Beliefs Statement of Gateway Church

We believe in the one true God, who spoke into existence the universe and everything in it. We believe that by that same word He maintains and sustains everything today. God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and fills the universe with His presence. (Hebrews 1:10-12, 11:3)

 

We believe that the one true God exists in three distinct personalities; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

 

We believe that God the Father loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

 

We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He gave up being equal to God, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless, perfect life, shed His blood and died on the cross, was buried but raised from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of God and intercedes on our behalf. (Philippians 2:5-11; Romans 8:34)

 

We believe that the Holy Spirit was sent by Christ and personally indwells everyone who becomes a Christian. He provides us with comfort, guidance, and the ability to understand the Word. He intercedes for us in our prayers and provides the motivation and ability to work for God’s pleasure. He also convicts the world of sin, unrighteousness, and judgment. (John 14:15-31, 16:5-11; 1 Corinthians 2:11-16; Romans 8:26-27)

 

We believe that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Because of sin, our relationship with God was broken and we stood condemned before Him. The good news of the Gospel is that Christ took our sins upon Himself and died in our place. We are forgiven and saved because Jesus Christ died on the cross. This salvation is a gift of God, given to us by His grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation. (Romans 3:23; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Ephesians 2:1-10)

 

We believe that when we come to faith in Jesus Christ and to a decision to live under God’s saving grace, we are commanded to confess publicly that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, to repent and turn from our sins, and to be baptized in His name. We are buried with Christ through baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. We believe that the method of baptism presented in scripture is immersion in water. (Acts 2:37-39; Romans 6:1-10)

 

We believe that when we are baptized into Jesus Christ, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit adds us to Christ’s body, the church. Through the power of the Spirit, we are called to put to death the sinful deeds of the flesh and to walk in a new life of discipleship under His direct and continual guidance. (Acts 2:38; Romans 8:12-14; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

 

We believe the church is the body of Jesus Christ on earth. We are here to worship God, carry out His mission of seeking the lost and caring for the needy, and to encourage and serve our brothers and sisters in the faith. (Ephesians 1:22-23; Matthew 28:18-20; Hebrews 3:12-14)

 

We believe that the Lord’s Supper (communion) is a valuable aspect of our gathering times. We regard it as a high priority during our assemblies. The Lord’s Supper is done in the remembrance of Christ, until He comes again. The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ and is symbolic in nature, allowing us to demonstrate our faith and obedience. (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:26, 10:16-18, 11:23-26)

 

We believe each member in the body of Christ is a minister and has unique spiritual gifts to carry out God’s mission here on earth. The purpose of the gifts are to build up the body of Christ, serve the needy, and preach and teach the Word of God to the lost. (1 Corinthians 12:18; 1 Peter 4:10-11; Ephesians 4:11-16)

 

We believe the scriptures of both the Old and New Testament are God-breathed and error-free in their original form. The purposes of the scriptures are to teach us about God, to lead us to faith in Christ, and to reveal God’s will for our lives. Everything we do, both individually and collectively as the church, must be in accordance with the teachings and guidance we have from the Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:15-16)

 

We believe that Jesus Christ will return to this earth, and that this hope has a vital bearing on the life and service of the believer. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting separation from God. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15; Hebrews 10:26-21)

 

At Gateway, we sincerely try to follow the Bible and its’ teaching. However, our ability to logically figure everything out is not the basis for our acceptability before God. Our salvation is based on what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. What we must be right about is the fact that we cannot be right about everything and are therefore completely dependent on God’s graciousness and mercy.