COMMUNITY CHURCH
COMMUNITY CHURCH
WE BELIEVE that the very nature of God is love. Desiring to express and share His love, God spoke into being all of creation and everything in it. He continues to sustain His creation since “He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things".
WE BELIEVE that there is one true God, eternally existing in three distinct persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. WE BELIEVE that this mystery is meant both as an example of how humanity, though full of individuals, shall someday be fully one through God’s redemption, as well as how God’s expression of Himself to us shows his desire and ability to provide for every need of the human soul. The essence of the Trinity doctrine is that the unity of the one God is complex, yet solidly real. Genesis 1:1, 26; I Chronicles 29: 11, 12; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalms 90:2; I Peter 1:2, John 4:8,9
WE BELIEVE IN GOD, THE FATHER. The Eternal God reveals Himself in scripture as our Father, who has taken us into His family as adopted children. WE BELIEVE that the true nature of fatherhood, displayed by God’s actions in scripture, is to love passionately, to care deeply, and to yearn greatly for his children to grow to full maturity. Genesis 1:1; Romans 15:6; James 1:17; 1 John 4:8,9
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus was united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He was the only begotten Son of God. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father. He voluntarily paid for the sins of all by dying on the cross and baptizing into Himself all those who trust in Him. He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where He is now glorified. Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father, where He, the only Mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own. He will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. Hebrews 1:1-3; Matthew 1:18-23; John 1:1-18; Acts 1:9-11; Acts 2:22-24; I Corinthians 15; Revelation 5:9-14
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit is the eternal third person of the trinity, which was sent to humankind after Jesus ascended to the Father. He has been sent into the world to apply the saving work of Jesus to humankind. The Holy Spirit enlightens the minds of sinners and awakens in them recognition of their need of a Savior and convicts believers of their righteousness in Christ. At the point of salvation, He permanently indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength, and wisdom and uniquely endows each believer with gifts for the building up of the church body. Matthew 1:18; John 14; 16, 17; John 16; 7-14; Acts 1:8; 1; Corinthians 3:16; I Peter 4:10
WE BELIEVE that the written word of God is composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. It is this written word, read under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that reveals to us the living Word. This living Word is Jesus, the Word from the beginning, who is the exact representation of God the Father. Scripture speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles, contexts, and vocabularies of human authors. We believe the Scriptures are the unique, full, and final authority on all fundamental matters of faith and practice. Deuteronomy 4:1,2; John 1; Psalms 12:6; Psalms 19:7-10; Psalms 119:105, 160; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20,21
WE BELIEVE that the central purpose of God’s revelation in scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have free and complete fellowship with God, man defied God, choosing to go his independent way. For this reason, humanity experienced death (in spirit and body) and separation from their source of life—God. Therefore, each person has spent much of their life attempting to meet his or her own needs apart from God. The salvation of humankind is entirely the provision of God’s unmerited love and favor, and not the result, in whole or in part, of human works. And we believe that what God begins in salvation, He is faithful to bring to completion in all His children. Genesis 2-3:1-7; John 3:16,17; Ephesians 2:8,9; Luke 19:10; John 10:28-30; Romans 10:9,10
WE BELIEVE that all who trust in Christ’s saving action through the cross and resurrection are born again as a new creation. This means that all matters of identity, self-worth, and value are no longer resolved through previous methods of performance or accomplishment, but rather from the new center of their being which is Christ Himself. All who trust in Christ’s provision are set free from the penalty of sin and in Christ have the ability to break free from the power of sin. They are now free to break from past enslavements and live life in Christ. John 8:36; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:20
WE BELIEVE that all believers are members of Christ’s body, the Church. There is one true Church universal, comprised of all those who trust in the saving work of Christ. The scripture instructs believers to gather together to devote themselves: to worship; to prayer; to the teaching of the Word; to the observance of baptism and communion; to fellowship; to service to the body through the development and the use of talents and gifts; and to reach out to the world. Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this instruction, there is the local expression of the church. Matthew 16: 15-19; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:10-16; 1 Corinthians 12; Revelation 2 & 3
©2021 Sandy Springs Community Church, 5784 Lake Forrest Dr., Suite 214, Atlanta, GA 30328 | Phone: 404-497-1691