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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 dependant
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 worshippers
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 his 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.
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