CHRIST CHURCH OF ATLANTA DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

Christ Church is a biblically-based, evangelical Church worshipping in the Anglican tradition. We confess the faith of Christ crucified, risen, ascended and coming again as expressed in the Apostles and Nicene creeds, the historic ecumenical councils of the ancient, undivided Church and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. The Articles and the creeds can be found in the 1662, 1928 and 1979 books of Common prayer.

I. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

We believe in the Scriptures of Old and New Testaments as the verbally inspired Word of God. Inspiration is God's superintending of human authors so that, using their own individual personalities, they composed and recorded without error His revelation to man in the original autographs. All Scriptures are authoritative and without error in any category of knowledge, including science and history, and are of supreme and final authority in all matters about which they speak. We believe the Scriptures are to be interpreted in a literal and normal way. This means to consider history, grammar, context, and harmony with other Scriptures as guidelines for interpretation. We believe that the Holy Spirit guides the believer to understand the Bible. We believe that God's revelation to man is complete, and that He speaks to man primarily through the Scriptures.
(Is. 40:8; Matt. 5:18; John 10:35; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Rev. 22:18-19)

II. THE GODHEAD

We believe in one Triune God, existing in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, eternal in being, identical in essence, equal in power and glory and having the same attributes and perfections but who are distinct in office and activity.
(Dt. 6:4; Is. 48:16; Jer. 10:10; Matt. 28:19; John. 10:30; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13:14; Heb. 1:8)

III. THE FATHER

We believe that as the eternal Father, He is the Father of all men in the non-salvation, Creator-creature sense, the Father of the nation Israel, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the spiritual Father of all who believe in Christ. He is the author of the Decree of God, the author of election, the One who sent the Son, and the disciplinarian of His children.
(Ex. 4:22; Ps. 2:7-9; John 5:37; Acts 17:29; Gal. 3:26; Eph. 1:3-6; Heb. 12:9; 1 Pet. 1:3)

IV. THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST

We believe that the Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. We believe that He accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice. We believe that our redemption and salvation is guaranteed to us by His literal physical resurrection from the dead.
(John 1:1, 14; Lk. 1:35; Rom. 3:24-26, 4:25; 1 Pet. 1:3-5)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is now in heaven, exalted to the right hand of God, where as His people's high priest, He fulfills the ministry of intercession and advocacy.
(Heb. 1:3, 3:1, 7:23-25, 9:24, 13:8; 1 John 2:1-2)

V. THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He also, in the present age, regenerates believers in Christ, baptizes them into the church, the body of Christ, indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon each one, fills those yielded to Him, teaches, leads, assures, and prays for believers.
(John 3:8, 14:16,26, 15:26-27, 16:7-15; cf. Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 11:1-18; Rom. 8:14-16, 26-27; 1 Cor. 6:19, 12:4-11, 13; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30; Titus 3:5)

VI. ANGELS AND SATAN

We believe that angels are spiritual beings who were created as sinless personalities. They presently exist in both fallen and unfallen states, the former including Satan and his demons.
(Lk. 20:36; Heb. 1:13-14, 2:5-8; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6)

We believe that Satan, a personal being, by his own choice the enemy of God and the people of God, is the originator of sin, and that he led our first parents into sin and now rules as the god of this world. We believe that he was judged at the cross and that ultimately he will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
(Gen. 3:1-19; Is. 14:12-14; John 12:31; Heb. 2:14; Rev. 20:10)

VII. CREATION AND MAN

We believe that all things in heaven and earth were created by God and exist by His power.
(Gen. 1:1; John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-17)

We believe that the first man, Adam, was created of dust, innocent and in the image and likeness of God, but that he sinned by acting independently of God, thereby disobeying Him, bringing both physical and spiritual death upon himself and his posterity. We believe that man has inherited a sinful nature, is alienated from God, and is in need of salvation and is totally unable to regain his former position.
(Gen. 1:26-27, 2:17, 3:1-24, John 8:44; Rom. 3:23, 5:12-21; Eph. 1:12, 2:1-3)

VIII. SALVATION

We believe salvation is a gift of God in grace and that all who receive Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior are born again of the Holy Spirit. To those who believe in Christ, God imputes Christ's righteousness. Without personal merit, man is saved on the basis of Christ's death and shed blood.
(John 1:12, 3:5, 16; 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7)

We believe that anyone who has received Jesus Christ and therefore has been born again is eternally secure, has everlasting life, will not come into condemnation, has passed out of death into life, and shall never perish. We believe that there is bodily resurrection of the believers (to everlasting blessedness) and of the unbeliever (to everlasting punishment).
(Dan. 12:1-2; Matt. 25:31-46; John 3:16, 36, 5:24, 10:28-29, 11:25-26; Rom. 8:28-39, Rev. 20:12-15)

IX. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

We believe in the imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His own, the Church, and His subsequent return to earth to set up His kingdom.
(Zech. 14:4-11; Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Thess. 1:9-10, 4:13-18; Rev. 20:6)

X. THE ETERNAL STATE

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all persons. Believers are to be resurrected to enjoy life with God and unbelievers to experience judgment and then eternal suffering apart from God.
(John 5:28-29; 1 Cor. 15:22; 1 Thess. 4:16; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:4-6, 21:1-8)

XI. THE CHRISTIAN'S WALK

We believe that we are called with a holy calling, to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, and so to live in the power of the Spirit that we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. But the flesh with its fallen, Adamic nature, which in this life is never eradicated, being with us to the end of our earthly lives, needs to be kept by the Spirit constantly in subjection to Christ, or it will surely manifest its presence in our lives to the dishonor of our lord. We believe that the qualities required of a spiritual leader are clearly revealed in the Scriptures.
(Rom. 6:11-13, 8:2-13; Gal. 5:16-23; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 2:1-10; 1 Tm. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Jas. 3:1; 1 Pet. 1:14-16, 5:1-3; 1 John 1:5-2:2, 3:5-9)

We believe that all believers should seek to walk by the Spirit, not bringing reproach upon their Lord and Savior, and that separation from sinful pleasures and practices is commanded by God.
(Rom. 12:1-2; Gal. 5:16-25; 2 Cor. 6:14, 7:1)

We believe that those whom God has saved are sent into the world by Christ as He was by the Father. Those so sent are ambassadors, commissioned to go make disciples and make Christ known to the whole world. We also believe that everyone should have an opportunity to carefully examine the facts about Christ and have a chance to make an intelligent decision about Him.
(Matt. 28:18-20; John 15:8, 17:18, 20:21; Acts 1:8; Rom. 10:14-15; 2 Cor. 5;18-20; Col. 4:2-6; 2 Tim. 2:14-26)

We believe that it is the responsibility of all believers to remember the word of the Lord in prayer and support it with their means as the Lord has prospered them.
(1 Cor. 16:2)

XII. THE CHURCH

We believe that the church, the Body and Bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism, made up of all born-again persons of this present age. We believe that the church began at Pentecost and that a believer is placed into the Church by the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. We believe that the universal Church consists of all believers who have put their faith and trust in Christ.
(Matt. 16:18; cf. Acts 1:15, 11:15, and 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:22-23, 4:11-16, 5:22-23; Col. 1:18)

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