Core Beliefs
The following are the core beliefs of The Passage Church based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
I. God
Only one true and living God exists. He is the Creator of Universe, externally existing in three Persons, the Trinity, – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – each equally deserving of humanity’s worship and obedience. God is perfect. God is all powerful. God is all knowing
A. God The Father
God as Father rules with kind care over His universe and human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful. He is all knowing. He is all loving. He is all wise. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all people.
Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6: Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3;15; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 John 5:7
B. God the Son
Jesus is both fully God and fully human. He is Christ, the Son of God. Born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life and performed many miracles. He died on a cross to provide people forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation. Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return in glory and power.
Psalms 2:7; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29;17:5; John 1:1-18, 29; 10:30; 14:7-11; 17:1-5, 21-22; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 8:1-3; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:22; 8:6; 15:1-8, 24-28; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 9:12-15
C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is supernatural and sovereign, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ. He lives within every Christian at the moment of salvation and then empowers them for bold witness and effective service as they yield to Him. The Holy Spirit convicts individuals of sin, uses God’s Word to mature believers into Christ-likeness, and secures them until He returns.
Job 26:13; Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Mark 1:10,12; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4, 38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; Romans 8:9011; 14-16, 26-27, 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1
II. Scriptures
The Bible is God’s written revelation to people, divinely given through human authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. All Scripture is completely correct. The Bible is totally sufficient and completely authoritative for matters of life and faith. The goal of God’s word is the restoration of humanity into His image through faith in Jesus.
Exodus 24:4; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 2 Peter 1:19-21
III. Salvation
All human beings are born with a sin nature, separated from God, and in need of a Savior. The Salvation comes only through a faith relationship with Jesus Christ, the Savior, as a person repents of sin and receives Christ forgiveness and eternal life. Salvation is instantaneous and accomplished solely by the power of the Holy Spirit through the word of God. This salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ and not on the basis of human works or our best human effort. Once someone receives this free gift of salvation we are secured in Christ forever.
Genesis 3:15; Romans 5:8-10; 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; Ephesians 2:8-22; Revelation 3:20
IV. Man
God created people in His own image for His glory. They are the crowning work of His creation. Yet every person has willfully disobeyed God – an act known as sin – thus inheriting both physical and spiritual death and the need for salvation. All human beings are born with a sin nature and into an environment inclined towards sin. Only by the grace of God through Jesus Christ can we experience salvation.
Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22
V. Church
Through Scripture we see that it is God’s desire for believers to immediately align themselves with others who have put their faith in Jesus. This spiritual body is known as the Church, of which Christ is the head. The purpose of the Church is to glorify God by taking the Gospel to the entire world and by building its members in Christ-likeness through the instruction of God’s word, fellowship, service, and prayer.
Matthew 16:15-19; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 11:39-40; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3
VI. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience. Baptism is the picture of the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. Baptism is a picture of the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and resurrection to walk in a new life in Christ Jesus. Baptism is required before church membership.
The Lord’s Supper is a picture of obedience. Church members eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine. They remember the death of Christ on the cross. They look forward to His second coming.
Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; Mark 1:9-11; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29
Only one true and living God exists. He is the Creator of Universe, externally existing in three Persons, the Trinity, – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – each equally deserving of humanity’s worship and obedience. God is perfect. God is all powerful. God is all knowing
A. God The Father
God as Father rules with kind care over His universe and human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful. He is all knowing. He is all loving. He is all wise. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all people.
Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6: Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3;15; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 John 5:7
B. God the Son
Jesus is both fully God and fully human. He is Christ, the Son of God. Born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life and performed many miracles. He died on a cross to provide people forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation. Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return in glory and power.
Psalms 2:7; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29;17:5; John 1:1-18, 29; 10:30; 14:7-11; 17:1-5, 21-22; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 8:1-3; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:22; 8:6; 15:1-8, 24-28; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 9:12-15
C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is supernatural and sovereign, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ. He lives within every Christian at the moment of salvation and then empowers them for bold witness and effective service as they yield to Him. The Holy Spirit convicts individuals of sin, uses God’s Word to mature believers into Christ-likeness, and secures them until He returns.
Job 26:13; Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Mark 1:10,12; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4, 38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; Romans 8:9011; 14-16, 26-27, 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1
II. Scriptures
The Bible is God’s written revelation to people, divinely given through human authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. All Scripture is completely correct. The Bible is totally sufficient and completely authoritative for matters of life and faith. The goal of God’s word is the restoration of humanity into His image through faith in Jesus.
Exodus 24:4; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 2 Peter 1:19-21
III. Salvation
All human beings are born with a sin nature, separated from God, and in need of a Savior. The Salvation comes only through a faith relationship with Jesus Christ, the Savior, as a person repents of sin and receives Christ forgiveness and eternal life. Salvation is instantaneous and accomplished solely by the power of the Holy Spirit through the word of God. This salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ and not on the basis of human works or our best human effort. Once someone receives this free gift of salvation we are secured in Christ forever.
Genesis 3:15; Romans 5:8-10; 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; Ephesians 2:8-22; Revelation 3:20
IV. Man
God created people in His own image for His glory. They are the crowning work of His creation. Yet every person has willfully disobeyed God – an act known as sin – thus inheriting both physical and spiritual death and the need for salvation. All human beings are born with a sin nature and into an environment inclined towards sin. Only by the grace of God through Jesus Christ can we experience salvation.
Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22
V. Church
Through Scripture we see that it is God’s desire for believers to immediately align themselves with others who have put their faith in Jesus. This spiritual body is known as the Church, of which Christ is the head. The purpose of the Church is to glorify God by taking the Gospel to the entire world and by building its members in Christ-likeness through the instruction of God’s word, fellowship, service, and prayer.
Matthew 16:15-19; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 11:39-40; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3
VI. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience. Baptism is the picture of the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. Baptism is a picture of the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and resurrection to walk in a new life in Christ Jesus. Baptism is required before church membership.
The Lord’s Supper is a picture of obedience. Church members eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine. They remember the death of Christ on the cross. They look forward to His second coming.
Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; Mark 1:9-11; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29