What We Believe

For a detailed view of the creeds and confessions, please refer to the separate document on our Statement of Faith, which our elders and leaders acknowledge and hold. The elders may update those documents as needed. Below is a summary of those views. Our church holds to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Our Elders agree with the London Baptist Confession 1689.

We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture. The sixty-six books of the Bible are inerrant, complete, and authoritative. Scripture is God's revelation and serves as the supreme standard for Christian and Church guidance.
(Psalm 138:2, 2 Tim. 3:14-17, Heb. 4:12)

We believe God is one and perfect in holiness, and we worship Him as such. God is all-knowing and all-powerful. He is intelligent, loving, and personal. As the Ruler of the universe, all honor and glory belong to Him. God reveals Himself as the Trinity, or three distinct persons, yet one in nature, essence, and being.
(Eph. 1:14)

God the Father is our loving Creator who expresses a fatherly attitude toward His creation. He is sovereign and is ruling over all things. He has an eternal purpose to glorify His name, and all things fit perfectly into His plan.
(Gen. 1:1, Matt. 6:9, Rom. 8:14-15, 1 Cor. 8:6)

God the Son is Jesus Christ, who has eternally existed. Jesus came to earth to be born of a virgin and lived a sinless life. As the only human to live without sin, He accomplished what all men fail to do, perfectly fulfilling the will of the Father. As a perfect sacrifice, He laid down His life and took the penalty for sin when He died on the cross, paying the debt for all mankind. Through His death and resurrection, salvation is offered to all men of all times. Existing as fully God and fully man, Jesus resides over His Kingdom and will physically return one day to establish it.
(Isa. 53, John 1:1-18, 2 Cor. 5:19-21, Heb. 1:1-3)

The Holy Spirit brings illumination and understanding, exalts Christ, convicts of sin, and affects regeneration. At the moment of salvation, every believer is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the family of God and is empowered by the Spirit to serve God's Kingdom. He seals every believer until the day of redemption, establishing eternal security.
(Acts 1:8, 1 Cor. 2:10-14, Eph. 1:13-14, 2 Pet. 1:21)

We believe that God created man in His own image and that through disobedience man fell into sin. Man is a sinner by nature and by choice. Because of man's total depravity, sin separates him from a relationship with God. All are in a terrible position of being unable to reach God by their own works or good deeds. As a result of sin, every human needs a Savior.
(Gen. 3, Rom. 3, 1 Cor. 15:19-22)

We believe salvation comes by the grace of God through faith. God is sovereign over all, and salvation is by grace alone; it is a free gift. No one can be good enough to merit their own redemption, but God's love is shown through Jesus' work, and salvation is offered freely. When God calls sinners to repentance, His elect respond by repenting of sin and placing complete trust in Jesus. The sinner is made a new creation and justified in God's sight. The believer begins to experience sanctification and is given eternal life.
(John 3:3-21, Acts 2:21, Acts 16:30-31, Titus 2:11-14)

God is sovereign over all things such that there is no aspect of reality outside of His ultimate control. Though God’s rule extends to all things, it is particularly His sovereignty over the work of salvation that is a theological distinctive. We believe that it is exceedingly good and glorious news that salvation is not dependent on the desires and deeds of man but is grounded instead in God’s eternal decree of election. Though man is responsible for his sin, God is ultimately and entirely responsible for drawing those He would save unto Himself and overcoming their natural resistance to the gospel.
(Psalm 115:3, 135:6; Ephesians 1:3-14; Romans 8:26-9:23; Philippians 1:29; 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

We believe that the Church is the Body of Christ, carrying out the work of our King on the earth. The local church is a self-governing body of baptized believers under the authority of God and His Word. The local church observes the two ordinances of Christ: baptism and communion. The local church is on mission with God, meeting to worship Him and grow in grace together. They go into the world to carry out Jesus' command to make disciples. The Church seeks to expand God's family through evangelism and serve all people by showing the love of God. Churches should seek to cooperate with other churches, denominations, and networks as a unified Body, working together for the sake of the Gospel.
(Matt. 16:15-19, Acts 2:41-42, 1 Cor. 12, Eph. 3:21)

We believe in the return of Jesus Christ. We believe the just will have part in the resurrection of life and enjoy eternal fellowship with God; the ungodly will come forth unto the resurrection of damnation. After judgment, the ungodly will abide in conscious existence in the torments of eternal hell.
(1 Thes. 4:14-18, 2 Thes. 2, Rev. 20:1-22:13)

We believe that Christian baptism is a public declaration of the believer's salvation in Christ, identifying with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, symbolized by immersion in water. The Lord's Supper is the united commemoration by believers of Christ's death until He comes and should be preceded by a careful self-examination.
(Acts 2:41; Romans 6:3-6; 1 Cor. 11:20-29)

We believe it is the aim, duty, and privilege of every believer and local church fellowship to glorify God by responding as active participants in the Great Commission call of Jesus Christ to go and make disciples of all nations. We believe the primary focus and priority of this call is centered on efforts that establish, strengthen, and reproduce biblically-based churches, which will then plant churches that plant churches for future generations and God's glory.

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). Rejection of one's biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. We believe marriage is a monogamous, covenantal relationship, ordained by God, between one physically born male and one physically born female for a lifetime of mutual commitment and companionship (Genesis 2:24).

This church, its pastors, staff, and members will only participate in marriages or marriage celebrations between one man and one woman. The facilities and property of the church shall only host weddings and wedding celebrations between one man and one woman. Furthermore, the marriage must be in accordance with the church's statement of doctrine and biblical teaching on marriage. Marriage ceremonies may be performed by any licensed officiant of Risen Church. The right to refuse performing a marriage ceremony is under the discretion of the officiant and/or Elders if it is believed that the man and woman seeking marriage are not committed to the Biblical view of covenantal marriage or are not otherwise prepared for a lifelong marriage commitment.