What We Believe and Teach

THE BIBLE

God is the author of the Bible. It is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for our beliefs, teaching, training, conduct, creeds, wisdom, knowledge, history, and worldview.  Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without error.


GOD

There is only one living and true God, there is no other besides Him. God is the creator, ruler and sustainer of all things. He is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. He is all powerful and all knowing. His knowledge extends to all things past, present and future.


TRINITY

God eternally exists in three distinct persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit – with distinct attributes, yet are one God, without division in nature or being.


GOD THE FATHER

God the Father rules and reigns eternally, he is the source and is in control of all things, he cares over His heaven, His creation and the flow of history and time. God the Father, who resides in heaven, sent His Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit into the world. He is all knowing, all powerful, all loving, all wise and His presence fills all creation. He is Father to those who come to faith in Christ.


JESUS CHRIST

The only begotten Son of God was with the Father in eternity. He is God and Lord. He glorifies the Father. He became flesh, a man like us, lived a sinless life in perfect obedience to His Father, offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a Roman cross. He was buried and rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory, now seated at the right hand of His Father, and He will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.


THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is God. He glorifies Christ. He inspired holy men of old to write the Holy Scriptures. He was sent to earth after Jesus ascended into heaven. He is now present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He brings spiritual rebirth to those who believe in Christ and dwells in them from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control and power daily.


MAN

Man is made in the image of God. He is the supreme object of God’s creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience towards God called sin. Sin separates man from God, prevents man from having a relationship with God and keeps him from enjoying all the benefits that come with this relationship.


ETERNITY

Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is eternal death. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.


SALVATION

Salvation is a free gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement, rituals or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty. He took our unrighteousness, absorbed God’s wrath on our behalf while those who put their trust in him for their salvation gained his righteousness and eternal life. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. Receiving Jesus means totally surrendering your life to Him – you fully trust Him as your Savior and follow Him as your Lord and King. 


ETERNAL SECURITY

Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security.


THE CHURCH

The church is the body of Christ, which includes all of the redeemed, true believers in Jesus Christ, of all the ages, past, present, future, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. Whose primary mission is to preach the gospel to all nations, bringing those who believe into the fellowship, teaching them to obey the commands of Christ, and training them for works of service.


THE LOCAL CHURCH

Like Riverlife Church, a church is also an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper), governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship and Leadership of Christ himself. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. It is led by pastors or elders, and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor or elder is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.


MARRIAGE

Marriage is the union of one man and one woman, becoming one flesh in the presence of God in a lifetime covenant commitment. We believe marriage is only between a man and woman, a covenant done in the presence of God because God is the author of marriage. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation.


THE FAMILY

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. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people and the way Christ relates with His Church.


CHILDREN

Children, from the moment of conception, are a unique and distinct person, a blessing and heritage from the Lord. God already has precious thoughts, a plan and a purpose for every child conceived. 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 examples and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.


CREATION

We believe God created all things from nothing, by His Word, for His pleasure. God created heaven, the universe and earth. From a formless void, it took God six, one morning and one evening days to create earth, all life and man. On the seventh day God rested. He created man, male and female since the beginning in his image with the capacity to love and be creative. He created the animals according to their kind from the beginning.


THE BEGINNING

The Genesis account is the literal and historical account of the origins of all creation, mankind, marriage, languages, nations and the nation of Israel. It reveals the origins of man’s sin and death, for there was no death in all of creation prior to mankind’s sin. It reveals the corruption brought about by sin which led to a worldwide flood that destroyed the face of the earth and all life that breathes – except for Noah and all that was with him in the ark. We find God in Genesis laying the groundwork for His plan of salvation.