
WHAT WE BELIEVE
STATEMENT OF FAITH
We believe the Bible is God’s absolute, objective truth for all people for all times. It is without error in concept or detail in the original writings. It is breathed out in its entirety by God, divinely preserved, and, therefore, trustworthy. We believe the Holy Spirit superintended human authors so that, through their individual personalities and literary styles, they composed and recorded God’s Word. It is God’s written revelation complete in the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. It is the supreme authority in all matters to which it speaks and is sufficient for life, conduct, and practice − understandable by every believer. We believe Scripture must be understood through the literal, contextual, grammatical, and historical method of interpretation, and applied under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
SCRIPTURES
We believe in the one personal, transcendent, immanent, living God − the creator, sustainer, and sovereign ruler of all things. He is self−existent, immutable, and works all things according to the counsel of His will in order to bring glory to Himself. God’s foreknowledge is exhaustive and not dependent on human decisions and actions. He eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They execute distinct but harmonious roles in creation, providence, redemption, and consummation. They are equal in nature, attributes, and perfections. The holy triune God is worthy of our worship, confidence, and obedience.
GOD
THE FATHER
We believe in God the Father: one in essence with the Son and the Spirit. He is an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in all His attributes. He is the creator, sustainer, and sovereign ruler of all things through His Son Jesus Christ. We believe that He concerns Himself perfectly in the affairs of humanity. His fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with the redeemed. Everything He does is in accordance with His perfect will, though His sovereignty does not eliminate or minimize human responsibility. The Father adopts as His own, through Jesus Christ, all those He calls to Himself.
We believe in God the Son: one in essence with the Father and the Spirit. He is the one and only eternal Son of God, the preeminent revelation of God. At the right time He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-slave. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary as Jesus, the Christ − fully God and fully man. We believe in His sinless life, His voluntary submission to His Father’s will that culminated in His substitutionary death on the cross, His burial, and His bodily resurrection. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. His death on the cross atoned for our sin and satisfied the righteous demands of the holy God. He is the Mediator between God and man. He is Prophet, Priest, and King; the Head and Savior of His Church; the Heir of all things; the Judge of all the world; and the exact representation of God the Father. We believe in the personal return of Christ for His Church and in the establishment of His Kingdom on earth.
THE SON
We believe in God the Holy Spirit: one in essence with the Father and Son. He was sent by God the Father and God the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ and implements Christ’s work of redemption and baptism. He regenerates, baptizes, seals, gifts, and indwells all believers at conversion, progressively sanctifying, and securing them in Christ forever. The Spirit fills, leads, comforts, and intercedes for believers, empowering them for godly living and service. His presence is evident by the fruit of the Spirit and the building up of believers into the body of Christ, the Church.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that humanity, male and female, is sacred in God’s eyes and was uniquely created by Him, in His image and for His glory, to exercise dominion over the earth and to enjoy a relationship with Him forever. Every human being is directly responsible to God in matters of faith and life. After sin entered the world, humans still possess the image of God, though tainted by sin. God’s will for humanity is that they love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love their neighbors as themselves.
HUMANITY
FAMILY
In God’s design for humanity, life begins at fertilization. He established the institution of family through the union of one man and one woman in a marriage covenant for life. His design for the continuance of humanity is through the procreation and discipleship of children within the marriage union. Marriage is to be an example of the relationship between Jesus Christ and His Church.
SIN
We believe that salvation is a gift of God, received by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Salvation is motivated by the love of God demonstrated through His sovereign election in Christ, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, and received by faith apart from any human merit, works, or ritual. Regeneration is effected through the work of the Holy Spirit in God’s elect. All who repent and believe in Jesus Christ are forgiven of all their sins, justified in God’s sight by the merit of Christ’s righteousness, adopted into His family, sealed by the Holy Spirit, and have equal access to God. As a result, the progressive sanctifying work of salvation leads to a newness of life that is evidenced by righteous living, good works, and biblical social concern, or God’s corrective discipline. The consummation of salvation is that those who have accepted God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ shall be resurrected and glorified. They shall receive their inheritance in the Kingdom of their Father, whom they shall see and enjoy throughout the ages.
