Statement of Faith
A living Christian faith must be
continually interpreted. This statement of faith is
not to be regarded as complete or infallible. It is
the purpose of this statement to state in clear
terms, the Christian teachings we believe. Scripture
references found at the end of each paragraph, while
not exhaustive, give more detailed statements
concerning these truths.
1. God:
We believe there is one true,
holy God, eternally existing in three persons -
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each of Whom
possesses equally all the attributes of deity and
the characteristics of personality. In the beginning
God created the world and all that is in it out of
nothing. God manifests and demonstrates His power,
wisdom, and goodness as Creator, Redeemer, and
Sustainer of the universe. God is just, yet loves us
and offers us forgiveness. God the Father operates
throughout history to fulfill His redemptive
purposes. Genesis 1:1; Exodus 15:11-14; Exodus
20:1-6; Psalm 19:1-3; Matthew 6:9-10; John 14:6-13;
1 Corinthians 8:5-6; Hebrews 11:6.
2. Jesus Christ:
Jesus Christ, God’s son, is both
fully God and fully human. He was united with true
human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin
birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the
Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all by
dying on the cross, thus satisfying divine justice
and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him
alone. He rose from the dead in the same body in
which He lived and died. He ascended into heaven,
and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where
He is the only Mediator between God and humanity. He
will come again to the earth, personally and
visibly, to fulfill God’s eternal plan and conclude
human history. Isaiah 53; Matthew 1:18-23;
Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:1-6; Luke 1:35; Luke
24:46-47; John 1:1-18; John 11:25-27; John 14:7-11;
John 20:1-20; Acts 2:22-24; Romans 3:23-26; Romans
5:8-21; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Galatians 4:4-5;
Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 Timothy 3:16;
Hebrews 1:1-3; Hebrews 4:14-15; Hebrews 12:2;
1 Peter 2:21-25; Revelation
1:13-17; Revelation 5:11-14.
3. The Holy Spirit:
The Holy Spirit is the third
person of the trinity. He was sent into the world by
the Father and the Son to apply to humanity the
saving work of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit awakens
in us an awareness of our sin, and our need for a
Savior. At the point of salvation He permanently
indwells every believer and becomes the source of
comfort, strength, wisdom, and assurance of
salvation. The Holy Spirit guides believers in
understanding and applying the scripture. His power
and control are appropriated by faith, making it
possible for the believer to lead a life of
Christlike character and to bring
glory to God the Father. He also gives every
believer at least one spiritual gift for the
building up of the body of Christ. Genesis 1:2;
Psalm 139:7-10; Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 28:19-20; John
4:24; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-14; Acts 1:8;
Acts 2:1-4; Acts 4:31; Romans 8:9-11, 14-16, 26-27;
1 Corinthians 2:10-13; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11;
Ephesians 1:13-14.
4. The Bible:
The basis of our belief is the
Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old
and New Testaments. We believe the Scripture
originated with God and was written and recorded by
men divinely inspired by God. The Bible thus speaks
with the authority of God and reflects the
backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of the human
authors. The message of the Bible is complete truth,
gives us God’s instruction for living, and shows us
the way to salvation through Jesus Christ. The Bible
is the unique, full, and final authority on all
matters of faith and practice. Deuteronomy 4:1-2;
Psalm 19:7-10; Psalm 119:105; Isaiah 40:8; Luke
24:44-46; Romans 15:4; Romans 16:25-26; 2 Timothy
3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
5. Salvation:
The central purpose of God’s
revelation in Scripture is to call all people into
fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have
fellowship with God, humans defied God, and chose to
go their own way. They were separated from God and
suffered the corruption of their nature. Sin entered
the world early in human history and all individuals
since have suffered and are thus in need of the
saving grace of God. The salvation of humanity is
wholly the work of God’s free grace, not the result,
in whole or in part of human works or goodness.
Every individual must personally appropriate
salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. When God has
begun a saving work in the heart of any person, He
will continue performing it until the day of its
full consummation. John 3:3-21; Romans 1:16-17;
Romans 3:23-24; Romans 6:22-23; Romans 8:1-3; Romans
8:28-30, 38-39; Romans 10:9-13; 2 Corinthians
5:17-20; Colossians 3:10-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter
1:23; 1 John 1:5-9; Revelation 3:20.
6. Human Destiny:
Death seals the eternal destiny
of each person. For all humanity, there will be a
resurrection of the body into the spiritual world.
Unbelievers will be separated from God into
condemnation. Believers will be received into
eternal communion with God. Luke 16:19-20;
Romans 5:12; Romans 5:18; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians
5:10; Hebrews 9:27.
7. The Church:
There is one true universal
church, known as the body of Christ in scripture,
composed of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ
as Savior. The Scripture commands believers to
regularly gather together to devote themselves to
worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, and
fellowship. Baptism and communion are observed as
the ordinances established by Jesus Christ. Service
to the body of Christ and outreach to the world are
accomplished through the development and use of
gifts and talents.
The local expression of the
church is realized wherever God’s people meet in
obedience to this command. Members are to work
together in love and unity, under the watchcare and
guidance of the appropriate leadership, with the
ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ. Matthew
16:15-19; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 14:22-26; Acts
2:41-42, 47; Acts 9:31; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians
11:23-28; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 2:19-22;
Ephesians 4:11-12; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Peter 5:1-3.
8. Faith & Practice:
Scripture is the final authority
in all matters of faith and practice. ACC leaves
room for honest differences of opinion as to
biblical interpretation on doctrines which are not
essential to salvation. ACC recognizes that it
cannot bind the conscience of individual members in
areas where Scripture is silent. Each believer is to
be led in those areas by the Lord, to whom he or she
alone is ultimately responsible. However, all
members will refrain from advocating doctrines that
are not included in the Statement of Faith in such a
way as to cause dissension.
We believe that God has given
every believer unique gifts, talents, and resources.
As a matter of faith and practice it should be the
goal of every believer to follow Christ fully,
managing these gifts wisely and joyfully using them
in ministry. Romans 1:8-12, 17; Romans 3:21-26;
Romans 14:19-23, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 1
Corinthians 13:1-8, 13; Galatians 2:20; Galatians
5:22-26; Ephesians 1:15-18; Hebrews 10:22-25;
Hebrews 11; James 1:2-6; James 2:14-18, 24-26.
