GOD
We believe that there is one God, eternally present in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 3:22; John 1:1-4). He alone is both Creator and Savior (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 43:11).
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to man, that it is the inspired and inerrant Word of God (II Timothy 3:16-17). We believe that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith, doctrine and lifestyle. It cannot be added to or taken away from, it stands alone as the unchanging, eternal truth of God (John 17:7).
Jesus
We believe in the eternal Lordship of Jesus Christ. According to Revelation 1:8, “He is without beginning or end.” We believe He was born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31, 35) and lived on earth fully God and fully man. To save us from our sins, He lived a sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; I Peter 7:22), died on the cross in our place (I Corinthians 15:3; II Corinthians 5:21), was raised from the dead by the Spirit of God (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; I Corinthians 6:14 and 15:4), and ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God (Acts 1:9, 11, 2:33; Philippians 2:9-11; Romans 6:23).
Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells all believers (John 14:17), and through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit believers are empowered and gifted for servanthood in the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:8). We believe that the evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the manifestation and presence of the “fruit of the Spirit” as described in Galatians 5:22-26. The Holy Spirit enables believers to live Christ-like lives exhibiting Godly character. We believe that the “gifts of the Spirit”, as described in I Corinthians 12-14 are still as active and useful today as they were for the Apostles. These gifts are to be used with humility, faith and complete surrender to the will of God.
Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God, but as a result of sin is lost and powerless to walk in relationship with God outside of the saving grace of Jesus, through the shedding of His blood. God wonderfully and immutably and personally creates each person (Psalm 139:13-18) as male or female – These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31) – Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of City of Refuge Fellowship. (Genesis 1:26-30; 2:7, 18-22; 3; Psalms 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18, 23; 5:6; 6:6; 7:14-25; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19, 21-22; Ephesians 2; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11; Romans 6:23, Ephesians 1:7).
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God and is not attainable other than through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10). We believe in the truth of Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
The Church
We believe that the Church is the Body of Christ, made up of all who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus is the head and Lord of the Church. We believe that the mission of the Church is to be “light and salt” to the world. We fulfill these roles through worship, witness, discipleship and the care of one another Scripture commands believers to gather for worship, prayer, fellowship, and the teaching of the Word; to observe believers Baptism and Communion as established by Jesus Christ; to offer service to the body through the development and use of talents, gifts, and outreach to the world. We believe in the calling and gifting of various ministries in the Church. We believe that the Church has the responsibility for recognizing, equipping and commissioning one another in our callings so that the will of God might be done in and through every believer (Matthew 28:1-20; Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37; 11:19-39; John 13-16; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47-48; Romans 6:4; Matthew 26:26-30; I Corinthians 11:17-34; Ephesians 4:11-13; I Corinthians 12:21-30; Romans 12:3-8; Acts 13:1-3).
Eternal Life
We believe that eternal life with God is the reward for all who believe and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We also believe that Hell is the eternal punishment for those who choose not to believe and confess Jesus Christ (John 14:1-4; John 3:16-18; Revelation 21:8).
The Return of Christ
We believe in the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the consummation of the Kingdom of God and the restoration of all things (Matthew 24:42-44; Acts 1:11; 3:19-21; Revelation 11:15).
These statements of faith do not represent the final authoritative word on Bible doctrine and or Christian theology, they simply reflect the basic tenets of our faith.