NEW HARVEST church
STATEMENT OF FAITH

Revised May 2019

Statement of Faith

We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to man, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason-- yet not contrary to reason.

We believe in the One True God Who, Himself, as the eternally self-existent, self-revealed "I AM"; has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe Man was created good and upright, but man, by voluntary transgression, fell, and his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

We believe the grace of God, which brings salvation, has appeared to all, through the preaching of repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Humankind is saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, and being justified by grace through faith, becomes and heir of God according to the hope of eternal life.

We believe marriage has been ordained and instituted by God. Marriage defined as the exclusive, covenantal union of one man and one woman in which such union is a beautiful, lifetime commitment.

We believe that God created humankind in His image: male and female, sexually different but with equal personal dignity. Through marriage, God created a place for sexual intimacy to be enjoyed through a man and a woman coming together as one. Although culture and customs have evolved in their definition of marriage, God alone, through Scripture, has the ultimate authority regarding marriage relationships. Any sexual intimacy outside of marriage (between one man and one woman) is considered sexual immorality, which is identified in Scripture. This includes sexual intimacy within premarital relationships, same sex relationships, or polyamorous relationships, as well as bisexuality, adultery, bestiality, incest, or pornography. Though sexual intimacy outside of marriage is sinful, the Gospel provides redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin and receive love and forgiveness though Jesus Christ. Likewise, since the human body is a creation of God where sexual identity is biologically determined, disagreement with one’s biological sex or gender identity only leads to emotional chaos and spiritual confusion and is regarded as sinful in its intent.

We believe in the ordinance of baptism, as commanded in the Scriptures, be observed by all who have repented and truly believe Christ as their Savior. In so doing, they declare to the world they have died with Jesus, and they have also been raised with Him to walk as a new creation.

We believe The Lord's Supper, consisting of two elements, bread and fruit of the vine, is symbolic of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Communion is a memorial of His suffering and death, and a prophecy of His second coming. It is a time for believers to remember the greatest sacrifice ever given and reflect on Christ’s ultimate love for them.

We believe all who come to Christ should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, through The Holy Spirit-- the gift of speaking in tongues, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire. With it, comes the enduement of power for life and service and the honor of the gifts and their uses to build the body of Christ.

We believe the Scriptures teach a life of holiness-- by the power of the Holy Spirit we can obey the command, "Be ye holy, for I am holy." Sanctification is the Will of God for all believers and should be earnestly pursued by walking in obedience to God's Word.

We believe The Church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the “general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven." The Church has a divinely-called, scripturally ordained ministry, provided by our Lord, for a twofold purpose: the evangelization of the world, and the edifying of the body of Christ.

We believe in the resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation, together with those who are alive and remain until the Second Coming of the Lord, which is imminent and is the blessed hope of The Church.

We believe our eternal destination of either, Heaven or Hell, is determined by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ.