What We Believe

The following is the Statement of Faith for Foothills Community Chapel based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible. All our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

We believe in almighty God, the eternal Spirit who is infinite in His attributes of holiness, love, righteousness, truth, power, goodness, and mercy. This one and only God has revealed Himself as existing eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe that God is the Creator of all things, a God of providence, and the Author of our salvation through Christ. Although He is too great to be comprehended by the human mind, through Christ we can truly know Him. In redeeming love, He entered a covenant relationship with Abraham, later with the people of Israel, and has now made through Christ an eternal covenant in which He offers to the human race the forgiveness of sins and the blessings of divine sonship to all who repent and believe.

We believe in Jesus Christ the divine Son of God, who was with the Father from all eternity, who for our salvation took upon Himself human nature, and who by His redemptive death and resurrection conquered the forces of sin and Satan and atoned for the sins of mankind. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and in God's redemptive purpose was crucified. He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now as Lord and Christ at the right hand of the Father intercedes for the saints. He is the Lord and Savior of all Christian believers, and the coming judge of the living and the dead. We believe in His full deity and full humanity according to the Scriptures.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who was sent by the Father and the Son to bring to individuals the redemption of Christ. We believe in His personality as set forth in the Scriptures: that He loves, searches, testifies, guides, empowers, and intercedes for the saints and gives gifts to all men. We also believe that a believer is and shall be baptized in the spirit to accomplish the work God has called them to do. Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 22:37; John 1:18; John 3:16; Romans 8:1-17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 11:6.

We believe in the complete inspiration of the Bible in its original text, and that every word is the inspired, infallible Word of God, and that every soul will be judged according to the Word of God.

We believe in the Genesis account of creation; that the universe was created in six literal (24) hour days. We believe that by the breath of God man became a living soul that will never die, but due to the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden, all mankind is inherently born with a sinful nature, estranged from God, and in need of redemption.

We believe that men are saved, not by character, law, good works, or ceremonies, but by the grace of God. Salvation is appropriated by faith in Christ and those who repent and believe in Christ as Savior and Lord receive the gift of righteousness, are born again, and are adopted into the family of God. Saving faith involves the giving of the self to Christ, a full surrender of the will, a confident trust in Him, a joyful obedience to His Word as a faithful disciple, and an attitude of love to all men. It is the privilege of every believer to have the assurance of salvation. The God who saves is also able to keep each believer unto the end in Christ. John 3:16; John 10:27-29; Romans 4; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 1:8-10; 1 John 5:13; Jude 24.

We believe in observing water baptism as taught by Jesus Christ and as practiced by the early church. The church is commanded to baptize believers in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Water baptism is administered upon repentance from sin and personal confession of faith in Christ as Savior and Lord and is an outward sign of faith in Jesus Christ. We encourage that baptism is by immersion according to Romans 6:3-5 but is not the only method.

We believe the church exists to be a light in its community. A place for every believer to heal, grow, connect, and find their role in the kingdom. The church continues still today as a living organism, Jesus Christ being the Head.

We believe that all the gifts (or manifestations) of the Holy Ghost are the reality of His presence, power and direction in the Church today and always. These gifts are given for the edification and building of the Church in every culture and every age. We freely embrace the prerogative of the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself and work through “each one individually as He wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:11.

We believe in the imminent, personal, second coming of Jesus Christ and that He will judge all souls that have ever lived with a judgement that is righteous and impartial, declaring the reward of the righteous into eternal life and bliss with all the redeemed in heaven, and sinners into eternal damnation in hell because of their rejection of God’s salvation plan. We believe at death the righteous enter at once into a conscious joy and fellowship with Christ, while the wicked are in a state of suffering. Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:34, 41; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:22, 23; John 5:22; 1 Corinthians 15:24, 35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:14; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:4; 1 Peter 1:4; 2 Peter 3:3-13; Revelation 15:3; Revelation 21:4; Revelation 22:3.

The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all pastors, officers, employees, individuals, and activities of the church. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Peter 1:1-2.

