We affirm the “Good Confession”

“Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and we accept him as both Lord and Savior.”

Jesus is the:

“Christ” – When we affirm that Jesus is the Christ, we are saying that he is the Messiah or “Anointed One.” In affirming this title of Jesus, we are essentially saying he is our King. He is not only the one we live for, but truly is the King of Kings. He is the long awaited king the world has been hoping for. He has made all things new and welcomes people into his Father’s Kingdom. He has inaugurated a new age in the kingdom of God. Because he is the Christ, the kingdom is brought in him and opened to all through him.

As King, Jesus practiced a radical subordination. He could have exploited his power as God, but instead he humbled himself to the point of death on the cross.  We affirm that Jesus is the Christ, the king, and used his awesome power not for his own personal gain, rather that God may be glorified and lifted up. (Philippians 2)

Because Jesus modeled humility in this way, we as his followers seek to do the same.

Jesus is the:

“Son of the living God” – We affirm the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God is one in three distinctions. We believe at EGCC that Jesus is God’s Son. He is of royal descent, an heir to God’s throne. He is royal family in the line of David.

We confess Jesus as:

Lord – Lord is an old word that basically means master. When we affirm Jesus as our Master, we are choosing to follow him, in a servant relationship. We live our life for God, seeking out his will. We affirm also our role beneath God in relationship to him. This is not a bad thing, but a very wonderful relationship where we are below our master who truly cares for us, and does not use his position of authority to rule over us as kings and master’s do in this fallen world. Jesus is a different type of master, who doesn’t Lord his position over others, but humbles himself and gives of himself for others.

We affirm also that Jesus is Savior:

God sent his Son, Jesus Christ into the world to save the world through him. When we affirm that Jesus is the Savior, we claim that the world is delivered from the consequences of sin and death, and believe that Jesus is delivering us to a greater hope of God’s kingdom.

 

The Bible:
We believe the story of God’s Word to be about God getting what he wants in the world. God making for himself a holy people through which he will rule once again over all of his creation.

Restoration Movement:
We are a part of a movement of churches known as the Restoration Movement. We are “not the only Christians, we are Christians only.” In other words, we don’t carry names like Methodist or Lutherans, we are non-denominational. This movement believes in the restoration of the church to the Biblical model and also the restoration of all things. We genuinely hope for God’s kingdom to one day come in full, where God will restore his creation back to what it was before the Fall of Man and the consequences of sin and death. We hope in a restoration of God’s creation, brought under the rule of God.

Together, as a group of followers of Jesus Christ we practice what it looks like for Jesus to be our Christ (King), Lord (Master) and Savior (Deliverer). As we wait for God to ultimately bring about his restored creation, we practice forgiveness, love, mercy and grace in our community together. We hope that in our community together, people get a taste for what restored creation will be like. We want people to get a glimpse of what the kingdom of God is like through what they experience in and from the Etna Green Church of Christ.

We believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and his Ascension. We live in full awareness that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, and live with a hope that he will one day return and make all things new.

We believe the message of Jesus is about the availability of God’s kingdom. We believe that his teaching is a guide to kingdom living today. We hold that the greatest commandment is to love one another and love God with all that we are. We believe that we are commissioned to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and to take that to every nation in the world.

We affirm the Bible as True and worthy of our study. We understand it as more than a book of good principles or wise words to live by, but as the actual words of God brought to us and preserved for us to know and have a genuine understanding of God.

We affirm that there is a Holy Spirit in the believers of Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit is primarily acquired through baptism by immersion. We believe that from baptism, two gifts come on the new believer in Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We believe that forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit enable Christians to live the kingdom life, bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. Baptism is equipping for kingdom living.

We believe and affirm that Jesus is the one and only True way of deliverance and salvation.