LIFE Church of Fort Collins Statement of Faith

This statement was developed and is provided to give you some understanding of the theological convictions and beliefs that will guide and guard LIFE Church of Fort Collins. They were developed to give a clearer picture of our understanding and practice of the Christian faith. They are not intended to segregate, discriminate or divide LIFE Church from other Christian groups that also uphold orthodox tenets of the Christian faith.

Theological Beliefs of LIFE Church:

"In essential beliefs, we have unity. In non-essentials, we have liberty. In all our beliefs, we promote God's love and grace!"

God - One Yet Three:
We believe there is one God who is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. In Him we live and move and have our being. We believe that God eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

God - The Father:
We believe the Father concerns Himself with the affairs of humanity and saves from sin and death, all who come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

God - The Son:
We believe that the only mediator between God and humanity is Jesus Christ. We believe He was God who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, took on the form of humanity, lived a sinless life and by His death on the cross He provided forgiveness of sin to all who would accept His sacrifice on their behalf. We believe that He physically rose from the dead and offers eternal life to all who accept Him as Lord and Savior.

God - The Holy Spirit:
We believe the Holy Spirit, as the third person of the Trinity, is the One who draws, enlightens and enables people to accept the reality of Christ's provision at the cross, which leads to salvation. The Holy Spirit, at a person's conversion, indwells and seals them in Christ until the day of redemption. In addition to effecting regeneration and starting the process of sanctification, the Holy Spirit also empowers believers for Christian witness and service. Upon conversion, the believer is instructed to be "clothed with power from on high," signifying the "baptism" or "filling" of the Holy Spirit.
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Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
We believe that all of the gifts listed in the New Testament (Romans 12 & I Corinthians 12) are operative today and vital for the mission of the church, and are to be earnestly desired and practiced. The Holy Spirit gives these gifts as He wills. These gifts are to be utilized in wisdom, love, balance and humility. These gifts are NOT to be utilized as toys or as a sign of greater spirituality of the individual using them. These gifts are tools given to accomplish the work of ministry in and outside of the local church in a productive and healthy manner for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God.
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The Bible:
We believe the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, to be the uniquely inspired, inerrant, and the authoritative Living Word of God. We believe the Bible to be the only infallible measure of faith and practice for the believer and the final authority for guiding humanity to faith in God and for living a life of obedience to God.
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Humanity:
We believe that all of humanity was created in the image and likeness of God with a divine purpose. Through Adam's disobedience and sin, the whole human race fell into a broken relationship with God and thus unable to acquire the divine purpose of their original creation. As a result, a sin nature has been passed down to every human being since this fall. In this fallen state, every person is considered a sinner, alienated from God, unable to redeem him or herself, and is in need of a Savior. Through the Son Jesus Christ, God offers a repair for this broken relationship and provides salvation to all who believe and trust in Him.
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Salvation:
We believe that salvation is a gift from God accepted on the basis of faith alone in Jesus Christ. We believe salvation is entirely an act of God's grace and not dependent on man's merit, ability, or human effort. We believe that a true Christian will be kept by God's power forever and that nothing can be added or taken away from the finished work of Christ on the cross for salvation.
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The Church:
We believe that the Universal Church is composed of all genuine believers (Christians) of all ages, both on earth and in paradise. The Local Church is composed of Christian believers identified with a group of worshipers in one locality. Every individual who has answered God's call in committing their gifting to a local church is a valuable component of that local body to ensure its complete functionality. We believe that the Church is the body of Christ and is a spiritual organism made up of all who have accepted Christ. The Church is the viable representative of God in the world and to all of humanity.
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The Ordinances of the Church:
We believe that Jesus Christ established two significant ordinances for the Church, which are to be embraced by all believers. First is water baptism. We believe that water baptism by immersion is one of the first acts of obedience required to fully identify with the new spiritual birth in Christ. Second is communion. We believe that communion is only for believers in Christ. It is a memorial of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. For many, communion is a celebration of the new life found in Christ.
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The Return of Christ:
We believe that God's redemptive purposes will be consummated by a physical and literal return of Jesus Christ to raise the dead, judge the world according to their deeds done in the body and to establish the fullness of his glorious and eternal kingdom.
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Heaven and Hell:
We believe that God has appointed a day in which He will judge each individual for his or her acceptance or denial of the saving and finished work of Christ. For those who accepted Christ, they will spend eternity in heaven, a place of perfect peace, joy and fulfillment. For those who have failed to accept Christ, they will be eternally separated from God, cast into the Lake of Fire prepared for the devil and his angels, without any future hope of salvation or God's presence.
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LIFE Church of Fort Collins is a committed Christian congregation founded on the Biblical directives of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Our above-mentioned theological beliefs are the foundation by which we will live-out these significant and Biblical directives. LIFE Church is contemporary in both preaching style and worship.