WHAT WE BELIEVE

Doctrines are the basic nonnegotiable tenets of the Christian faith we hold to. Below, you will find a list of The Ridge’s Core Doctrines of the Christian faith.

God the Father is the Creator of the universe and everything within it. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present and limitless in love, wisdom, and holiness. Mankind was created in His image. God is one essence existing in three distinct persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are equal and are one God.

Jesus is the Son of God. He is equal with God the Father. He was sent to earth from God. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and died on a cross as a perfect sacrifice for all of mankind. He defeated death by rising from the dead after three days. He ascended to the glories of Heaven and will one day return to reign over the entire earth.

The Holy Spirit is God’s spirit in and among mankind. He is equal with the Father and the Son. He draws unbelievers to salvation and assures believers of their relationship with Christ. He convicts believers of their sin, reveals God’s perfection, and offers power and truth. He serves as comforter, gives us spiritual gifts, and transforms us into the image of Christ.

The Bible is God’s inspired, written Word to all mankind. Though it was written down by human authors, God breathed every word through them. It is perfect and inerrant throughout, containing the authority and truth of God. Its message is enduring, and its power is life changing.

Man was created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him. That fellowship was broken through sin. Man is incapable of restoring this relationship with God through the works or worth of his own. Only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can man restore his relationship with God.

The only hope for mankind is salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation happens when a person puts their full trust in the death and resurrection of Christ as payment for their sin. Salvation brings forgiveness of sins and is the gift of God. Therefore, it cannot be earned through human worth or works.

Every person will live for eternity in one of two ways. He will either live eternally separated from God by sin, or he will live eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation Hell is a place reserved for those who continually rejected God’s gift of salvation while alive on earth. Heaven is a place of eternal fellowship with God.

Because God gives salvation through Jesus Christ, the true believer whose life has been transformed by the Holy Spirit is eternally secure in that salvation. Salvation is the free gift of God. Just as man cannot obtain salvation by worth or works, he is also unable to “hold on” to salvation on his own. It is the grace and power of God alone that gives the believer his eternal security.

The Church is made up of every follower of Jesus Christ on earth. It is best expressed through local gatherings of believers who are unified in Christ. The church exists to obey the commands of Christ, help one another grow spiritually and spread God’s message of salvation throughout the world. The church is led by the Holy Spirit through the pastors and elders He has called and established.

Baptism does not make you a believer. It shows that you already believe. Baptism does not “save” you; only faith in Christ can do that. At The Ridge, we baptize by immersion. Every baptism in the New Testament was by immersion. Baptism best symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrections of Jesus Christ. Every person who has made a profession in Christ should be baptized. However, if you were baptized as a baby or before you received Christ, we would love to discuss with you what the New Testament teaches about baptism. Baptism is an important symbol that the Bible instructs Christians for follow through with in obedience.

Jesus instructed His followers to take communion in remembrance of Him. We believe in the regular taking of communion as an act of remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Followers of Christ are called to make the will of Christ supreme in their own lives and in human society. This means opposing all sin, while working to provide for the orphaned, widowed, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. Christians should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life, from conception to natural death. To promote these ends, Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and his truth.

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.

Marriage is the uniting of one (biological) man and one (biological) woman in covenant commitment for life. It reveals the union between Christ and His church and provides the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

The husband and wife are of equal worth before God since both are created in God’s image. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.