Statement of Faith

The central theme of Riverlawn Christian Church is the continual imparting of the scripture to people so they may know God, accept His Son Jesus Christ as Savior, and serve Him in worship and ministry. Below are some major truths of scripture in a simple and concise form.  These are the primary doctrines of the Christian faith and reflect the heart of the teaching and preaching here at Riverlawn.

  • We believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God. It is divinely inspired and is the truth, authority, and guide to live by. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12)

  • We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

  • We believe God created the world and life by spoken word. (John 1:1-3; Hebrews 11:3)

  • We believe Jesus was born of a virgin. He is fully God and fully man. He is the only Son of God and the Lord of all creation. He died for the sins of all people and bodily arose from the grave and will one day return. (Matthew 1:23; Matthew 28:18; Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 2:14-18)

  • The Holy Spirit is divine, eternal, and coequal with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit dwells in every believer, teaching and bearing witness to Jesus. He convicts of sin, intercedes for us in prayer, and empowers us to stay faithful (1 Corinthians 3:16, Romans 8:9-11).

  • We believe that mankind was created in the image of, and for the purposes of God. We believe mankind has sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death in hell which is separation from God; and that all mankind is born with a sinful nature. The Bible defines sin as “missing the mark” of God’s perfect standard. The Bible says that “we have all sinned and fall short of God’s will for our lives.” (Romans 3:23-26, 5:12; Ephesians 2:10)

  • We believe we are saved from sin, and ultimately from hell, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. God has sent His Son as the perfect sacrifice for the payment of sin. Our response is to receive His gift of salvation and surrender to God, obeying His commands. (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16-17, 36)

  • We believe that when a person is saved, they are sealed with the Holy Spirit and are continually transformed by the Holy Spirit in their walk with Christ. (Ephesians 1:13; John 6:37-39 & 8:29; Matthew 24:13; Titus 2:14; 1 Corinthians 6:11)

  • We believe in two ordinances for believers: The Lord’s Supper (Communion) and Baptism. Only Christians who have carefully examined themselves, before, should partake of this supper. We make it available each Sunday. (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32)

  • We believe that baptism is the immersion in water of an obedient believer. In the New Testament church every believer was commanded to be baptized in a manner of being united to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:3-5; Acts 2:36-41)

  • We believe the church is the body of Christ. The head of the body is Jesus who gave His church the mission to carry out God’s stated purpose to make disciples of Jesus throughout the world and equip them for ministry. (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:11-16; Ephesians 5:23b; Colossians 1:1-8)