The Gospel, Beliefs & Membership

Basics of the Faith

Human beings are spiritual beings, created to know God and live in relationship with Him, to image Him (Genesis 1:26, 27). But when Adam and Eve fell away in the Garden of Eden, we all did. In fact we have all made sinful choices in our own gardens (Romans 3:23). The story of the Bible is, in many ways, the chase of God, coming after his unique creation, male and female, to bring them back into relationship.

The act of faith in the Old Testament brought people to forgiveness and into covenant relationship. In the New Testament, our faith is based upon Jesus, The Son of God, who came into the world not only to teach truth and model righteousness, but to give his life as payment for the sins of all the world (Ephesians 2:8, 9; John 1:29; I Peter 1:18-22).

God became a human being in Jesus Christ to die for our sins (Matthew 20:28). When we admit that need, confess those sins, and turn to Christ by faith, we have two huge benefits. One is the fact that the death of Jesus Christ counts for our sins—and so there is forgiveness. “Atonement” is what they called it in Old Testament times. The New Testament calls is total payment for our sins (Romans 3:25). In addition, the gift of righteousness becomes ours. The goodness and perfection of Jesus Christ are credited to our name, and we are viewed by God in a new way—in the righteousness of Christ (Romans 3:21, 22; 5:17). The second benefit from this salvation is that the Holy Spirit comes to live in our lives, giving us strength to grow in our faith, serve God on this planet and to live in a relationship with Him as originally intended (Romans 8:9-14).

One day, Jesus Christ will return to earth and establish his Kingdom and make all things right (Revelation 21, 22). Until then, our great joy is to grow in our relationship with God through Christ (I Peter 2:2). Our great commission as Christ's church is to be his ambassadors everywhere (Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2).

Have questions?

E-mail Jay Halley , one of our pastors.
Or, call the office and ask for Jay at 330.376.6400, toll-free at 877.376.6401

We Believe …

God

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one, co-equal, which is the Trinity.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ was begotten of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus died for our sins according to Scripture as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of his shed blood. Jesus was resurrected from his crucified body, he ascended into heaven, and is present there as High Priest and Advocate for all believers. There will be a “blessed hope,” the personal, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the Trinity, who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He is in the life of every believer, and He empowers the preaching and teaching of the Gospel. The Scriptures are our authority in matters of faith and practice.

Bible

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired of God and inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority.

Man

Man was created in the image of God, that he sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but spiritual death, which is separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners in thought, word, and deed.

Salvation

All who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and become children of God and heirs of eternal life. This is a relationship in which they are eternally secure. Both the just and the unjust will be bodily resurrected, with the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost, and the felicity of the saved, which demand heaven and hell.

There is a personal devil, who is working in the world to destroy the souls of men and that he and all his angels and all who receive not Christ as their Savior will eternally perish in the lake of fire.

Church

The Church is the Body of Christ, whose mission it is to preach the Gospel to all the world with its endeavors being supported by the freewill gifts and offerings of the people. The ordinances of the Church, given by our Lord, are baptism by immersion following conversion and the Lord’s Table (communion).

Membership

The Chapel is a family of believers in Jesus Christ—Christ-followers who, together, make up what is called a “local church.” Therefore, becoming a Chapel member means crossing the line from being a spectator or attendee to being a committed member.

People can belong to our body of believers and know that they are under the accountability of a church with Christ as the head and shepherd. The Scriptures are central for our guidance.
Regardless of the campus you attend, you are welcome to attend Membership Class at either campus.

Contact Amy Butcher for information about upcoming classes.