What We Believe

God is the eternal, sovereign Creator and Ruler of the universe (Genesis 1:1; 1 Timothy 6:15). He is our holy, loving, heavenly Father.  As our personal, heavenly Father, God loves and cares deeply for each of us (John 3:16). God has made himself known through His creation, the Bible, and supremely in Jesus (Psalm 19; John 1:18). God has revealed himself to us as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Jesus is the Son of God and God in the flesh (Matthew 16:16; John 1:14). He was born of the virgin Mary. He worked miracles and fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. Jesus died for our sins on a Roman cross and was raised bodily from the grave (Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 3:18). Jesus now reigns at the right hand of God (Romans 8:34). He will return to earth in the future to be the Savior and Judge of all humankind (Hebrews 9:28; Acts 17:31).

The Holy Spirit dwells within each Christian as a comforter, counselor, teacher, and encourager (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:8, 13). God’s Spirit convicts us of sin, empowers us to be holy, equips us with spiritual gifts for Christian living, and is the seal of adoption confirming our salvation (1 Corinthians 12:7; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Ephesians 1:13-14).

The Bible is our authority here at the Heath Church of Christ. The Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is our standard as Christians in all we believe, say, and do. We plead for the union of all Christians on the Bible alone.

Human beings are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). We have rebelled against God’s design for our lives by our own free choice. Our sinful rebellion separates us from God and leads to spiritual death (Romans 6:23). God, in His grace, offers salvation through Jesus to all sinners who would accept this free gift (Romans 3:23-24, 5:8; Ephesians 2:8). We accept God’s gift of salvation by: Believing in Jesus as God’s Son (Acts 16:31); Confessing Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9); Repenting of sin (Acts 3:19); being Baptized by immersion for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Those who follow this Biblical plan can have the assurance of God’s salvation (1 John 5:13).

We practice believers’ baptism by immersion. In baptism, new Christians are promised God’s gifts of the forgiveness of sin and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-5; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21).

We celebrate the Lord’s Supper each week in memory of Christ’s death and in anticipation of his final coming (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). All Christians are welcome to share in this family meal.

The Church is the Body of Christ composed of all Biblically-faithful Christians around the world (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27). Christians demonstrate their membership in Christ’s universal Body by identifying and serving with a local congregation, such as the Heath Church of Christ (e.g. Ephesians 1:1). The Church is God’s chosen agency to save and transform the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). The Church changes the world through prayer, the preaching of the gospel of Christ, and through loving witness and service performed in Jesus’ name.

We look forward to the second coming of Jesus, the resurrection of the dead, and the beginning of the New Heaven and New Earth (1 Thessalonians 4:16; John 5:28-29; Revelation 21:1). The universe and the human story have a destination. The world will be over when Jesus returns again (1 Corinthians 15:24). Jesus will return as the Savior and King of all Christians (Titus 3:13; Hebrews 9:28), and as the Judge of all those who rejected God and His salvation during their earthly lives (Matthew 16:27; Romans 2:16; 2 Corinthians 5:10). On the Day of Judgment, the saved will enter eternal life with God, while the condemned will be assigned to eternal hell (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:11-15). We prepare for this time of judgment by accepting Jesus as Lord (2 Corinthians 6:2).