What Does Emmanuel Believe?

The following statements constitute the doctrine of Emmanuel. As you consider Emmanuel as your church home and contemplate church membership, it is essential that you understand what we believe.

• The Bible: We believe that the 66 books of the Bible are God’s written Word to man. The authors of the Bible describe it as “perfect,” “pure,” and “truth” (Ps 19:7; 1 Pet 2:2; John 17:17). Therefore, we believe the Bible is nothing less than God’s Word (Ps 119:89; Isa 40:8; Matt 5:18; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:20-21)
• God the Father: We believe in one God that eternally exists and reveals Himself in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) having each the same nature, attributes, and perfections that are worthy of the same worship and confidence (Deut 6:4; Ps 90:2; Matt 3:16-17; 28:19; John 1:1-2, 14; 10:30; 14:15-17; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor 8:6; 2 Cor 13:14).
• God the Son: We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God in the flesh and fully man, that He was born of a virgin, and that He lived a sinless life in which He taught and performed mighty works, wonders, and signs exactly as revealed in the four gospels. We believe that He was crucified, died to pay the penalty for our sins, and was raised bodily from the dead on the third day. Forty days later, He ascended to the Father’s right hand where He is Head of the Church and intercedes for believers. From there, He is coming again personally, bodily, and visibly to this earth to set up a future kingdom (Isa 7:14; 9:6; Heb 1:1-2; 7:25; Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1-5, 10-14; 14:3; Col 2:9; 1 Cor 15:3-4; Acts 1:3, 11; Rev 20:4).
• God the Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person and is God, possessing all the divine attributes (Acts 5:3-4). He convicts of sin (John 16:7-11), regenerates (John 3:5), indwells (1 Cor 6:19), baptizes (1 Cor 12:13), and seals all believers at the moment of their salvation (Eph 1:13; 4:30). He fills yielded believers (Eph 5:18) with the goal of conforming them to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29).
• Humanity: We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin mankind fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God (Gen 1:26-27; Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 15:21-22). We believe that all men are totally depraved and, of themselves are unable to remedy their lost condition (Rom 3:9-18, 23; 6:23; Eph 2:1-3, 12).
• Salvation: We believe the sole condition for receiving eternal salvation is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for man’s sin and rose from the dead (John 3:16-18; 6:47; Acts 16:31). This saving transaction between God and the sinner is simply the giving and receiving of a free gift (John 4:10; Eph 2:8-9; Rev 22:17). We believe that no act of Christian obedience, preceding or following faith in Christ may be added to, or considered as a part of, faith as a condition for receiving eternal salvation (Rom 4:5; Gal 2:16; Titus 3:5). The believer is eternally secure since salvation is based solely upon the finished work of Jesus Christ (John 10:28-29; Rom 8:31-39).
• Christian Obedience: We believe the Scriptures present several motivations for Christian obedience: gratitude to God for saving us by His grace (Rom 12:1-2; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:20), love for God and His glory (Isa 42:8; Eph 1:5-6; 1 Pet 1:6-9), the knowledge that God both blesses obedience and disciplines disobedience in His children (Prov 3:11-12; Heb 12:3-11; Rev 3:19), and the fear of the Lord (Prov 1:7; 2 Cor 5:11; 7:1). A final compelling motivation is the sobering reality that every Christian must stand before the judgment seat of Christ, not to determine his/her destiny in heaven or hell, but to assess the quality of his/her Christian life on earth (2 Cor 5:10; Rev 22:12). Anticipating either reward or loss of reward at the judgment seat also should motivate believers to perseverance and to faithfulness to God’s revealed will (1 Cor 3:10-17; 9:24-27; Jas 5:8-9; 1 John 2:28).
• The Second Coming: We believe that Jesus Christ could return for the Church at any moment (John 14:1-3; 1 Cor 15:51-52; 1 Thess 4:13-18). The “blessed hope” of Christ’s imminent return has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer (Titus 2:11-14). We also believe that Jesus will physically return to earth to set up His kingdom, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (Isa 65:17; 66:22; Zech 14:2-4; 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 19:11-16; 20:4-6; 21:1).
• Human Destiny: We believe at physical death the believer enters immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord (2 Cor 5:6-8; Phil 1:21-23) and the unbeliever into eternal separation from Him (2 Thess 1:6-10). The bodies of all the dead shall be raised: those of believers to a resurrection of glory, those of unbelievers to a resurrection of eternal condemnation (Dan 12:2-3; Rev 21:1-11). All of the lost will experience conscious, physical punishment in a literal and eternal place called the lake of fire (Luke 16:19-31; Rev 20:1-15).
• The Church: We believe that the Church is composed of all persons who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, that they are united together in the body of Christ of which He is Lord and Head, and are commissioned for the God-given tasks of worshiping, fellowshipping, teaching, evangelizing, and exercising the spiritual gifts (Acts 2:42, 47; Rom 12:5; Eph 1:22-23; 5:23-24; 1 Cor 12:12-14; 2 Cor 11:2).
• The Ordinances: We believe the ordinances for the believer are water baptism by immersion (Matt 28:19-20; Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12, 35-38) and the Lord’s Supper as a memorial (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-29). They are, however, not to be regarded as a means of salvation (Eph 2:8-9), but both are an evidence of obedience and fellowship with the Lord (John 15:10-11, 14).