We believe that sin is any action, inaction, or attitude that is contrary to the nature or Word of God, which constitutes a rejection of His authority, resulting in alienation from God. Sin entered the world when Adam, representing humanity, disobeyed God. As a result of the one sin of Adam, his descendents − the whole human race − are separated from relationship with God, spiritually dead, and therefore in a fallen state. Being sinners by nature and choice and utterly unable to remedy their lost condition, humanity is in need of salvation.
SALVATION
We believe that the New Testament Church is composed of all persons who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit since the day of Pentecost following Christ’s resurrection. We believe that the Church is the spiritual body of Christ, of which He is the Head. We believe that this body expresses itself in local assemblies in which believers are in a covenant relationship. Biblically that relationship is expressed corporately through hearing the Word of God proclaimed, engaging in worship, practicing the two ordinances of believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper, building up each other’s faith, holding each other accountable through biblical love and discipline, and engaging in local and world evangelization. Biblically designated officers must meet the biblical qualifications for their office and submit to the headship of Christ, emulating His servant leadership. We believe the function of eldering is reserved for biblically qualified males. Each local church is to choose, support, and submit to those who function as elders.
CHURCH
We believe God created angels as spirit−beings possessing power and intellect, to worship and serve Him and to minister to believers. Satan is a fallen angel who masquerades as an angel of light. The scope of Satan’s power is subject to God’s will. By subjecting Adam and Eve to temptation and sin, Satan has extended his rebellion against God, which he continues by deceit, seduction, and destruction. While Satan and his demons are powerful, they are subject to Christ’s authority and judgment. Satan and his demons have been defeated for eternity by Jesus Christ through His death on the cross and victorious resurrection, sealing their everlasting damnation. At the time of final judgment, they will be consigned to eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire.
ANGELS
We believe in the sudden, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ and in His Millennial Kingdom. He will return with His saints from heaven with power and great glory, on a day known only to God. We believe that those who have accepted God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, at the point of physical death, enter into God’s eternal glory. They shall be resurrected and transformed to His body of glory, and they shall receive their inheritance of glory in the Kingdom of their Father. They shall be made fully blessed in the presence and service of God, whom they shall see and enjoy throughout the ages. We believe that all unsaved persons, at the point of physical death, are destined for eternal damnation. They will be resurrected, separated from the righteous, judged, and cast into an existence of eternal punishment where they will be tormented day and night forever and ever when death and Hades is cast into the Lake of Fire. We believe it is imperative for the Church to work and wait in sober watchfulness, that it may be found ready at His coming.
LAST THINGS
EASTMONT’S DISTINCTIVES
We teach line by line.
Each time we gather corporately, we will open our Bibles and work through a book line by line. This means we are often in a book of the Bible for extended periods of time. While we may teach on a topic from time to time, the primary method of teaching we apply is expositional. (Acts 8:30-35; 2 Tim. 4:1-5)
We believe in the sovereignty of God.
In the simplest form, we believe that God is the initiator and finisher of our salvation (Heb. 12:2). Had we been left to our own devices, none of us would have sought after
or found God (1 John 4:19). The story of the Gospel is the story of God rescuing His people. God alone deserves the praise and glory for our salvation (Rom. 8:3-4). As a result of this, we can rest in confidence of our salvation free from fear and doubt of our standing before God (Rom. 8:29-39).
TEACHING
We believe in believer’s communion. While all are welcome to attend our gatherings, we believe communion is for the family of God only. The communion elements are not special. They do not possess any supernatural powers in themselves but are symbols of the Gospel of Jesus. In the bread and cup, we are reminded of the broken body and blood of Jesus on our behalf (1 Cor. 11:23-26). Because communion is a time to remember Jesus’ work on our behalf, we believe you must be a recipient of that gift first before participating.
We believe in believer’s baptism through immersion.
We believe that baptism is an outward declaration of an inward decision. Because of this, we do not baptize children who are unable to articulate a personal repentance and faith
in Jesus. There is nothing special about the water we use and being baptized doesn’t justify anyone before God. It is simply a visible symbol to the world of internal faith. We also believe that it represents a first act of obedience for someone who has given their life to Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20).
