Core Beliefs
The following are the core beliefs of Eugene Christian Church based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
God
There is one eternally existing God who has three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the creator of all that exists, both visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy of all glory and praise. God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, justice, and mercy. He is unchangeable and therefore is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Revelation
God has revealed himself to us through his son, Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God, the holy scriptures, and through all of creation itself.
Mankind
Humans, both male and female, were created in God's image for His glory. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created without sin and appointed as caretakers of the rest of God's creations.
The Fall
When Adam and Eve chose not to obey God, they ceased to be what they were made to be and became distorted images of God. This caused them to fall out of fellowship with God, and fractured all of creation ever since that time.
Salvation
Jesus Christ came to reconcile us with God. He lived a life without sin and willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for our transgressions. God raised him from the dead and now, by grace, offers as a free gift eternal life to all who follow Christ, by faith, as their Lord and Savior. That is why salvation can be found in Christ alone.
The Church
The Church is meant to be the visible body of Christ, sent into the world to glorify God and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Resurrection
Jesus Christ is returning one day to judge both the living and the dead and to usher in the fullness of God's kingdom on earth.
At Eugene Christian Church, we consider it important to express clearly and publicly what we believe God has revealed to us in the Scriptures. We believe there are core truths that are central to the Christian faith. While we acknowledge differences of opinion exist on numerous questions of doctrine and biblical interpretation, we consider these core truths to include a high view of Scripture, and salvation through faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone.
With a high view of Scripture, and a firm grasp of the keys elements of our salvation and Christ‘s person and work, we are ready to continue to grow in our understanding. Understanding our salvation as outside of us leads us to be transparent and open to explore the meaning of Scripture, without having to be defensive over different views. We welcome a robust and healthy discussion of the Bible from the viewpoint of discovering the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. God‘s Word alone is inerrant and infallible, not our interpretations of it. Thus we will always be open to correction from Scripture and will refine our statement of faith as the Spirit teaches and guides us.
With a high view of Scripture, and a firm grasp of the keys elements of our salvation and Christ‘s person and work, we are ready to continue to grow in our understanding. Understanding our salvation as outside of us leads us to be transparent and open to explore the meaning of Scripture, without having to be defensive over different views. We welcome a robust and healthy discussion of the Bible from the viewpoint of discovering the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. God‘s Word alone is inerrant and infallible, not our interpretations of it. Thus we will always be open to correction from Scripture and will refine our statement of faith as the Spirit teaches and guides us.
So while we recognize that differences of opinion and interpretation do exist among the people of this local church, and that robust, yet humble, discussion and debate on these matters is spiritually healthy, nothing contrary to our core beliefs will be publicly promoted. It should also be understood that acceptance of our full statement of faith is not a requirement for people who attend Eugene Christian Church, as if to suggest that disagreement with any particular assertion disqualifies a person from being actively engaged in the ministries of this local body of believers. We welcome and embrace all who believe in and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, whether or not they can affirm every item in our statement of faith. The purpose of this summary and our full statement of faith is to make known where Eugene Christian Church stands on issues of supreme importance to Christian faith and life.