Beliefs - Congregational Church of Raymond

We believe:

I. There is one God, all knowing, all-powerful, and always present, who eternally exists in triune form as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is Holy, loving and merciful, the Creator of all things.

II. The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, the supreme and final authority, the only infallible rule of faith, life, and practice, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

III. Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, was sent by God the Father to reveal His unconditional love, mercy and plan for the salvation of mankind. He was fully God and fully man. He was conceived through the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified, was bodily resurrected from the dead, and ascended into heaven to sit, exalted, at the right hand of God. He will come again to establish his kingdom and judge all mankind.

IV. All men are created by God in His image. However, sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and from that time all have sinned in their attitude of disobedience toward God and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.

V. By His grace, God has provided a way to reconcile the sinful world to Himself. Jesus is the one and only mediator between God and men. By the grace of God, Jesus gave His life to pay the price for our sins, to free us and give us eternal life. This is a free gift to all who believe in their hearts and confess with their lips that Jesus is their Lord and Savior. It cannot be earned or lost through works.

VI. When we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are baptized with the Holy Spirit who is sent by God to live within our hearts and we are regenerated as new creations. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying scriptures, making Christ-like lives possible, and gives each believer gifts to be used to build up Christ’s church.

VII. The church is one body made up of all believers with Christ as its head, whose purpose is to worship and glorify God, share the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, teach obedience to God’s commandments, and to work together in love and unity to accomplish the will of the Father.

VIII. Our statement of belief, like every believer in Christ, is a work in progress. As we mature as individuals and as a church, and thus come into greater obedience to God, our statements may change to reflect what God, in His wisdom, has revealed to us.

As a church we believe and teach the commands of God with special emphasis on:

The Great Commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." Matt 22:37-40

The Great Commission: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt 28:18-20