Our Beliefs

Doctrinal Statement, what we believe about:

God

We believe that there is only one living and true God, who exists in three distinct persons – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These three, the Trinity, are equal in essence and distinct in function (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19). 

God the Father

The first Person of the Trinity, God the Father, has created humanity to bring Him glory and honor, through His grace. While He is superior, He is also actively involved in His creation- offering an eternal relationship with us through His Son Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:9; John 5:19-24; Ephesians 1:3-6; 2:1-10).

God the Son

Jesus Christ is both the eternal Son of God and virgin-born Son of man. Fully God, fully man, He surrendered nothing of His deity during His earthly life. His sinless, sacrificial offering on the cross satisfied the Father’s justice, offering atonement for all of humanity’s sins, for all time. We believe in His bodily resurrection, His physical ascension, and His return back to earth to establish His earthly kingdom (John 1:14-18; I Corinthians 15; Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 2:9; Revelation 20:11-15).

God the Holy Spirit

The third Person of the Trinity, Holy Spirit executes the will of God in this world through humanity, by guiding, teaching and convincing the people of God. Holy Spirit is a person, displaying the qualities of personhood. He leads believers through His promptings and equips us by giving us gifts to be used for the building up of the church, and by bearing fruit through our yielded lives (John 16:5-16; I Corinthians 12; Ephesians 2:10; John 3:1-8; Ephesians 1:1; Romans 7:6; Galatians 5:16-25). 

Humanity

We were created in the image of God, designed to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him. But because of Adam and Eve’s willful sin in the garden, sin entered into the world and has infected all of humanity. Therefore, because of our sinful nature received from our father Adam, we were all separated from God and destined for physical death, and eternally removed from God without the acceptance of salvation. (Genesis 1-3; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 3; Romans 5; Ephesians 2:1-3).

Salvation

We believe that all who receive Jesus Christ as Savior are born again of the Holy Spirit and therefore, become children of God. Accepting Jesus in our lives makes us justified through Christ.  Justification means that we have been declared righteous in the sight of God by grace, through faith in Jesus our Savior. As a result of our new life with God, we are now called to a life of submission to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, manifesting spiritual fruit, and walking in line with God’s Word (John 3:16; John 14:6; Titus 3:4-7; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-9; Roman 7:6; I John 5:11-13; Galatians 3:26).

The Scriptures

We believe that every word in the Bible is inspired by God and is without error. The Word of God reveals God’s nature and His will for all of humanity, and because of this it is the foundation of faith and practice. The Scriptures are the way to our relationship with God and understanding of His Will. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21; Hebrews 4:12; John 17:17).

The Church

We believe in the Church, the Body of Christ. The Church is a living, spiritual body in which Christ is the Head and of which all believers in Jesus are members. The purpose of the local church is to lead people to Christ and to bring them to maturity in Him through the Word, fellowship, prayer, and the communion of believers. As members of the local church we are to live their lives in humble submission to the Holy Spirit, and to the God appointed leaders. Shalom CCC is a local assembly of believers led by Jesus Christ, who gives direction as the head of this body through appointed leaders (Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:41-47; I Corinthians 12-14; Matthew 28-18-20; Ephesians 2:19-22; I Thessalonians 4:15-17).

The Future

We believe that the next great event in human history will be the return of Jesus Christ for His children. This is the blessed hope for all followers of Jesus Christ. While this event is a prophetic truth of Scripture, we acknowledge that the point of Christ’s return is not for the believer to passively await this event, but to labor with all of our might in the power of the Spirit to fulfill His will in our lives through righteous living, evangelism and discipleship. After the return of Christ those who accepted God’s gracious gift of salvation will worship God forever in heaven. (Matthew 24:36; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; John 14:1-3; Matthew 24-25).