God the Father
God is the first person of the Trinity, Father to the Son, Jesus Christ, born of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit, yet still, all three exist as one God. Creator, sustainer, and pruner of all life. God revealed Himself as Father in both Old and New Testaments. God adopts believers in Jesus Christ into a relationship with Him as their Father. Through Christ, believers have the privilege of being heirs to God's glory. He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. He is love, holiness, and all righteousness.
Jesus the Son
Jesus is the Son of God. Equal part of the Trinity (as mentioned above). Jesus willingly stepped into His own creation by the will of God, to be born of a virgin, live a sinless life, and offer Himself as the complete sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. To display His power over sin and death, He rose from the dead three days later and ascended to Heaven again. His death, burial, and resurrection affirm His deity and power over all of creation. He is the bridegroom who will return for His bride (the church), all who have placed their faith in Him and have chosen to follow Him.
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and is equal in nature and essence with the Father and Jesus Christ. As Jesus was sent by the Father, the Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus on the day of Pentecost to reside in His followers. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to believers, empowers believers to understand the Word of God and to pursue the will of God, and to make people aware of our need for Jesus. He convicts us sin, gives us confidence in God, and enables us to help others from the time of salvation, sealing them for Christ's return.
The Word of God
The Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of the one true God. It is Holy, sacred, and timeless. His word will never cease to be anything less than divine and absolute. God chose to use 40 human authors, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, over a span of 1500 years, to accomplish and convey His divine nature and will to all of creation. It reveals God's character and His intent for our lives. It is the absolute and final authority on all matters of faith and practice.
Baptism
For those who make the intentional choice to believe the message of the gospel, repent of their sin, and confess Jesus as their Savior, baptism is the next step of obedience. It's a declaration of a personal relationship with Jesus that professes He is the Son of God and the Lord of their life. Baptism outwardly expresses a newfound, inward faith and allegiance to Jesus. Baptism literally means to be immersed as it was modeled by Jesus Himself. The apostles also taught it be done following belief and repentance. It represents Jesus' death, burial and resurrection and identifies believers with Him who will return again.
Communion
A time commanded by Jesus, to His disciples, to participate in and to profess the promise of the New Covenant. A special time to give thanks as well as remembering the cost of our redemption, what it covers, and what it ultimately points to. It's the opportunity, for believers in Jesus, to partake in the personal and corporate acknowledgment of these sacred truths in a worthy manner. The bread represents Jesus' earthly body that was broken for us, and the contents of cup represents His divine blood that was shed for the forgiveness of all sins.
The Church
One of three God ordained (appointed) institutions (Family, Government & Church) created to preserve creation. "The Church" is the bride of Jesus Christ, unrestrained by denominations, and made up of a body of believers around the world who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior. It is the living temple where God dwells in His people. The Bible teaches that we are to gather together and form local bodies (or churches). This body of believers are to love and encourage one another to remain on the path of following Jesus. The Church is a living organism as the bride and the body of Christ. Jesus is the cornerstone of the church who will return one day for His bride which He will receive free of blemish and there will be a wedding feast in Heaven. The local church must be founded on the truths of Scripture alone. Chosen Road Church vows to make every effort to develop a God honoring culture that continuously points to following Jesus faithfully.
Salvation
God has great love for us and provides forgiveness and eternal life through his Son, Jesus. When we place our faith in Jesus as the forgiver of our sins, we receive the gift of salvation. This is the most important decision we will ever make as the punishment for sin is death, and we're all sinners. Being a good person cannot pardon our sins. By the grace of God and faith in Jesus, salvation is available to all who chose it, covering us from the penalty of sin. When we turn from our self-centered life towards a faith-centered life in Jesus, we are saved. This is evidenced by repentance, confession, baptism by immersion, and a life committed to His service.
