Statement of Faith

The Bible 

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” By this, we believe the Bible is the Word of God. It is without error, written under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, and is the final authority in all we believe and do (Mark 13:31; John 8:31-32; 10:35; 20:31; Acts 20:32; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). 

God: The Trinity 

We believe as the Bible says that God exists in three equally divine and sinless persons (Father, Son, and Spirit) who execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and salvation. 

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and He saves from sin and hell all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Gen. 1:1, 26; Matt. 28:19; John 1:1-3; 4:24; Rom. 1:19-20; Eph. 4:5-6). 

We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten (engendered) Son, born of a virgin. We believe that He lived a sinless life, performed miracles and that His teachings are true. He died in our place, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, where He now represents us before the Father, and from where He will one day visibly return to earth (Matt. 1:18-25, 20:28; Luke 1:26-28; John 1:1, 20:28-31; Acts 1:11; Rom. 5:6-8, 6:9-10, 8:46, 9:5; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 1:4; Heb. 7:25; 1 Pet. 2:21-23). 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and Son to convict mankind concerning sin, right living, and judgment. We believe that He gives us new life, sanctifies us (sets us apart), and empowers us. God’s Spirit lives in all who believe in Christ, and He continually helps, teaches, and guides us. His present work includes the distribution and operation of gifts to fortify the Body of Christ (John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:9-14; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 12:4- 11, 28-29; Gal. 5:22-26).  

Humanity 

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female and that these two distinct, complementary genders reflect the image and nature of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. 

We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life (Ps. 139). 

 The New Birth of the Believer 

We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual, and eternal death, which is separation from God. All human beings are born with a sinful nature and are under condemnation because they are sinners by choice. Those who repent and turn from sin to follow Jesus Christ as Savior are “born again” spiritually, delivered from condemnation, and receive new and eternal life (Gen. 1:26; 2:17; 3; 5:2; Ps. 51:7; Prov. 28:13; Eccles. 2:11; Jer. 17:9; John 1:13; 3:14, 16; 5:24, 30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; Rom. 3:19; 5:12; 8:1; 9:22; 2 Cor. 5:17; 2 Thess. 1:9; James 1:14; 1 John 1:9; Rev. 19:3, 20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:18). 

The Church 

The church is both universal (worldwide) and local and is a living spiritual body of which Jesus is the head and all believers are members. The local church consists of a group of believers in Jesus Christ who have each been baptized in a credible profession of faith, and are committed to worship, work, and fellowship together. God has entrusted the members of the local church with the primary task of offering the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world, both in word and deed (Acts 1:8; 2:42; Eph. 2:19-22; 5:19-21; Heb. 10:23-25). 

 The Christian Lifestyle 

We believe that all Christians should repent of all known sin for God hates sin, walk-in holiness—dead to their former way of life and alive to Christ, and live for the glory of God, according to the truths of Scripture. The believer should honor Christ as Lord of all, including every aspect of his or her life. We should honor God with our time, talents, and possessions and strive to be conformed to the image of Christ, both individually and as a church. Depending on one’s age and marital status, Scripture places different demands on the believer. Children should honor and obey their parents. Parents should raise their children in the fear and instruction of the Lord. Those who are single should walk in holiness, abstaining from sexual relations until marriage. Those who would marry should marry a believer. The married should walk in holiness, striving to love and honor their spouse and to obey the commands of Scripture pertaining to husbands and wives. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe marriage is ordained by God and is a reflection of the relationship between Christ and the Church. We believe marriage is to be a life-long commitment. We believe divorce is caused by sin and is a distortion of God’s original intent for marriage. We believe that all sexual relations outside of heterosexual marriage are sinful and are wholly incompatible with Christian teaching. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery) is sinful and offensive to God (Gen. 2:18-25; Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Matt. 15:18-20; John 14:15, 23-24; Rom. 1:26-28; 12:1-3; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; 10:31-33; 2 Cor. 9:6-9; Eph. 5:1; 6:4; Heb. 12:1-2; 13:4; 1 John 2:3-6). 

Because God has ordained marriage and defined it as the covenant relationship between a man, and a woman, and Himself, Crossroads Christian Church will only recognize marriages between a biological man and a biological woman. Further, the pastors, elders, and staff of Crossroads Christian Church shall only participate in weddings and solemnize marriages between one man and one woman. Finally, the facilities and property of Crossroads Christian Church shall only host weddings between one man and one woman. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Crossroads Christian Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the members of Crossroads Christian Church and to the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Crossroads Christian Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this statement on “The Christian Lifestyle” (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-16; 1 Thess. 5:22). 

We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Crossroads Christian Church (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). 

The Ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper 

We believe the local church is enjoined to practice the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism signifies repentance and the forgiveness of sins, identifies the believer with Christ, and publicly initiates one into the Church. We believe baptism should normally be conducted by immersion as a public profession of one’s faith in Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:19; Mark 1:9; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 6:3-8). The Lord’s Supper is an occasion for reflection and celebration of Christ’s life and loving sacrifice. Participation in the Lord’s Supper involves thanksgiving and sober self-examination, with the confession of sins. Doing so is intended to emphasize the importance of Jesus’ death for us on a regular basis, “until He comes”. Though Christ is not physically or supernaturally a part of the bread and juice, as some would teach, He is spiritually present in the celebration (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 10:16; 11:20-29). 

Christian Liberty 

We believe that every human being has direct relations with God and is ultimately responsible to God alone in all matters of faith. We also believe that God wants us to be unencumbered by man-made religious requirements in order that we can serve Him from our hearts. We must take care to not enslave ourselves to regulations. We are, however, accountable to each other as Christian brothers and sisters, and must be submissive to Church leadership. We believe that the local church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. While this protects us from interference, we will seek relationships with other churches (Rom. 14:7-9, 12; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 13:17). 

The Second Coming of Christ 

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ will visibly return to earth, in person, to establish His Kingdom. At that time our bodies will be resurrected, all will be judged, the righteous will enjoy eternal happiness and the wicked will suffer endlessly (Matt. 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor. 4:5, 15; Phil. 3:20; 1 Thess. 4:15; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2 Tim. 4:1; Titus 2:13; Rev. 20:4-6, 11-15). 

Final Authority for Matters of Faith and Conduct 

This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of Crossroads Christian Church’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, the Council of Elders is Crossroads Christian Church’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.