive statements. We stand alongside our brothers and sisters from centuries past to concisely set forth the cornerstone truths of our church as guided by Scripture. We joyfully affirm the Apostles’ Creed (2nd Century A.D.), the Nicene Creed (325 and 381 A.D.), and the Chalcedonian Creed (451 A.D.). We also believe that the London Baptist Confession (1689) and the New Hampshire Confession (1833) prove to be helpful summaries of Christian beliefs found in God’s Word.

The most important thing when looking for a church is knowing what they believe. This is why Statements of Faith are helpful. Our Statement of Faith serves to summarize our essential Christian beliefs, demonstrate our unity in Christ, and guard our church against error. Our Statement of Faith puts forth a concise and clear declaration of what we believe as a church based on God’s revelation to us in the Scriptures. This document is not an exhaustive explanation of our beliefs, but it highlights and summarizes beliefs we consider essential to our unity as members of this local body and faithfulness to our Lord. All who join Twelve Springs Church are required to affirm the Twelve Springs Church Statement of Faith. Once we as members agree to the statement, we are responsible for believing and living in accordance with it.

TWELVE SPRINGS CHURCH STATEMENT OF FAITH

THE WORD OF GOD

We believe that the Bible, also known as the Scriptures, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the authoritative and powerful Word of God, verbally inspired by God, and without error in the original manuscripts. We believe that the Bible is the supreme and final authority in testing all claims about what is true and what is right. The Scriptures are the authoritative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. They are wholly sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom. Every doctrinal formulation—whether of creed, confession, or theology—must be subjected to the greater and ultimate authority of the full counsel of God found in the Scriptures. In matters not addressed by the Bible, what is true and right is assessed by criteria consistent with the teachings of Scriptures.

Numbers 23:19; Psalm 12:6; 19:7–10; 119:9–16; Proverbs 30:5-6; Matthew 22:29, 43–44; 24:35; Mark 13:31; John 8:31, 32; 16:13–14; 17:17; 20:31; Acts 20:32; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 14:37; 1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; 3:16

THE TRINITY

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; and that these are the same divine essence, are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption. We believe the Trinity is the foundation of Christian faith and life.

Genesis 1:1, 26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 3; 4:24; Romans 1:19, 20; Ephesians 4:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:2

GOD THE FATHER

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, eternal, and personal Spirit; perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, love, and faithful in all His promises. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. His eternal plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. We believe the Father made all things for the praise of His glory and intends for man to live in faithful and joyful fellowship with Himself.

Genesis 1:1; Exodus 34:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Job 42:2; Psalm 19:1; 66:17-20; Isaiah 43:1, 7; 64:8; Matthew 23:9; Luke 10:21, 22; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1, 2; 2:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6

GOD THE SON

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s begotten and eternal Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. He is one Person with two distinct natures—fully God and fully man. We believe in His once for all substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into Heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth yet future. He is the one mediator between God and man. Through Him all things came into being and were created. He was before all things, and in Him all things hold together by the word of His power. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, and in Him dwells the fullness of God. He is the head of the Church and should be adored, loved, served, and obeyed by all.

Isaiah 7:14; 53:1-6; Psalm 110:1-7; Matthew 1:18–25; 20:28; Luke 1:26–38; 4:1–21; John 1:1; 20:28- 31; Acts 1:11; Romans 3:21–26; 5:6–8; 6:9-10; 7:25; 8:46; 9:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 1:15-20; 1 Timothy 2:5; 3:16; Hebrews 1:1-4; 9:28; 1 Peter 2:21–23; 1 John 2:1–2

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit sent into the world by God to glorify the Son of God. We believe the Spirit convicts people of their sin and need for salvation, and without His work no one would come to faith. We believe He indwells each believer, providing guidance and power, and helps them make progress in overcoming sin and in becoming more like Christ. We believe the Spirit will lead the Church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word. He is to be respected, honored, and worshipped as God.

Genesis 1:2; Psalm 51:11; 139:7-24; Joel 2:28-32; John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26, 27; 16:9–14; Romans 8:9; 12:6–8; Galatians 5:22–26; Titus 3:5–7; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 1 Peter 1:2

THE HUMAN CONDITION AND SALVATION

We believe that humanity was created by God in His own image, as the crown of creation so that man might glorify Him by enjoying Him forever; but by voluntary rebellion fell short of God’s holiness, and thus incurred physical, spiritual, and eternal separation from God. We believe that all humans are born with a sinful nature because of Adam’s initial rebellion against God and we sin by choice and therefore are under God’s condemnation. The depravity of humanity is radical and pervasive, extending to our minds, wills, and affections. We believe the hope of sinners to be justified before God lies in the Person and work of Jesus alone.

We believe that all humans are born with a sinful nature because of Adam’s initial rebellion against God and we sin by choice and therefore are under God’s condemnation. The depravity of humanity is radical and pervasive, extending to our minds, wills, and affections. We believe the hope of sinners to be justified before God lies in the Person and work of Jesus alone. Therefore, we reject justification based on any human effort. We believe that only those who have been born again by the Spirit, and thus trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, by virtue of his atoning death on the cross, are reconciled to God and receive eternal life. We believe that this faith leads to repentance, a heartfelt turning from sin and finding peace in the mercy of God. Faith and repentance are not only our initial response to the Gospel but are inseparable graces produced in our daily life by the work of the Holy Spirit in our souls.