OBSERVANCES
We believe that men and women are created in the image of God, equal in value, dignity and worth. We also believe that men and women have been given different roles—different roles in the church (1 Tim. 2:9-15) and different roles in marriage (Eph. 5:22-33).
This is referred to as complementarianism.
The complementarian view has often been hijacked by “traditionalism” which would abuse the authority men have and use it as a tool to be domineering in the home. This is the opposite of what is taught in Ephesians 5. As the culture continues to push for the removal of any distinction in gender, the church will often be caricatured as an institution that marginalizes women and needs to catch up with the times. We believe that the Scriptures are timeless and stand as the sole authority in the Church. When we live according to the commands of the Scriptures, we find that both men and women flourish.
MEN & WOMEN
We believe that, upon conversion, believers are given spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit. Sometimes they work in conjunction with our natural abilities, yet spiritual gifts are unique to the individual who is indwelled by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). We also believe that gifts are given for the good of God’s people. Most of the questions of spiritual gifts surround the gifts of healing, prophecy and tongues. These are often referred to as sign gifts. At Eastmont, we don’t believe these gifts have ceased, but we are cautious when someone claims to have these gifts. We are not cautious because of the power of God, but because these are often misunderstood and misused. For this reason, we do not practice the sign gifts during our corporate gatherings.
We believe that defining these gifts is vital to understanding how they should be used.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
The gift of prophecy in the New Testament is different than the office of prophet in the Old Testament. The Old Testament prophet was a position given to an individual who would be the mouthpiece for God. When they spoke, it was with the authority of God Himself— "thus says the Lord” (Isa 7:7). We do not see the same authority given to someone with the gift of prophecy. We are told to test the words of men against the Word of God to see whether they have come from the Holy Spirit (1 John 4:1). We do not see an equal authority level in the New Testament as “thus says the Lord” in the Old Testament. The Scriptures are the very words of God given to us (2 Tim. 3:10-17). Even the Apostles in the early church saw the scriptures as authoritative (2 Tim. 4:1-5; 2 Pet 3:15-16). So, the gift of prophecy is not speaking on God’s behalf, but rather, communicating what God has already spoken. It is
the objective truth of God’s Word that is to test the “spirits” or statement made claiming to be God’s message. So, the gift of prophecy is anchored to the truth of the Scriptures and works in conjunction with the gift of illumination of the Spirit to make the truth clear to those who are listening.
Healing is the act of supernatural and dramatic restoration to the physical body. Jesus healed the blind, the deaf, and the lame. He cured diseases that had no medical remedy. The healings of the New Testament are dramatic, obvious, and defy any other explanation than divine intervention. They were also complete healings. There were no lasting side effects, or relapses. God can heal in these ways and He can work through the common grace of medicine and doctors. At Eastmont, we believe that our responsibility is to seek the Lord in prayer for those who are ill or hurting (James 5:13-14), and to seek out medical remedies (1 Tim. 5:23; Mark 2:17).
HEALING
PROPHECY
The gift of tongues is the ability to speak in a known language that is unknown to the speaker. It doesn’t refer to an unknown utterance or heavenly language (Acts 2:1-13). There can often be misunderstandings about passages that refer to utterances and language. For example, 1 Corinthians 12:8-9 speaks to the Holy Spirit empowering wisdom and knowledge through the speaker, not to a different language. Romans 8:26 refers to the interceding work of the Holy Spirit in our prayers, not a prayer language.
The gift of tongues cannot be faked. The reality of a person speaking in a known language that is unknown to them demonstrates the power of God. The purpose of the gift of tongues is not the act of speaking in them, but the content of them. The truth of the gospel message is always the point, not the way it is given (1 Cor. 14:5). It is for this reason that we preach and teach from the Bible in every area at Eastmont. The public gatherings and teaching times are centered around the Word of God. It is our authority, and our gathering times are orderly to make much of the clear understanding of the Scriptures.