STATEMENT OF BELIEFS

If you took the time to read the aforementioned verses, that’s great! If not, we urge you to read them at some point in the near future. There is one body in Christ united under one blood coming from one blood. This means that we’re all on the same level at the foot of the cross, no matter our position on earth (Romans 5:8; Philemon 1:16; James 2:1) which is what we will experience in heaven (Revelation 7:9).

Unity is hard, we know this to be true in our own lives, but, with God’s help, it is possible. A divided house can’t stand. We may have our differences here in the branches of the body, most of which come from man-made factions, but we are all connected through the blood of Christ.

Make no mistake, true unity can only be found in Christ.

One Blood

Genesis 3:20, 10:32 (NLT); Acts 17:26 (NLT); James 2:1 (NLT)

Matthew 27:11-56, 28:1-10 (NLT); Mark 15:15-41, 16:1-8 (NLT); Luke 23:26-49, 24:1-7 (NLT); John 19:1-37, 20:1-18 (NLT); John 10:14-18 (NLT); Romans 10:9-13 (NIV); Ephesians 2:13 (NLT); Philippians 2:5-11 (NLT)

The word “blood” has a double meaning. Just like there is the same red blood coursing through all of our bodies, there is one blood covering us, the blood of Jesus that was spilled on our behalf: grace and mercy that’s so undeserved, but given freely. For our sins and transgressions, He was placed on the cross and did so willingly so that we could have forgiveness. Sin entered the world and our connection to God was broken. Jesus made it possible for not only our sins to be washed away, but for us to also have a relationship where we can repent of our sins and be connected with God.

Forgiveness and Grace

Genesis 3:1-19 (NLT); Psalm 51:5, 86:5 (NLT); Matthew 5:44, 18:21-35 (NLT); John 3:16 (NIV); Romans 3:9-20, 22-26, 5:6-8, 12-21 (NLT); Ephesians 1:7-8, 2:8-9, 4:32 (NLT); Philippians 2:5-11 (NLT); 1 John 1:8-10, 2:12 (NLT)

We were born into a sin-filled world and are, therefore, born sinners. Things didn’t start out this way, but it’s where we are. From the moment sin entered the world, we have been separated from God through our sinful nature.

We know this seems like a lot of repetition, but this is the simple truth: we’re all sinners in need of grace (Romans 3:23). We should never gloss over this, the fact that we are all sinners in need of God’s mercy.

When we fall short, He offers us His grace and forgiveness out of love. Sadly, we feel we’ve become desensitized to the words of John 3:16, taking them for granted, but we should never forget or take lightly the sacrifice made on our behalf. A payment was made for our souls that we could never pay. Our sins, big and small (although they are all on the same level, but, for the time being, I will use these earthly measurements), are why Jesus was tortured on the cross. He did that out of love and out of grace. Grace that we can now truly live and that we’re not left to die in this fallen world: salvation. This salvation is pure grace and something that we can’t do on our own, no matter how hard we work, all of that work is in vain.

We know we’ve mentioned grace about a thousand times by now, but it’s because of the limitless grace He’s show us that we in turn must show it to others; for example, the parable of the unforgiving debtor who was forgiven is given in the book of Matthew. I’m not saying it’s easy, it’s not, but, thankfully, with God, forgiveness is possible. Afterall, who are we not to forgive when our sins are what placed Jesus on the cross?

Remembering God’s grace and putting it into action is the only thing that will truly bring us together.

Hope

Genesis 22:14 (NLT); Psalm 39:7, 116:1, 121:1-2, 139:16 (NLT); Lamentations 3:21-24 (NLT); Habakkuk 1:5b (NLT)

Matthew 6:28-30 (NLT); John 1:1-18, 14:18, 27 (NLT); Romans 5:1-5, 8:18-39 (NLT); 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, 16-18, 5:17 (NLT); Galatians 1:15a (NLT); Ephesians 2:10 (NLT); Philippians 1:6, 2:13 (NLT); Hebrews 13:5-6 (NLT); Jude 24-25 (KJV)

Jesus is the light in the darkness.

His forgiveness, faithfulness, and unfailing grace and mercy are among the reasons why God is indeed the light in our lives. In addition, He is the Creator and the great provider, always giving us His best. He has planned every single day, hour, minute, and second of our lives. Even when we don’t see it or understand it, He’s doing things we haven’t seen yet. He hasn’t abandoned us even though we deserve it. He knows our innermost being and still wants us to repent of our sins and follow Him so that we can be with Him forever. He knows everything about us and still wants us.

We have hope as we remember He can never be defeated. He doesn’t tire. Hope as we remember God’s faithfulness. He sees us, hears us, and will never leave us. He hears our prayers, our cries, and our laments. Hope as we remember that He’s still faithfully working on us.

We can’t look to the things of this world that will one day fade away. We can’t look to the creation instead of the Creator. No matter how dark things get in not only the surrounding world but also in our own personal lives, we can look to the light, to God.

For Christians, our hope is found in God and in God alone.

Isn’t Christianity Just About Being Good?

No. Christianity is about needing saving from sin. Saving that could only come from the Messiah who was promised years ago, promises (prophecies) that were fulfilled through the earthly life of Jesus. We needed to be set free, so Jesus paid the price for our souls with His blood. Without a realization and confession of our sins, we can not accept the gift of grace/salvation. And it’s receiving this gift of grace that makes us new creations (Romans 12, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Philippians 1:6) and gives us the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23, Colossians 1:10).