What We Believe
We understand that, as a responsible parent, you want to know who it is you’re teaming up with in the spiritual formation of your children. So, in the two sections below, we’ve provided a description for you of exactly what we believe regarding several concerns most Christians today consider important.
Core Beliefs:
We believe there is one God who is eternal. He exists in Trinity; the Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. We believe that all of us have sinned and that our sin separates us from God. But because God loves us, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, lived a life without sin, died on the cross for our sins and was physically raised from the dead so that all people might have eternal life. We believe that we are saved only by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. We believe the Bible is His Word; infallible, inerrant and authoritative for our lives. We believe that once we are saved, God’s will is for us to grow in our likeness to Him through His Word and work in our life. We believe the Church is the body of Christ on earth whom Jesus has charged and empowered to fulfill His mission of bringing salvation to all people. We also believe that one day, Jesus will physically and visibly return to establish His glorious Kingdom. Non perdere altro tempo prezioso e su casino midas accedi ora per scoprire un mondo di vantaggi riservati ai campioni. Ti accogliamo con bonus ricarica e promozioni stagionali che renderanno il tuo percorso verso la ricchezza fluido e piacevole. La fortuna chiama i coraggiosi, rispondi oggi stesso con una giocata magistrale ai nostri tavoli verdi.
Contemporary Issues:
We get it. We live in a very diverse secularized culture these days. As a result, a few issues are impacting the worldviews of our children that are just so emotionally charged they can evoke passionate disagreement. Those issues are abortion, same-sex marriage, gender identity, homosexuality, and of course, evolution. While we extend our love and grace to those who disagree with us, we thought you’d appreciate the following summary statements describing exactly where we stand on these important issues:
Legacy affirms that life begins at the moment of conception. Therefore, we believe that abortion is contrary to God’s Word, yet we extend the grace and love of Jesus to those who’ve chosen abortion.
Legacy affirms that God created marriage; it is a covenant between one man and one woman that makes them one in God’s eyes. Therefore, we believe that same-sex marriage is contrary to God’s Word, yet we extend the grace and love of Jesus to those who’ve chosen it.
Legacy affirms that sex was created by God to express the intimate union between a husband and wife. Therefore, we believe that homosexuality, adultery, and fornication are all contrary to God’s Word, yet we extend the grace and love of Jesus to those who’ve engaged in them.
Legacy affirms that God created mankind in His own image, some as male, some as female. Just as God gave Adam, the first male person, a male body, and Eve, the first woman, a female body… when He knit us together in our mother’s womb He gave us either a male or female body. God determines our gender, and that gender is consistent with the purpose He chose for us before our birth. Therefore, we believe the claim that one can choose a gender identity that is inconsistent with the physical body God has given them is contrary to God’s Word. Yet we extend the grace and love of Jesus to those who’ve accepted that claim.
Legacy affirms that mankind was created by God, in His image, out of the dust of the earth as described in Genesis 1. Therefore, we believe that the theory of Evolution, despite its widespread acceptance in academic communities, is contrary to God’s Word. Yet we extend the grace and love of Jesus to those who believe in Evolution.
Statement of Faith
Holy Bible
God exists and has revealed Himself to humanity. The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is a special expression of this revelation and finds its ultimate expression in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
The Bible – all the books of the Old and New Testament – is Holy Scripture, the inspired Word of God, infallible and inerrant in the original writings. It is fully authoritative and is therefore the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. It is our only absolutely trustworthy guide for all matters of our faith and life. (2Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26).
God
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal (I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11).
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. He is Lord of heaven and earth, preexistent with God the Father, God of very God. He is the eternal Word become flesh, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He performed miracles. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was crucified, suffered, bled and died to atone for our sins. He was buried and three days later was physically resurrected from the dead, victorious over death and all the powers of darkness. He ascended to the right hand of God the Father where He is glorified as Lord of all. He is the only mediator between God and human beings. He is the God given atonement for the sins of the world. There is salvation in Him and Him alone. He will return again in power and glory (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; Matthew 1:18, 23-25; Luke 1:27-35; John 1:1,14, 20:28; 1Timothy 3:16; Philippians 2:5-6; 1Timothy 2:5).
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a divine person, the third person of the Trinity (John 14:15-18), sent to indwell, guide, teach and empower the believer (John 16:13; Acts 1:8), and to convince the world of sin, righteousness and of judgement (John 16:7-11). He effectually calls unbelievers toward Christ and is the divine agent by which they are born into the Kingdom of God and regenerated into a new creation (John 6:44, 65).
Mankind
We believe that human beings were created in the image of God, good and righteous in His sight. But mankind sinned by voluntary transgression against God, incurring not only physical death as a consequence, but also the spiritual death that is separation from God. All human beings are born with a sin nature and are therefore separated from God. Mankind’s only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Gen.1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21).
Salvation
The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who repent and believe in Him to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death (1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29).
Human beings are accountable for their response to the forgiveness, pardon and reconciliation offered to them in the Lord Jesus Christ. When an individual places his or her faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection they are saved by His grace. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or any kind of human effort (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22).
Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to him thus making Jesus the Lord of their life as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead (John 1:12; John 14:17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelations 3:20).
The Church
The church is the Body of Christ and consists of every person who is born of the Spirit, having placed their faith in Jesus and received salvation. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. The primary purpose of the Church is to worship God and glorify him by building up believers, young and old, and effectively reaching the world with the gospel of Christ. (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23).
Sanctification
God’s will for those who are disciples of Jesus is that they exhibit transformed lives evidenced by purity, holiness, steadfast faith, the growing empowerment of the Holy Spirit and an increasingly Christ-like character. Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (1Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11).
Power for Christian Living
The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus after His ascension on the day of Pentecost according to the promise of the Father. Those who have received the Holy Spirit are empowered to carry on the work of His ministry according to His teaching and example, including the making of new disciples. (Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11, 10:7-8, 28:18-20; Mark 16:17; Luke 10:3-11; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6).
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. These gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters (Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:16; 2 Timothy 1:5-16, 4:14; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; 1 Peter 4:10).
Healing of the Sick
Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus and included in the instruction of Jesus to His disciples. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age. Healing is also a part of Jesus’ work on the Cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit (Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:13-16; 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29).
Marriage
God created marriage. It is a covenant made between a man and a woman that makes them one (Gen 2:22, 24; Matt 19:5-6).
Jesus’ Second Coming
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return one day to earth for the second time to raise the dead, judge all men and women, and establish His glorious Kingdom. (Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7).