Beliefs

St. Peter’s Church is an independent, non-denominational church that is affiliated with the Evangelical Association of Congregational and Christian Churches. We are evangelical in nature and hold to Biblical doctrine in our faith.

We believe and affirm the following:

 

1. About The Bible (Bibliology)

We believe that the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament are God’s complete and perfect revelation to mankind. Established by and predicated upon the original documents, The Bible is completely inerrant and the fully inspired word of God. The Bible is the only infallible guide in faith, practice, and life (John 17:17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, 3:15-16).

2. About God (Theology Proper)

We believe that the only living and true God exists eternally as three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is fully divine, each possessing all the attributes of God; yet, there is only one God. God is neither begotten nor proceeding from any other (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 8:5-6, 2 Corinthians 13:14).

3. About Jesus Christ (Christology)

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is the Living Word who became flesh. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Thus, He is both fully God and fully man. Christ lived a sinless life of perfect obedience to the Father. Through His substitutionary death on the cross, Jesus fully paid the penalty for the sins of all who place faith in Him alone. On the third day after his death, Christ rose from the grave in bodily form. He ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father, where He advocates and intercedes for the saints as the only Mediator between God and mankind (Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:34-35, John 1:1, 14, 10:17-18, 17:11, 21, Philippians 2:6-9, Colossians 2:9, 1 Timothy 2:5-6, 1 John 2:1, Hebrews 1:1-3, 2:14-15).

4. About the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology)

We believe the person of the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son as an equal member of the Godhead. He convicts and draws individuals to Christ. At the point of genuine belief in the saving work of Christ, the Spirit regenerates, indwells, baptizes, and seals those who have faith unto the day of redemption. The Holy Spirit provides strength to overcome temptation and sin, enables growth and maturity for believers, distributes gifts to the Body of Christ, empowers believers for service, and fills the yielded believer (John 14:16-17, 15:26, 16:7-11, Acts 1:5, Romans 8:9, 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 12:4-11, 12:28-31, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, Galatians 5:16, Ephesians 4:30, 5:18, 1 Peter 4:10).

5. About Angels – Fallen and Unfallen (Angelology)

We believe that angels are created spirit beings that are immortal, finite, and are of a higher order of creation than man. All angels were created holy and some angels chose to rebel against God and became fallen angels. Satan, the chief of the fallen angels, introduced sin into the human race through his temptation in the Garden of Eden. Fallen angels oppress mankind, seek to deceive mankind, tempt mankind to sin, and obey Satan. The character of fallen angels is evil in nature. The fate of Satan and all fallen angels is the lake of fire. Unfallen angels, also known as holy angels or simply angels, remain holy to serve God, worship God, and to protect and deliver God’s people (Genesis 3:1-5, Matthew 25:41, Luke 1:26, 2:13-14, Acts 5:19, 12:7, 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 2:26, 1 Peter 5:8, Hebrews 1:14, Revelation 20:1-3, 10, 22:6).

6. About Humanity (Anthropology)

Mankind, including the first man and the first woman, was created by God, in His image, through His expressed will to have dominion over all creation. Even though every person is born with a sin nature, the image of God remains within humanity (Genesis 1:26, 28-30, Psalm 139:13-16, 1 Corinthians 15:49).

Upon physical death, the spirit of the genuine believer immediately enters into heaven, where the individual enjoys a state of conscious bliss. Upon physical death, the body of a believer returns to the dust of the earth where it remains until the resurrection of the saints (Genesis 3:19, Psalm 17:15, 104:29, Ecclesiastes 3:20, Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:19-26, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18).

Upon physical death, the spirit of the unbeliever immediately enters Hades into a state of conscious torment.  Following physical death, the body of the unbeliever lies until the resurrection of the unjust (Luke 16:19-31, Revelation 20:11-15).

