What We Believe

Brightview Statement Of Faith

BIBLE

We believe that the Bible is the Divinely inspired Word of God, as written in its original form. (2 Timothy 3:16) It is the truth by which God brings individuals into a saving relationship with Himself and leads them to Christian maturity (John 20: 31; 1 John 5: 9-12; Matthew 4: 4; 1 Peter 2:2) It is trustworthy, sufficient, without error; the supreme authority and guide for all doctrine and conduct. (1 Peter 1:23-25; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17)

GOD

We believe in the one living and true God, perfect in wisdom, sovereignty, holiness, justice, mercy and love. (1 Timothy 1:17; Psalm 86:15; Isaiah 45:21; Deuteronomy 32:3, 4) He exists eternally in three co-equal persons acting together in creation, providence and redemption. (Genesis 1:16; 1 Peter 1:2; Ephesians 1:3-14; Hebrews 1:1-3)

THE FATHER reigns with providential care over all life and history in the created universe; He hears and answers prayer (1 Chronicles 29:11-13; Matthew 7:11). He initiated salvation by sending His Son and He is Father to those who by faith accept His Son as Lord and Savior (1 John 4:9, 10; John 3:16; John 1:12; Acts 16:31).

THE SON became Man, Jesus Christ, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:10; John 1:14). Being fully God and fully man, He revealed God through His sinless life, miracles and teaching (John 14:9; Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 4: 23, 24). He provided salvation through His atoning death in our place and by His bodily resurrection (1 Corinthians 15: 3, 4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5: 8-10). He interceded for all believers and dwells in them as their ever-present Lord (Romans 8:34; John 14:23).

THE HOLY SPIRIT inspired men to write the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21). Through this Word, He convicts individuals of their sinfulness and of the righteousness of Christ, draws them to the Savior and bears witness to their new birth (John 16:7-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6; Romans 8:16). At regeneration and conversion, the believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). The Spirit indwells, seals and gives spiritual gifts to the believers for ministry in the church and society (Romans 8:9-11; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Corinthians 12:11; 1 Peter 4:10). He empowers, guides, teaches, fills, sanctifies and produces the fruit of Christ-likeness in all who yield to Him (Acts 4:31; Romans 8:14; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:18, 22-23; 2 Thessalonians 2:13).

ANGELS

We believe that God created an order of spiritual beings called angels to serve Him and do His will (Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 148:1-5; Revelation 5:11-12). The holy angels are obedient spirits ministering to the heirs of salvation and glorifying God (Hebrews 1:6-7, 13-14). Certain angels called demons, Satan being their chief, through deliberate choice revolted and fell from their exalted position (Revelation 12: 7-9). They now tempt individuals to rebel against God (1 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 5:8). Their destiny in hell has been sealed by Christ’s victory over sin and death (Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 20:10).

MAN

We believe that God created man in His own image to have fellowship with Him and to be steward over His creation (Genesis 1:26-28). As a result, each person is unique, possesses dignity and is worthy of respect (Psalm 139:13-17). Through the temptations of Satan, Adam chose to disobey God; this brought sin and spiritual and physical death to the human race and suffering to all creation (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-21; 8:22). Therefore, since then everyone is born with a sinful nature, sins by choice and needs to be reconciled to God (Romans 3:9-18, 23). Satan tempts people to rebel against God, even those who love Him (Ephesians 4:27; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 11:13-15). Nonetheless, everyone is personally responsible to God for thoughts, actions and beliefs and has the right to approach Him directly through Jesus Christ, the only mediator (Romans 14:12; 1 Timothy 2:5).

SALVATION

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4); that all who repent and believe in Him are justified by His shed blood and are born again of the Holy Spirit, thereby becoming children of God and partakers of eternal life (Romans 5; John 3:3).

We believe in the resurrection of the body of our crucified Lord, in His ascension into heaven (Luke 24) and in His personal bodily presence there for us as our High Priest and Advocate (Hebrews 7).

We believe in the blessed hope (John 14:1-3): the personal return of our glorified Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Acts 1:11).

We believe that at death, all men continue in conscious existence awaiting the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust; the saved to everlasting blessedness and the lost to everlasting conscious torment (Luke 16:19-31; John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:12-15).

CHURCH

We believe that our church, which is a part of the universal church of Jesus Christ, is a body of baptized believers called out from the world unto the Lord, Jesus Christ, voluntarily associated for the ministry of the Word; the worship of God; the mutual edification of its members; the proclamation of the gospel; and the observance of its ordinances. We believe that our church is an independent body under the sovereign rule of the Lord Jesus Christ, with God’s Word as our guide (Acts 2:42-47; Colossians 1:17-20; Ephesians 4:4-16; Hebrews 12:23).

CHURCH ORDINANCES

We believe that our Lord, Jesus Christ, clearly prescribed two ordinances for his believing disciples, which were regularly observed in the New Testament:

BAPTISM: The immersion of the believer in water, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, whereby he obeys Christ’s commands and sets forth his identity with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 2:41, 3: 37-38; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12).

THE LORD’S SUPPER: Wherein the believer partakes of the two elements, bread and wine, which symbolize the Lord’s body and shed blood, proclaiming His death until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11:23-29; Luke 22:19,20; Matthew 26: 26-28).

MARRIAGE

We affirm the family as the basic unit of society and believe that both Church and State should seek to preserve its integrity and stability (Genesis 2:21-25; Ephesians 6:1-4). We would define marriage as a publicly recognized covenanting together for life, between a man and a woman who live together in a relationship characterized by troth and fidelity, for the purpose of lifelong companionship, mutual interdependence and responsibility for each other and potential procreation. It is symbolic of God’s relationship to his people and Jesus Christ’s relationship to his church.

LAST THINGS

We believe that God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring all things to their appropriate end and establish the new heaven and the new earth (Ephesians 1 9-10; Revelation 21:1). The certain hope of the Christian is that Jesus Christ will return to the earth suddenly, personally and visibly in glory according to His promise (Titus 2: 13; Revelation 1:7; 3:11; John 14:1-3). The dead will be raised and Christ will judge mankind in righteousness (John 5:27-29). The unrighteous will be consigned to the everlasting punishment prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25: 41-46; Revelation 20:10). The righteous, in their resurrected and glorified bodies, will receive their reward and dwell forever with the Lord (Philippians 3:21-21; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).