Pure Heart Church

Our Visions and Values
http://www.pureheart.org/about-us/vision-and-values/

Our Beliefs

God

We believe that there is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual and personal Being – the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver and Ruler of the universe. To Him, we owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as a trinity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit with distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence or being.

Genesis 1:1; 2 Corinthians 13:13-14; Matthew 28:19; Isaiah 40:12-26, 46:8-1 1; Mark 12:29 ; John 4:24; Matt. 3:16-17; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 18:30-31, 147:5; John 10:30, 14:9; Hebrews 1:1-3

God the Father

We believe in God as Father. He is the Giver and Sustainer of life, the seen and unseen. He is all-loving, all-just, all-wise and all-powerful. He is the true God and the One who judges righteously and tests the heart and mind. He saves from sin and death those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ; however, He is fatherly toward all men.

Galatians 4:6-7; Matthew 6:9; Isaiah 6:3; Romans 11:33-39; Psalms 138:5-6; Matthew 7:11; Isaiah 55:6-7

God the Son

We believe Jesus is God the Son. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin named Mary. Since Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, He is fully God, yet since he was born to a woman, He is fully human. He lived a perfect life and only He can be the ultimate sacrifice to pay for the sins of all people at all times. To this end, Jesus gave his life on the cross for any and all who will accept His shed blood as payment for their sin. We believe in Jesus’ miracles, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven where He ministers on behalf of His people and personal, visible return to earth in power and glory. We believe that in His first coming, Jesus inaugurated the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God , He lives in all believers as the living, ever-present Lord.

John 1:1-3, 14-18, 29, 5:18, 8:58, 10:30; Luke 1: 18-20; Hebrews 1:2-9, 2:14-15, 4:15; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Ephesians 1:20; 1Thessalonians 4:16; Mark 1:14-15, 14:61-62 ; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-17, 2:9; 1 Timothy 1:15, 2:5, 3:16; Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7 ; Matthew 1:18-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 5:20

God the Holy Spirit

We believe in God as Holy Spirit. Fully equal with God the Father and God the Son, the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and unrighteousness, works in the life of each believer to produce godly character qualities and demonstrates Himself in the life of the church through the exercise of all the biblical gifts of the Spirit given to each believer to carry out the work of the church. He is Comforter, Teacher, and Counselor.

John 15:26, 16:7-13; Titus 3:5; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1: 13; John 14:16; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Galatians 5:22-25

The Bible

We believe that the Bible is the historical record of God’s activity written by men but inspired by God’s Spirit and contains no error. It is truth provided for the believer as a tool to know the heart of God. It reveals the plan, purposes and will of God for all time. The 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are to be interpreted according to their context and purpose and is the only unfailing rule of faith and practice for the Christian life.

1 Timothy 3:14-17; Romans 15:4; James 1:22; Psalm 119:105

Man

We believe man was originally created in the image of God. Through disobedience and self-centeredness he incurred both physical and spiritual death. Now, all are born with a sinful nature that separates them from a relationship with God and can be saved only through the atoning work of Jesus Christ, placing all hope and trust in the payment for sin that Jesus made when he died on the cross. God regenerates and baptizes by the Holy Spirit those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

Genesis 1:26-28, 2:7, 3:1-24, 9:6; Ephesians 2:1-10; Acts 2:38; Ezekiel 36:26; John 1:12-13, 10:9; Romans 1:18, 3:10, 3:23, 5:1, 5:12; Mark 7:21-23

The Church

We believe that the Church exists in both a universal aspect, as the Body of Christ, the living spiritual body with Christ as the Head, and in a local assembly of believers. The local church is not a building or an organization. It is a group of followers of Christ brought together by the Spirit of God to worship God and share God’s love with others in order to carry out the Great Commandment and to observe the two ordinances of the church – baptism, which we practice by immersion, and the Lord’s Supper (also referred to as communion.)

1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-5; Matthew 22:37-40, 28:19-20; Acts 2:42-47

Ordinances – Baptism & Communion

We believe that the Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the church; baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe water baptism and communion are open to all believers. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change that has occurred in the life of the believer. Through our total immersion into water and rising up from it again, we are identified with Christ by picturing His death, burial and resurrection. The Lord’s Supper is an opportunity for personal examination and reflection as we recall the Lord’s death until He returns. The bread and cup are symbols of His body and blood which were broken and spilled out for our salvation. Due to our Biblical belief in necessary repentance and confession, Pure Heart does not practice infant baptism.

Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32; Luke 3:3, 22:17-20; Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4

Spiritual Gifts

We believe in the laying on of hands for the empowering of the Holy Spirit, for receiving gifts of the Spirit, for healing, and for recognition and empowering of those whom God has ordained to lead and serve the church.

Acts 13:3; Mark 6:5; 1Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6

Return of Christ, Final Things, Future Things

We believe in the personal, visible return or “second coming” of Christ to earth and the consummation of His Kingdom; in the bodily resurrection of all people, the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous in the new heavens and new earth, where they will worship and serve God forever and eternal punishment of the wicked.

Acts 1:11; Matthew 25:31; 1 Corinthians 15:20-24; Revelation 20:11, 21:8