7. About Sin (Hamartiology)

We believe that sin is the failure to conform to the law, nature, and will of God. We believe that the first man, Adam, sinned and therefore brought sin to all mankind. In Adam, all of mankind sins, except the sinless Jesus Christ, and falls short of the standard that God has set in the Bible. Through the fall of Adam, death spread to all men and women. Therefore, all men and women, except Christ, are born with a sin nature. Because of sin, all of mankind deserves death and hell and needs the saving sacrifice of Christ.  Sin is what separates man from God. When one trusts in Christ as Savior, he is justified before God. As a result, when a believer sins, his legal standing before God is unchanged. However, sin disrupts mankind’s fellowship with God and damages the believer’s Christian life. Genuine believers are given victory over sin because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ. This is visible in everyday life in and through individual local congregations (Romans 3:23, 5:12, 8:1, 1 Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 2:1, 1 John 1:8-10).

8. About Salvation (Soteriology)

We believe that salvation is attained through faith in Jesus Christ alone, administered by the grace of God, and is evident to those around the believer by joyful acts of works.  Christ’s death was the atoning sacrifice by which He was the substitution for man in dying once for the satisfaction of the justice of God. In place of mankind, Christ took upon Himself the sin of mankind, fully satisfying the righteous demands of God. Forgiveness of sins can only be achieved through confession to God and through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Having received forgiveness of sins, believers turn away from sin and turn to God, displaying a genuine change of heart and mind to not fall into the same sins again. Upon conversion, a person is justified before God and is divinely enabled to walk in Christ by the Holy Spirit of God. All who receive, by faith, the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit, and thereby, become children of God. Those who have been born again have everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation. They are passed from death to life. The Lord Jesus Christ gives unto them eternal life and they shall never perish (John 1:12-13, 3:3, 5:24, 10:28-29, 14:6, Acts 4:12, Romans 1:16-17, 8:38-39, 2 Corinthians 5:8, Ephesians 1:13-14, 2:8-10, 4:30, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 9:22, James 2:18-22, 1 Peter 1:23, 1 John 4:10).

9. About the Church (Ecclesiology)

We believe that the true church that began in the present age is comprised of all persons, who through the saving faith in Jesus Christ, have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is the head of the universal, worldwide church. All genuine believers are part of the spiritual body of Christ, and we are unified together into one body. The universal church manifests itself as groups of individuals gathered together in communities around the world. The church exists for the purposes of worshiping God, spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ (evangelism), building believers up toward spiritual maturity (discipleship), sharing together in our common faith (fellowship), and serving one another through the use of divinely enabled spiritual gifts (Matthew 16:18, 28:19-20, Acts 2:42-47, Romans 11:25, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:14-16, 3:4-6, 4:11-12, 4:15, 2 Timothy 3:14-17,1 Peter 4:10-11).

We believe in the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper (communion) as instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial that testifies to the remembrance of Christ and proclamation of His death for forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26-29,1 Corinthians 11:23-30).

We believe in the ordinance of immersion baptism in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as a visible symbol of the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior; the believer’s death to sin; the burial of the old life; and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus (Matthew 28:19, Romans 6:3-4).

10. About the Future (Eschatology)

We believe in a tribulation and millennium. We believe that all future events serve as an incentive for present Christian living. We believe that Jesus Christ will return to earth. All genuine believers will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, where they will receive eternal rewards. All unrepentant persons will appear before the Great White Throne judgment, where they will be cast into the lake of fire to endure eternal punishment (Jeremiah 30:7, Matthew 24-25, Acts 1:11, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Titus 2:12-13, Revelation 20:1-15, 21:1-22:5).

11. About the Sanctity of Human Life

We believe that mankind was created in the image of God. Therefore, every person is important to God.  Every life has genuine significance because each person was known by God before birth and created for the purpose of glorifying God. Therefore, all human life is sacred throughout the person’s existence. All people should be treated with the utmost respect and care. Likewise, the human body is to be valued and maintained because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We believe abortion and euthanasia are outside of God’s expressed will for mankind (Genesis 1:26-27, Isaiah 43:7, Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13-16, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

12. About Marriage

We believe that marriage is intended for, and must be reserved for, one man and one woman to share and enjoy for a lifetime. Because of the expressed creation of man for woman and woman for man, homosexuality, fornication, adultery and bestiality are demonstrated to be outside of God’s desire for mankind and are sins (Genesis 2:24, Exodus 20:14, Leviticus 18:22, 20:15, Mark 10:9, Romans 1:27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 6:18, Galatians 5:19, Ephesians 5:22-33, Colossians 3:18 – 19).