What We Believe
*disclaimer*
At the Conifer church of Christ, we will never teach or preach anything that is not found in the Bible. If we do, we pledge to repent, and confess those faults to each other and to God. Our desire is to be biblically accurate in everything we do, so that we may be found faithful in the end. Our goal is to speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the Bible is silent.
About god
We believe that God exists in three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19 ; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
We believe the most important relationship is our relationship with God (John 17:3). We believe in the one true God revealed in the Bible. He spoke the world into existence and sustains all things today. God remains active and involved in this world and in our individual lives (Genesis 1:1 ; Acts 17: 24-28 ; Hebrews 1:10-12, 11:3).
About Jesus
We believe that Jesus is the Son of God. We believe He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, shed His blood dying on a cross, was buried and raised from the dead three days later. He ascended to the Father and now reigns over his Kingdom (Acts 2:32-33, 36 ; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Philippians 2:5-11).
We believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven (Acts 4:12 ; John 14:6) and is the only one qualified and able to redeem us and save us from our sins (Hebrews 9:11-15). We believe that one day Jesus will return to take the saved to live with him forever (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
about the bible
We believe that the Bible is a collection of writings, in which God communicated to men. Those men wrote down what God communicated to them, and we are able to read what they wrote and have understanding of exactly what God has said (Ephesians 3:3-5). We believe that the Bible is complete, and not missing anything. We believe that the Bible is totally accurate, and without error. The Bible is not the words of men, but the very words of God (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). We believe the Bible is our guide, instruction, and pattern for the Church as well as the individual Christian (2 Timothy 1:13, 3:16-17).
About Sin
We believe that our sin separates us from a Holy God (Isaiah 59:2). To sin is to violate God’s law and to rebel against Him (1 John 3:4). Sin consists, not only in the bad things we do, but also in the good things that we fail to do (James 4:17). It manifests itself not only in word and deed but also in thought (Matthew 5:28). The Bible teaches that all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and are therefore worthy of spiritual death (Romans 6:23).
About salvation
We believe that Christians today can only be saved in the same way Christians were saved in the Bible. We cannot invent new ways to be saved outside of what the Bible says.
Because all have sinned (Romans 3:23), all are worthy of spiritual death (Romans 6:23). But because God loves us, He sent Jesus to take on the punishment for our sins (John 3:16). Through Jesus, we all have access to God’s grace and can be saved from spiritual death (Romans 5:8).
In Acts 2:37, the people asked, “What shall we do?” They were asking how to be saved from their sin, and become followers of the Lord Jesus. The response given to them was “Repent and each one of you be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” We believe that Christians are saved in the same way today. When a person chooses to put his faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), confess Jesus as his Lord (Romans 8:9-10), repent of his sinful way of living and be baptized (Acts 2:38) he will be saved from his sins.
*Special note on baptism: Baptism is not a means of working to earn salvation, just like repentance and confession are not a means of working to earn salvation. Rather, baptism is an appeal to God for a clean conscience (1 Peter 3:21). Baptism is not trusting in our good works to save us but rather a trusting in God’s work as we obey Him (Colossians 2:12). God has commanded that all who desire to be saved should be baptized (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21), therefore we obey Him, putting our trust in Him to save us.
about the church
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “…I will build My church…” (one singular church). Because of that, we believe in the singularity of the church that Jesus established. While there may be multiple congregations, they all make up one church that is united in teaching and practice (1 Corinthians 1:10; 4:17). This church is Jesus’ body (Jesus being the head) and every Christian is a member of that body (Ephesians 1:22-23). It is not defined racially, socially, geographically or ethnically, but rather by its commitment to Christ (Galatians 3:26-28). The purpose of the church is to glorify God (Ephesians 3:10-11).
We believe that there is no headquarters that makes decisions for the church, but rather each congregation is autonomous and is self governed by a group of Godly men called elders/shepherds/overseers (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4). Each congregation and its leaders are to adhere to the words of the New Testament in order to be considered a church belonging to Jesus (2 John 9).
About christian living
We believe that the Christian life seeks, through the grace of God and the power of the Spirit, to live out the way of Jesus every day. We are flawed, imperfect people, but God in his mercy is transforming us more and more into His image. Together as a church, we cling to the cross of Christ as we grow in sacrifice, service and self-emptying love (Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 5:22-25; 2 Corinthians 3:18).