We believe in observing the communion of the Lord's Supper as an ordinance instituted by Jesus Christ to symbolize the New Covenant. We recognize the bread and the cup as symbols commemorating Christ's broken body and shed blood, of our spiritual life in Him, and of the spiritual unity and fellowship of the body of Christ. We encourage self-examination to ensure not taking of the symbols in an unworthy manner. Those who do take the symbols in an unworthy manner, by violating their relationship with Christ and others, are in danger of God’s judgment. The Lord's Supper shall be observed faithfully until the Lord comes. Matthew 26:17-29; Luke 22:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 5:11,13; 10:16, 17; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.

Jesus also washed the feet of His disciples as their teacher and Lord. He taught them to follow His example of humility which is the high mark of greatness in the kingdom of God. Feet washing, literally & figuratively, reminds us of the brotherhood character of the church, of our mutual duty to serve and admonish one another, and of our need for continuous cleansing in our daily walk. Matthew 20:26; John 13:1-17; James 4:10.

We believe that God instituted marriage in the beginning to be a life-long covenant between one man and one woman. He has given the church authority to establish, protect, nurture, and build marriage. It is a holy covenant made in the presence of other believers who hold the couple accountable to keep their commitment to God and to each other. Christian marriage between a man and woman for life is a symbol of Christ’s self-giving love for the church and of the church’s submission to Christ, the Head of the church. Genesis 1:27-28; 2:24; Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12; I Corinthians 7:39; Ephesians 5:22-33.

In our broken community/world we seek to promote and build stable and godly homes for the glory of God and the nurture of children. While we do not encourage divorce or remarriage, we acknowledge the diversity of views on these matters in our society. We believe that the Gospel is relevant to all persons, regardless of the sins they have committed or that have been committed against them, including divorce. The transforming message of the gospel includes the grace of God to forgive any sin and the call of God to a new life of holiness and purity, upholding the sanctity of life- long marriage. We are committed to working redemptively with all persons who have suffered the tragedy of divorce and we are committed to working preventively in the lives of those who have not. Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6. May we discern how best to provide a Biblical ministry of grace, truth, and redemption to people in any and every situation. Deuteronomy 24:1-4; Malachi 2:13-16; Matthew 5:31,32; 19:3-12; Mark 10:1-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Corinthians 7

We believe that in the beginning God created male and female in His likeness and image. God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one naturally born man and one naturally born woman. Any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5, 13; Genesis 26:8-9; Romans 1: 26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4.

We believe that in their relation to the Lord men and women are equal, for in Christ there is neither male nor female. But in the order of creation God has fitted man and woman for differing functions; man has been given a primary leadership role, while the woman is especially fitted for nurture and support. While room is given for various interpretation and application, we encourage that when gathered in public, according to 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 a man is to have his head uncovered and the woman to be covered for praying or prophesying. The acceptance by both men and women of the order of creation in no way limits their rightful freedom, but rather ensures their finding the respective roles in which they can most fruitfully and happily serve. Genesis 2:18-25; Ephesians 5:22-33. Galatians 3:28.

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of an unborn human life. We further believe that the killing of the weak, the physically challenged, the mentally ill, or the aged, whether by a deliberate act or by coercing or assisting a person to commit suicide is immoral and sinful in the eyes of Almighty God. Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 1:5.

We believe it is the intention of Christ that there should be shepherds in His congregations to feed the flock, to serve as leaders, to expound the Word of God, to administer the ordinances, to exercise, in co-operation with the congregation church discipline, and in general to function as servants and watchmen for the church. Choosing leaders should be processed and agreed upon by the Leadership Team. The recommended person(s) would then be presented to the congregation for final approval, followed by the laying on of hands. In addition, deacons serve as helpers to oversee the physical needs of the body. The qualifications for leadership positions in the church are laid out clearly in the scriptures... blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. Matthew 23:8; Matthew 28:19; Acts 15:6; Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 5:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 9:14; Ephesians 4:11, 12; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:12; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:2, 3. While we believe divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons can be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not hold any leadership offices of Pastor, Deacon, Elder, Youth Leader, Sunday School Teacher or any other type of positions that would include teaching from the Bible.