Northland Christian Church affirms that the Bible is the revelation of God; that it contains all the will of God relative to man’s redemption and welfare; that it is therefore the only safe rule and guide of faith; and that it must and shall be the supreme and final authority in all matters pertaining to Christian doctrine and practice. Among the Bible-based beliefs to which Northland Christian Church holds are the following:
About God
We believe that the one God eternally exists in three Persons or “aspects”: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, co-equal and co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and holiness, and worthy of precisely the same confidence, and obedience. We believe that God the Father is the creator, owner, and ruler of all things (Genesis 1:1). We believe that God the Son was present with and part of the one eternal God from the beginning. We believe that He left heaven to be conceived of a virgin by God the Holy Spirit, was born and lived among men as both fully God and fully man. We believe He did this to show us what God is like, to teach us about how God wants us to live (John 1:1-15), and to die on the cross in our place as the sacrifice for OUR sins, that He rose again on the third day and currently is enthroned at the right hand of God the Father (Acts 2:33), that it is His substitutionary sacrifice that reconciles man to God and allows restoration of the relationship between God and man (Hebrews 10:10), and that He will return again to claim His church (John 14:2). We believe that the Holy Spirit was present with and part of the one eternal God from the beginning. We believe that He convicts individuals of their sin and indwells those who have been reconciled to God the Father through their acceptance of the sacrifice of God the Son for their sins (2 Timothy 1:14), that He seals their redemption (Ephesians 4:30), and that He comforts, teaches, strengthens, guides, intercedes in prayer, and in many other ways helps people live their lives according to God’s will.
About Jesus Christ
Northland Christian Church is comprised of people who
recognize Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah, and as God the Son, and
who have accepted Him as their personal Savior and Lord. We believe that all have sinned and gone
their own way (Isaiah 53:6, Romans
About Salvation
We believe the Bible reveals that God’s plan of salvation includes all of the following:
Believe - in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the power of His substitutionary sacrifice as atonement for all sin for all people for all time. John 3:16
Repent – a genuine sorrow for one’s own sin resulting in a change of heart, mind, and behavior/lifestyle. Luke 13:3
Confess Christ – acknowledgment before people the desire to accept Christ’s sacrifice and become one of His own. Romans 10:9, 10
Be Baptized – according the scriptural pattern of
immersion for the forgiveness of past sins and to receive the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit. Mark
Stay
Spiritually Alive – By fellowship and worship, by the Lord’s Supper, by prayer,
by Bible study, by service, and by faithfulness. Hebrews 10:23-25, Acts
About Eternity
We believe that both heaven and hell are real and are eternal. We believe that until Christ returns to claim His church, it is appointed for each person to die once and then face judgment. Hebrews 9:27 We believe that only those who have been justified by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be allowed to spend eternity in heaven, that the opportunity for a person to accept Him as personal Lord and Savior ends upon that person’s death or upon Christ’s return to claim His church – whichever occurs first, and that those who have not accepted Christ will be sent away from God’s presence to hell for all eternity. Matthew 25:31-46
About the Sanctity of Life
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. We believe that it begins at conception and is of inestimable value in all its stages and conditions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death, and that it should be defended and protected. Psalms 139
About Evangelism
& the
We believe that God has given His church it’s marching orders by commanding that, until Christ returns to claim His church, as we go into all the world we are to be: proclaiming the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, making disciples (or “learners”) of all nations and people-groups, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of their sins so they will receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that Jesus Christ has commanded. Matthew 28:18-20
About Gender and Sexuality
We believe that God creates each person distinctly as either
male or female, and that sex is determined at conception and is immutable. We believe that the two distinct and
complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis
About Marriage
It is our conviction that marriage is a union that was first instituted by God in the early chapters of Genesis, that it was codified in the Levitical law (Leviticus 18-22), that the Old Testament prophets compared it to the relationship between God and his people (Ezekiel 16, Jeremiah 31, Joel 1, Hosea 2, and others), and that examples of it are contained in the historical narratives of scripture. Several New Testament epistles give explicit instructions concerning this union (Ephesians 5, Titus 1, 1Timothy 3). Marriage is shown as a typology of Christ and His Church (John 3, Mark 2, Matthew 25, 2 Corinthians 11, Revelation 21, 22). Therefore, we believe marriage to have only one definition: it is a profound spiritual institution ordained, established, sanctified, blessed, and approved by God which unites one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union for life. We find in scripture no other form of marriage union to be ordained, instituted, sanctified, blessed, or approved by God.
Scripture is explicit in its condemnation of any form of sexual immorality as being sinful and offensive to God (Leviticus 18, Galatians 5). We also believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and repent of their sin, forsake their sinful lifestyle, and seek His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, and kindness, but that fellowship as a member of Northland Christian Church cannot be extended to those who, having recognized their sinful lifestyle, remain unrepentant, and who deliberately continue in that sinful lifestyle. However, hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with the Scriptures, nor are they consistent with the doctrines, policies, or practices of Northland Christian Church.
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Northland Christian Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to Northland’s members and to the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Northland Christian Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by these statements on Gender and Sexuality, and Marriage. (See Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22)
About the Bible
The above stated Bible-based beliefs do not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. We believe the Bible. We believe it to be the complete revealed word of God to man. It is perfect, complete, without error, and contains the history of God's relationship with mankind, instruction for day-to-day living, and God's plan of saving mankind from his sin through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus - God's only begotten son. We believe that it speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, and is the sole and final source of all that we believe.
Final Interpretive Authority
For purposes of Northland Christian Church’s doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, the Northland Christian Church Board of Elders is the final interpretive authority on the Bible’s application.
II Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”