|
|
The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous
churches united around these theological convictions:
God
1. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely
perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally
divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having
limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed
from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things
new for His own glory.
The Bible
2. We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New
Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally
inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original
writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the
ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and
endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that
it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it
promises.
The Human Condition
3. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they
sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are
sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His
wrath. Only through God's saving work in Jesus Christ can we be
rescued, reconciled and renewed.
Jesus Christ
4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully
man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel's promised
Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin
Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right
hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
The Work of Christ
5. We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute,
shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice
for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute
the only ground for salvation.
The Holy Spirit
6. We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the
Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates
sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and
adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates,
guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and
service.
The Church
7. We believe that the true church comprises all who have been
justified by God's grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They
are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is
the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose
membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus
mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper, which
visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means
of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these
ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
Christian Living
8. We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated
from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him
supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with
care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the
oppressed. With God's Word, the Spirit's power, and fervent
prayer in Christ's name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of
evil. In obedience to Christ's commission, we are to make
disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in
word and deed.
Christ's Return
9. We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our
Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God,
demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the
believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
Response and Eternal Destiny
10. We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the
gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus
Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the
world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious
punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the
Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His
glorious grace. Amen.
Adopted by the EFCA Conference on June 26, 2008
Adopted by First Evangelical Free Church of Minneapolis, Minnesota
on May 10, 2010
|
|