We believe the foundation of Christian assurance is election, the eternal purpose of God’s gracious work of salvation through regeneration, justification, and sanctification in the repentant sinner’s life. It is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, being infinitely free, wise, holy and unchangeable and remains perfectly consistent with the free agency of man. As embodied beings living in a broken world marred by sin, we believe the effects of sin are still present in the believer’s life even after becoming a Christian. As such, we do not put our hope in this present world, but we suffer well relying on the strength of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

We believe the sanctifying work of God in the Christian life involves the Spirit-empowered resolve to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ. To this end God has appointed means of grace for his people—means being, but not limited to, the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, worship, community, the ordinances, and prayer. All true believers endure to the end. Their persevering attachment to Christ and to His people is the grand mark distinguishing them from false professors. God, in His providence, watches over their welfare and by His power they are kept through faith unto salvation.

Genesis. 1:26–27; 2:17; 3; Psalm 51:7; Ecclesiastes 2:11; Jeremiah 2:12-13; 17:9; Matthew 13:44; John 1:13; 3:14; 3:16; 5:24; 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; 17:3; Romans 1:18-25; 3:19; 3:28; 5:19; 6:11; 8:1; 1 Corinthians 15:1–2; 2 Corinthians 5:17-18; Ephesians 2:1-3; Philippians 3:7–8; Hebrews 3:12–14; 6:11–12; 10:39; 1 Peter 1:1-5; James 1:14; 1 John 1:9

THE CHURCH

We believe in one holy, universal Church made up of all who trust Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord, and supreme Treasure of their lives. We believe that God calls us to unite with other believers in local churches to help each other to value Jesus above all else, to praise Him together, to make disciples, to grow in our love and knowledge of Him, and to stir each other up to love and good works—demonstrating the reality of the Kingdom of God. The ascended Christ has given the enduring offices of elders and deacons for the equipping of Christ’s body so that it might mature and grow. Elders are qualified men charged to shepherd the church in oversight and teaching while deacons are qualified men or women who help with the temporal administration of the ministry of the body. All members of the Church are to be nurtured and equipped for the work of the ministry. In the context of the local church, God’s people receive pastoral care and oversight and the opportunity to employ their God-given gifts in His service in relation to one another and to the world.

Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 15:36, 41; 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:1; Galatians 1:1–3; Ephesians 1:22–23; 1 Timothy 3:2-12; 14-15; Titus 1:6-8; Hebrews 10:24– 25; Revelations 1:4, 10-11

BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER

We believe there are the two ordinances commanded by Jesus; accordingly, we believe that Christians should be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and regularly share in the Lord’s Supper to remember and proclaim the death of Jesus until His return. Baptism is the one-time act of a believer being immersed in water that signifies our death to sin and resurrection to a new life, as well as our lifelong union with Christ and each other. As such, it is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and participation in the Lord’s Supper.

The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ. This ordinance represents the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of His blood on our behalf and is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death. As we partake of the Lord’s Supper with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body, and mysteriously commune together with Christ Himself.

Matthew 26:26-30; 28:18–20; Romans 6:1-5; 1 Corinthians 11:20–34; 1 Peter 3:20-21

THE RETURN OF CHRIST

We believe in the personal, visible, and bodily return of Jesus to earth and the future consummation of His Kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body and Christ’s final judgment of all people. The unrighteous will be destined to everlasting punishment in Hell. The righteous, in their glorified bodies, will receive their reward and dwell forever with the Lord.

Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15; Philippians 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:15–18; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; Revelation 21:1–8

FAMILY, MARRIAGE, AND SEXUALITY

We believe God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society and image of the glorious reality of the spiritual family of the Church. At the same time, we fully affirm the value and calling of those with the gift of singleness (whether lifelong or not) as a blessing to the ministry and mission of the Kingdom. At the heart of the family is the sacred union of marriage. We believe that marriage joins one biological man and one biological woman in a single, exclusive, lifelong union that God designed for the purpose of intimate companionship, sexual expression, joy, and procreation of the human race. The marriage relationship mirrors the relationship between Christ and His Church, and thus any perversion of that picture obscures the glory of God displayed in the Gospel.

We believe that men and women, though equal in essence, value, and dignity, have unique roles and responsibilities meant for human good and human flourishing. In marriage, a husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the Church and provide for, protect, and lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband—even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ—and has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to teach their children biblical truth—including spiritual and moral principles—and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to know and love Jesus Christ. Children are to honor and obey their parents as their God-appointed authority.

We believe that mankind was created by God as either male or female, distinct sexes that are biologically defined and divinely imparted to each individual at conception. We believe that God, for humanity’s flourishing, has designed the sexual relationship to exist exclusively within the bounds of marriage between a man and a woman. Therefore, any deviation from the biblical pattern of sexuality are harmful perversions of God’s gift of sex.

Genesis 1:27–28; 2:23–24; Exodus 20:14,17; Leviticus 18:6–7, 23; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Matthew 19:4–6; Matthew 5:27–30; Luke 10:27; Romans 1:18–32; 5:8; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, 18–20; 7:2; Colossians 3;18-21; Ephesians 5:22–33; 1 Peter 3:1-71 John 4:8–9

SANCTITY OF LIFE

We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of immeasurable worth in all its dimensions, including preborn babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to biblically defend, protect, and value all human life.

Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:4-5; 139:13-16; Isaiah 49:1; Jeremiah 1:4-5

CIVIL GOVERNMENT

Though our ultimate hope is not in governmental policies or politics, we believe Christians have an ethical responsibility, to the extent that they are able, to promote and practice biblical justice and morality to and within a lost and dying world. We believe that Civil Government is of Divine appointment, for the interests and good order of human society; government officials are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed—except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the King of the kings of the earth.

Jeremiah 29:4-7; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13-25