• Core Beliefs

    What We Believe

     

    Here you will find our essential truths.

    These things don’t change at Richwood Church of Christ.

    This is what we believe, and it’s who we are at the core as a church.

    About God

    We believe there is one divine being who has existed eternally. He exists and reveals Himself to man in three distinct, equally divine persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While we cannot fully comprehend His divine nature, it is possible for people to know Him – through the figure of the Father. At the beginning of time, God created the entire universe and all its creatures. He continues to exercise His supreme power to sustain His creation. Throughout history He has expressed His desire to be our God and to have a personal, eternal relationship with us. We believe that God loves us and wants what is best for us.

    About Jesus

    We believe that Jesus is the eternal divine Son of God. He chose voluntarily to be made in human likeness and was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. Jesus gave up his position of authority and power to re-establish himself with us on earth, in order to completely pay our penalty for sin. Although He lived a sinless life He allowed Himself to be executed by crucifixion. His death paid the penalty for the offenses of mankind against God. However, as prophesied, He rose from the dead three days after His execution. After appearing to witnesses on a number of occasions for forty days, He ascended into heaven where He now serves as the Mediator between God and man. We believe that at the end of time He will again visibly return to earth to complete His eternal plan.

    About the Holy Spirit

    The third person of God is the Holy Spirit. We believe the Holy Spirit dwells in every Christ follower. His indwelling presence gives spiritual life to believers and distinguishes them as children of God. The Holy Spirit is what sets us apart from the World and makes us HOLY – Not our works. The Holy Spirit guides Christ followers in understanding and applying God’s principles and values. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Christ followers are empowered to live Christ-like lives. The Holy Spirit also equips Christ followers with talents and abilities for the purpose of building up God’s kingdom, protects us from the outside forces and allows us to know God more and more as we gain spiritual maturity.

    About People

    God created mankind to live in relationship with Him. However, the first man and woman were deceived by Satan. They rebelled and chose to be wrongfully independent from God. Their decision alienated them from God. Every human being since that time has suffered the consequences of that rebellion. We all fail to please God and are open to Satan’s deception. Our failure to please God and follow God’s Word, unless a relationship is re-established with Him, results in condemnation under God’s judgment and would cause us to spend eternity in hell. Furthermore, our works can not reestablish our relationship with God nor can we be “good enough” to re-connect with God – it’s only by God’s grace that we are saved.

    About the Bible

    God divinely inspired human authors to write the sixty-six books of the Bible. He communicated through these writers the values, principles, and ideals which please Him and are in our best interests. We believe the Bible is entirely accurate, complete, and reliable. We look to the Bible for the revelation of the character of God and the final authority on all matters of faith and conduct.

    About our relationship

    with God

    Our inability to reestablish our relationship with God leaves us dependent on God’s mercy. God graciously provided the means to reconcile this relationship through faith in Jesus Christ. Our relationship is re-established when we make a commitment to accept Jesus as God’s son and our Savior and Lord. Through faith in Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven, and we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and eternal life. Practically speaking, this acceptance is demonstrated through a number of ways. We demonstrate our personal commitment of faith: by repentance (belief that God has the power to save us and turning back to God and depending on Him to control our lives). At the same time, we confess our commitment by confessing our acceptance of God’s salvation and submitting ourselves in Christian Baptism. All the commitments are important to a believer who wants to re-establish his connect with God. To desire one without the others is to only desire part of God’s goodness.

    About our New Life

    Once our relationship is re-established with God, we naturally want to spend time with Him and know Him better. The Holy Spirit guides us as we read God’s Word – the Bible, as we take time to connect with God in prayer, and as we seek out God-given relationships through participating in a Biblical community with other Christ followers focused on serving the “least of these.” In this way we begin to know God more personally. As we become acquainted with God we desire to be like Him and please Him and do the good things that he has planned for us. This process of spiritual development motivates us to seek ways to serve God and prepares us to spend eternity in fellowship with Him.

    About the Church

    We believe the church represents Jesus Christ to a needy world. The Bible speaks of the church as Christ’s body. The Bible compares the church to a living organism, where Jesus is the head. God arranges the parts of the body, Christians//Christ Followers, just as He wants them to be and gives each Christian special functions to perform for the good of the body through the Holy Spirit. The church is centered on five key principles: Discipleship, Fellowship, Worship, Evangelism and Service. We believe as a church – we are to embody these five principles as we live out our faith in Jesus Christ.