What We Believe at CLC?
About God
We believe there is one God who is the Creator and the Ruler of the universe (Genesis 1:1). He eternally exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)
About The Holy Spirit
We believe in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit that empowers each Christian to live a Godly life (Romans 8:11). The body of each believer is a “temple” in which the Holy Spirit is present (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Therefore, every believer must cultivate a life of being filled with the Spirit, which is both an initial and an ongoing experience for Christians (Ephesians 5:18). The Holy Spirit provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, guidance in doing what is right, and spiritual gifts to edify the church. About the Bible
We believe that the entire Bible is the inspired, infallible and inerrant Word of God and that men were moved by the Spirit to write the books of Scripture (2 Peter 1:20-21). The words of the Bible are the primary source for teaching and equipping Christians for a life of righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
About Salvation
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross solely provides for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 10:45). Therefore, salvation is received only when a person places his faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as the sufficient payment for one’s acknowledged sin (Acts 2:38). This salvation is not earned but is a gift available by the grace of God alone (Ephesians 2:8-9)
About The Local Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ, of which Jesus is the Head (Col. 1:18). The purpose of the church is to gather believers to glorify God by being a powerful witness for Jesus Christ in a lost world (Matt. 28:18-20). God wants to edify and build up His church, this is why the Holy Spirit gives a variety of spiritual gifts to believers such as; encouragement, serving, teaching, healing, prophecy, etc. (Romans 12, I Cor. 12,) We practice two ordinances in the church instituted by Christ Himself: water baptism (Luke 3:21-22) and Holy Communion (Luke 22:14-20).
About Jesus
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, in His virgin birth (Matthew 1:23), His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15; 7:26), His atoning death on the cross (1 Corinthians 15:3), His resurrection on the third day (John 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:4), His exaltation to the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3), and that He will return again to reign as Lord of lords (Acts 1:11; 1 Timothy 6:13-16).
About Humanity
We believe that human beings were created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him (Genesis 1:26), but became alienated from that relationship through sinful disobedience (Genesis 3). As a result, humanity is totally incapable of coming back into a right relationship with God by one’s own effort (Romans 5:12-19).
About Christian Life
We believe that for every Christian the old way of living for oneself is in the past and the new way of living for Christ is for the present and for the future (2 Corinthians 5:17). By obedience to the Scriptures and daily yielding to the Spirit we will mature and become conformed to the image of Christ, which should be exhibited by love for God and for one’s neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39).
About Healing
We believe that Christ’s power to heal, evident in the Gospels, is available to all believers today through his atoning sacrifice (Isaiah 53:4-5). The church is to lay hands on the sick, anoint them with oil, and pray faithfully for their recovery
(James 5:14-15).
About The Second Coming
We believe that Christians who have died will be reunited with those still alive at the second coming of Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 4:16-17). This event will be followed by the millennial reign of Christ (Rev. 20:1-6). A final judgment (Rev. 20:11-15), and the appearance of a new heaven and a new earth. (Rev. 21, Rev. 22)