Our Essential Beliefs
The Well seeks to hold fast to the beliefs that have been core to the Christian faith for the past 2000 years. We as a church seek to hold fast to the essentials while remaining in conversation regarding those under debate. We believe the essentials are as follows:
The Bible:
The Bible consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testament is the true, infallible written message of God to us. We believe that the authors of the Bible were inspired by God and are therefore completely trustworthy. The Bible is the final authority on all matters to which it speaks. God:
We believe in one God who exists without beginning or end. We believe that God exists in perfect community as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; called the Trinity. Each person of the Trinity shares the same essence or substance but maintains a unique personality and role. The Father:
We believe that The Father spoke into existence all of creation. The Father continues to actively sustain His creation. The Father is true holiness, all powerful, infinite love, absolute truth, all knowing and all present. The Son; Jesus Christ:
We believe Jesus Christ is simultaneously 100% human and 100% divine. His Life and Death:
We believe He was born of a virgin, conceived through the Holy Spirit; that His death was the only pleasing and acceptable sacrifice for the sins of all. We believe that He was resurrected bodily as proof and vindication of His claims of Deity; and that He ascended to Heaven after appearing to over 500 people during the 40 days following His resurrection. His Return:
We believe He will return in bodily form to gather all Christ followers, to judge the living and the dead, and to complete history and the eternal plan of God. His Role:
We believe Jesus is the only way to have a personal relationship with God, and that only by personally accepting His death and resurrection, can one be spiritually birthed (born again) into this relationship. The Holy Spirit:
We believe the Holy Spirit's goal is to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ. His Role for the Christian:
We affirm He is actively involved in the lives of Christ followers. He is not only responsible for their new birth, He also instructs and empowers them to live the Christian life. He grows fruit in their lives as evidence of character development. He gifts them in ways that enable the fulfillment of their God given responsibility of being God's instrument for reaching the world. His Role for the non-Christian:
We believe The Holy Spirit is active in the lives of non-Christians, whether skeptics or inquisitive seekers. He is at work prodding them about sin, pointing out their distance from God, and heightening their sense of the emptiness that only God can fill. We believe that all people are created in the image of God and this gives them great dignity and value. Furthermore, people were created to live in a thriving relationship with God. Our Fall:
Through the fall of Adam and Eve, all are separated from God by sin (failing to live by God's moral standards). We remain in that state until the moment of new birth by the Holy Spirit. Our Salvation:
Salvation happens when we understand that because of God's love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus, to restore our relationship with God through His death on the cross. Only through His shed blood and resurrection are there any grounds for justification and reconciliation to God. Salvation is, therefore, received as a free gift of faith. Only through the work of the Holy Spirit can this reconciliation resulting in eternal life be received. The Church:
We believe that the church is comprised of any person, anywhere in the world who puts their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. It's People:
The church is comprised of people who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be part of the mission of Jesus for this world. The church is made up of imperfect people who are responding day by day in all their relationships to God's stunning grace. We believe that the church does not exist for itself, but exists as a community of worshipers who are here to serve others as we bring the love and hope of Jesus to the world around us. It's Mission:
The church is universal, but is expressed locally. The church is the visible and local demonstration of the new community Christ came to create. The Spirit leads our community life as we are devoted to worshiping God, understanding and applying the Bible to our lives, offering connection to others, living life together, serving our community, and using our Spirit-given gifts to serve Christ and others. The church celebrates the Sacraments (Baptism and Communion), which are gifts given by Christ and are experiences of his promise and his presence with us.
