Statement of Faith & What We Believe || Main Street Church of Brigham City (formerly Living Hope)

What We Believe & Teach...

Historic Christianity is defined by a small core of essential doctrines derived from God's written word, the Bible.

Christian churches can differ on many things...worship styles, cultural practices, and opinions on secondary issues. No one church, group of churches, or denomination of authentic Christianity should ever make the claim to be the one and only "true" church, because the True Church is not an institution, but instead consists of all those who have a genuine relationship with the living Jesus Christ, regardless of church affiliation. No institution or human authority has the power or authority to grant (or withhold) salvation--that authority belongs to Jesus alone.

Because our church congregation is located in a predominantly LDS (Mormon) community, and because many of our ministry efforts are related to sharing biblical truth with Mormons (who by and large reject the fundamental doctrines of historic Christianity), we have included some commentary along with each doctrinal point in order to help clarify common areas of misunderstanding.

1. God's Nature We believe in one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 46:9), creator and sustainer of the universe (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16-17), who eternally exists in three persons, Father (Ephesians 4:6), Jesus Christ the Son (Colossians 1:15-20), and Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).
	The "Trinity" concept of God is frequently the first doctrine of Christianity that is challenged by Mormons and other religious groups--and it is one of the most misunderstood doctrines. Yet it comes directly from the Bible. For more information on the meaning, importance, and origin of the Trinity, please read this article.
2. Humankind's Nature God created humanity, both male and female, in His own image (Genesis 1:27). However, all people have rebelled against God (sinned) and are therefore guilty before Him (Romans 3:23). As a result, all of humanity, together with all of creation, now suffer the consequences of that rebellion (Romans 8:22), and are subject to God's judgment (1 Chronicles 16:14; Romans 2:5; John 5:22).
	The Bible teaches that we are made in God's image--that we share some of His characteristics. We possess a will, the capacity to love and create and reason. As a creation of God's, we reflect the glory of our Creator. But even at our best, we are no more "like" God than a piece of art is "like" the artist. And the problem is, we are all at our worst--our sin has corrupted and tarnished that beauty and glory with which he originally created us. It is a widespread and universal problem, and we all stand guilty as charged, and deserving of God's wrath.
3. Who Jesus Christ Is & What He Did We believe in Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human (John 10:30-33; Colossians 2:9). In order to redeem sinful humanity, He stepped physically into human history (John 1:14)--he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18), lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), died on the cross (Mark 15:15) bearing our guilt and paying our sin penalty (Colossians 2:13-14; Isaiah 53:4-6), was buried and raised bodily from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), and now sits enthroned as King and Lord of all (1 Peter 3:21-22), and will return again to earth (Acts 1:10-11) for judgment (2 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 4:5) and to claim those who belong to Him (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Jesus Christ is the foundation and head of the Church (Colossians 1:18)--that is, all people around the world who, through faith, belong to Him (Romans 1:5-6). Through His life, death, and resurrection, He came to restore man's broken relationship with God (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20), and it is through Him alone that we can become children of God (Acts 4:12; 1 John 3:1). He offers eternal life as a free gift to all who will have faith in Him (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). It cannot be earned; it is a gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), by His complete and finished work on the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
	This is the heart of the gospel message, the "plan of salvation" of biblical Christianity. It represents the nature of Jesus Christ as it is revealed in the Bible. The miracle of the "incarnation" is about God becoming a man, not so that man can become a god, but rather, so that we can have the intimate relationship with God for which we were originally created! It is God's desire for that loving relationship with us that prompted Him to physically enter the human realm and pay the penalty of our sin--entirely--with His blood. To learn more about the biblical gospel message, click here.
4. The Work of the Holy Spirit We believe in the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17; Matthew 28:19), who works to bring people to belief in, and obedience to, Christ (John 15:26; Acts 1:8). The Spirit dwells in all of those who believe, empowering them to live holy lives and equipping them for service (Romans 15:13; Titus 3:5).
	The Holy Spirit is not some mystical "force" or impersonal power. The Holy Spirit (also known as the Holy Ghost in older English) is that aspect of God which inhabits a believer. It was the same Spirit which Jesus gave his disciples before he returned to the Father, and it's the same Spirit that lives in believers to encourage, empower, and equip for service and good works, to convict of sin and move to repentance and causes us to grow in holiness.
5. The Bible We believe the Bible is the only inspired, infallible, written word of God, and is relevant and applicable today (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16). God reveals His unchanging Truth through His written word (Isaiah 40:8).
	The Bible was penned by human authors, under the inspiration of God. It is "infallible" which means that it does not fail...it is trustworthy. From beginning to end, its purpose is to reveal God in Jesus Christ. In so doing, it reveals God's purpose for his creation; man's need because of sin; and presents the solution--what is needed for the salvation of mankind. Jesus Christ is the full revelation as the way, the truth, and eternal life. As a result, nothing more is needed; no additional revelation or works of scripture can add to the final revelation of Jesus Christ. The Bible's original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic text is available to us with an exceedingly high degree of accuracy. We therefore accept as valid any diligent, faithful, scholarly translation of the original text.
6. Judgment and the Afterlife We believe in the resurrection of the body (1 Corinthians 15:21-22), and eternal life for all who repent and believe in Christ (Acts 16:31; John 3:16), and condemnation for those who refuse God's salvation (John 3:18; Matthew 10:28).
	Heaven and Hell are very touchy subjects. We tend to think, "Good people go to heaven, bad people go to hell." It makes no sense that good people would wind up in hell. That's true, but the problem is, even though we all possess incalculable value because we are God's handiwork, none of us are worthy, in and of ourselves. No one. We all deserve condemnation, every last one of us, because we are all sinners. We often don't think this way, because we tend compare ourselves with the people around us, who are all sinners like us. And so most of us don't think we're "all that bad." But when we stand before One who is truly Good and Perfect, only then are we fully aware of how far we fall short of God's glory, and how much we deserve to be cast from his presence. But God, in his eternal, faithful love, wants us to be in His presence. This is why the good news is so good--we are not destined for condemnation, but salvation, by taking upon ourselves His goodness and worthiness, by grace, through faith. Therefore, it is only through Him that we can enter into His eternal life.

Core Values of Main Street Church

The Holy Bible -- We place great emphasis upon teaching it, studying it, and using it as the guide for our daily lives. (I Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Worship -- We believe that God is worthy of all praise, reverence and love. We take special time to worship Him in church through song, praises, giving, and in prayer. It is our goal to worship Him with our whole lives as well--at home, at work and at play. (John 4:23; Colossians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Christian Growth -- As believers, we should be growing in our walk with the Lord. We encourage this by abiding in Jesus Christ through obedience to His Word, prayer, fellowship, and yielding our lives to the Holy Spirit. (John 15:4; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 5:18)

Christian Service -- Serving Christ is part of the Christian life and is the responsibility of all believers. Our goal is to equip every member to use his or her gifts in love, to the benefit of all and for the glory of God. We believe the Holy Spirit empowers us for this ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

Love -- Love is the greatest virtue and demonstration of the reality of Jesus Christ and the fullness of His Spirit in our lives. We endeavor to show a Christ-like love toward all men. Love should be exhibited in our lives by our words as well as our actions. (John 13:34-35; 1 Corinthians 13:13)


	2024 by Main Street Church of Brigham City

	48 N. Main St Brigham City, UT 84302	Map

	435.723.6469
	church@mscbc.org

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