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Wednesday, July 09, 2008 ..:: About Us » Our Beliefs ::.. Register  Login
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10:00 am Worship
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952-431-5466

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South Suburban
Evangelical Free Church
12600 Johnny Cake Ridge Rd
Apple Valley, MN 55124
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 Our Beliefs

EFCA's REVISED STATEMENT OF FAITH
The Evangelical Free Church of America is in the process of updating and strengthening their statement of faith.  The proposed version is listed below.  To find out more about why they are doing this and what to expect (including the proposed version of the statement) please visit the EFCA's website for this topic at http://blogs.efca.org/sof/

Logo_PictureOnly.gifOUR VISION

We exist to glorify God for the joy of all people by making disciples of all the nations.

  1. South Suburban aims to glorify God in everything we do. We want to exalt God in our lives, in our homes, in our checkbooks, and in our ministries. We want to lift up the name of God as most glorious by preaching Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).
  2. We exist to glorify God for the joy of all people. When God gets the glory, we get the joy. God has designed the Christian life to be a life of joy. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4. God has determined that His people should be glad and joyful. Jesus was a joyful person. He prayed for us,“These things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy made full in themselves.”
  3. We exist to glorify God for the joy of all people by making disciples of all nations. After Jesus finished His work of salvation on the cross and before He ascended into heaven, Jesus gave His disciples this command. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” Matthew 28:19,20.

The glory of God and the joy of all people can’t be kept to ourselves. God has called us to share the good news with the world. Our programs and ministries at South Suburban have as one of their main goals to win others to Jesus Christ so that they can glorify God and enter into the “joy of His salvation”.


OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH   (Current Version)
The doctrinal position of The Evangelical Free Church of America is summarized in our twelve-article Statement of Faith.

1.  The Scriptures
We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life.

2.  The Trinity
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

3.  Jesus
We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Advocate.

4.  Ministry of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, and during this age to convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for Godly living and service.

5.  The Condition of Mankind
We believe that man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is therefore lost and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.

6.  Salvation By Grace Through Faith
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and thus become children of God.

7.  The Sacraments
We believe that water baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as a means of salvation.

8.  The Church
We believe that the true Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ of which He is the Head.

9.  Membership
We believe that only those who are thus members of the true Church shall be eligible for membership in the local church.

10.  Self Government
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Head of the Church and that every local church has the right under Christ to decide and govern its own affairs.

11.  Christ's Return
We believe in the personal and premillenial and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this "Blessed Hope" has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.

12.  Eternity
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment.

 

EFCA Statement of Faith - Proposed Revised Version

This was unanimously adopted for recommendation by the EFAC Board of Directors on April 26, 2007 and presented to the EFCA Secretary for submission to the National Leadership Conference.

The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

God
1. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

The Bible
2. We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

The Human Condition
3. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

Jesus Christ
4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus - Israel's promised Messiah - was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

The Work of Christ
5. We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

The Holy Spirit
6. We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

The Church
7. We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God's grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

Christian Living
8. We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

Christ's Return
9. We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

Response and Eternal Destiny
10. We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.
  
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