Statement of Faith
What We Believe
We believe it is helpful for Redemption Church to summarize our core beliefs in clear and concise statements to communicate what we joyfully and humbly believe by faith. We pray that this Statement of Faith expresses what we whole-heartedly believe to be truth, prevents confusion, and protects from false teaching.
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is God’s revealed Word. It was written by human writers through the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit and is without any mixture of error. The Bible is the supreme source of truth and final authority for Christian faith and life. (Psalm 12:6, Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 30:5-6, 2 Timothy 1:13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21)
God
We believe that there is only one living God and that He has eternally existed as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each are equally and fully God without any division in their essence, nature or being and each are distinct in their eternal relationships and roles. (Psalm 83:18, Matthew 3:13-17, Matthew 28:17-20, John 4:24, Romans 1:20, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, Hebrews 3:4, Revelation 1:4-5)
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, the all-powerful creator and the good, loving, and all-wise providential caretaker of His universe. God is Father to those who become His children through faith in Jesus Christ and He hears and answers their prayers. (Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:26-27, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 23:9, Mark 1:10-11, John 1:12, John 4:23, Romans 8:14-15)
God the Son, Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, fully God, fully man, and co-equal with the Father. Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and came to be our Savior. This salvation was accomplished through His sinless life, sacrificial and substitutionary death on the cross, and bodily resurrection three days later, all of which further demonstrated his power over sin and death. He ascended to His rightful glory in heaven and will return again to justly judge the world. (Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 1:20-22, Matthew 18:1-20, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 2:52, John 1:1-4, 14, 29, John 10:1-18, Acts 1:9-11, Romans 1:3-4, Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 1:4, Colossians 1:15-20, 1 Timothy 6:14-15, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:1-3, 1 Peter 3:18)
God the Holy Spirit
We believe in God the Holy Spirit who is co-equal with the Father and Jesus Christ the Son of God. The Holy Spirit is present in the world to exalt Jesus Christ, make humanity aware of their need for salvation, live in every believer, empower them to do what is right, and understand spiritual truth. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we seek to live under the Holy Spirit’s control every day. (John 14:16-17, John 16:7-13, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 2:12, Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 5:18)
Humanity
We believe that people are the supreme creatures of God’s creation and are created in His image. All people were created to be like God in His character and to enjoy a loving relationship with Him. All people, except for Jesus Christ, have a nature of disobedience toward God and by our own choice we have disobeyed Him, which we call sin. This sin separates all people from God, creates the problems we have in life, and deserves physical and spiritual death. (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 3:19, Genesis 6:5, Psalm 8:3-6, Psalm 51:5, Isaiah 53:6, Isaiah 59:1-2, Jeremiah:17:9, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 5:12-21, Romans 6:23, Romans 7:17, Ephesians 2:13, James 1:14-15)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is God’s free gift to everyone and we can only be saved by rejecting sin and trusting by faith in Jesus Christ alone as Savior. Only then can we be saved from sin’s penalty and be reconciled to God. Because God gives eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is kept by God’s grace and power and is secure in their salvation for eternity. (John 1:12, John 3:18, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Romans 3:21-26, Romans 5:1, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9-10, Galatians 3:26, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Timothy 2:5-6, Titus 3:5)
The Church
We believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the church, which is a local body of believers who have been truly saved through faith in Him. The church is characterized by genuine friendship and sacrificial love for her people and is empowered by the Holy Spirit to actively do the work of Jesus Christ on earth, which is to carry out his command to make disciples by giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world. (Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 12:13, 1 Corinthians 12:26-27, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 4:4-6, Ephesians 5:25-27, Colossians 1:18)
Ordinances of the Church
We believe that water baptism by immersion in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, is only for an individual who has received the salvation of Jesus Christ through faith and repentance. Water baptism demonstrates a person’s identification with Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, their rejection of sin, and willingness to obey Jesus Christ in everything He commanded. Water baptism is where private faith becomes public as it joins the individual disciple with the many believers of a church.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is to be observed until Jesus Christ returns and only by those who have become His genuine followers. We will break and eat the bread and drink the cup to celebrate our salvation by His death and resurrection, embolden our faith, and renew our bond and commitment to Jesus Christ and each other. The Lord’s Supper joins many believers into one unified church under Jesus Christ lead by the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:5-6, Mark 14:22-25, Mark 16:16, John 3:22-23, John 4:12, John 6:26, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12, Acts 8:36-39, Acts 10:47-48, Acts 16:32-34, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:4, 1 Corinthians 10:3-32, 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Corinthians 12:3, Galatians 3:26-27, Colossians 2:12, 1 Peter 3:20-21)
Gender, Marriage, and Sexuality
We believe that God creates all people uniquely female and male in His image. Because every person is created in God’s image each human life is sacred and deserving of full dignity, love, kindness, respect, and worth. Men and women have different roles and functions to best glorify their Creator, reflect His nature, and complement and serve each other. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
We believe that God created marriage to model the way He cares for and relates to His Church and we define marriage as the union of one woman and one man in a covenant for life. Therefore, Redemption Church will only officiate marriages in accordance with the Bible and consistent with the Old and New Testament teachings.
We believe that sexual intimacy is a gift from God which is meant to be enjoyed between one man and one woman exclusively in marriage. Any form of sexual sin, including sexual activities outside of marriage, sexual assault, sexual abuse, adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and the use of pornography, is offensive to God. We believe that God offers redemption, and restoration to all who confess and reject their sin and seek his mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:26-28, Genesis 2:18-25, Genesis 5:1-3, Leviticus 19:18, Job 31:15, Psalm 139:13-14, Proverbs 5, Song of Solomon 8:4, Matthew 19:4-6, Matthew 19:18-19, Mark 10:6-9, 12:28-31, Luke 6:31, Acts 2:38, Romans 1:24-27, 13:9-10, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18, 1 Corinthians 7:2, Galatians 5:14, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:5, 22-32, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, 1 Timothy 1:8-11, Titus 3:3-7, Hebrews 13:4, James 2:8-9, Revelation 21:8)
The Future
We believe that God in His own way and in His own time will bring the world to its end and Jesus Christ will physically, visibly, and personally return. People are created to exist forever and at His glorious return He will bodily resurrect the dead and bring His final and perfect judgment on all humanity. Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence and the wicked will be condemned to hell and the righteous, in perfected bodies, will live and reign with Him in heaven joyfully serving and worshipping Him forever. (Matthew 24:4-14, Matthew 25:31-51, Matthew 28:20, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-53, John 5:28-29, John 12:25, John 14:3, Acts 1:11,Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:15)
Our affiliation
We are a campus of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Billings, MT. Our campus in Gillette cooperates with the Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention and national Southern Baptist Convention.