Beliefs

Committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ

What is The Gospel?

The gospel is the good news of God’s grace invading the darkness of this world. It is the grand narrative of creation, fall, redemption and consummation ordained by God and orchestrated through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Christ’s crucifixion is the heart of the gospel. His resurrection is the power of the gospel. His ascension is the glory of the gospel.

Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases His holy wrath. It also demonstrates His mysterious love and reveals His amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name by which men can be saved. At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have in glorifying God because of what He has accomplished. Therefore, we want all that takes place in our hearts, churches and ministries to proceed from and be related to the gospel.

Below is a list of statements that we believe and hold to at Athens Church. Our Basic Beliefs represent the most simple and foundational beliefs of Christian orthodoxy. They capture the basic contours of Christian theology. Anyone pursuing membership and baptism at Athens must agree with these beliefs.

The Triune God

We believe there is one God: infinite, eternal, almighty and perfect in holiness, truth and love. In the unity of the Godhead, there are three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, co-existent, co-equal and co-eternal. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father. Yet each is truly Deity. One God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—is the foundation of Christian faith and life.

Gen 1:1; Exo 3:14; Deut 6:4, 32:36-39, 33:27; Isa 40:28, 45:5; Mark 12:29; John 1:1, 8:58; Rom 16:26; Heb 9:14

God The Father

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Matt 23:9; Luke 10:21-22; John 3:16, 6:27; Rom 1:7; I Tim 1:1,2; 2:5,6; I Pet 1:3; Rev 1:6

Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.

Matt 1:18-25, 20:28; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28, 20:30-31; Acts 1:11; Rom 5:6-8, 6:9-10, 8:46, 9:5; II Cor 5:21; I Pet 2:21-23; Eph 1:4; Heb 7:25; 9:28; I Tim 3:16

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.

John 14:16-17, 14:26, 15:26-27; 16:9-14; Rom 8:9; I Cor 3:16, 6:19; Gal 5:22-26

The Bible

The Scriptures are true, authoritative, sufficient and without error. It is the sole basis of our belief and is comprised of 66 books known as the Old and New Testaments. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Scripture speaks with God’s authority while also reflecting the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of these human authors. Scripture in its original manuscripts, is truth without any mixture of error.

Mark 13:31; John 8:31-32, 20:31; Acts 20:32; II Tim 3:16; II Pet 1:20,21;

Regeneration

We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life.

Gen 1:26, 2:17, 3:19, 5:2; Eccl 2:11; John 1:3, 3:14, 3:16, 5:24, 5:30, 7:13, 8:12, 10:26; Rom 8:1, 9:22; II Thess 1:9; Rev. 19:3, 19:20; 20:10; 14,15; 21:18; Ps 51:7; Jer 17:9; Jam 1:14; Rom 3:19; 5:19; Prov 28:13; I John 1:9; II Cor 5:17

The Church

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

Acts 1:8, 2:42; Eph 2:19-22, 5:19-21; Heb 10:23-25

Ordinances of The Church

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matt 28:18-20; Rom 6:3-5; I Cor 11:23-26

The Last Things

We believe God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

Matt 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20; I Thess 4:15; II Tim 4:1; Tit 2:13; I Cor 4:5; I Cor 15; II Thess1:7-10; Rev 20:4-6,11-15

Our Theological Distinctives mark our convictions on areas that are debated even among Bible-believing, gospel-centered churches. Though agreement with these distinctives isn’t necessary for membership, we will preach, teach and counsel on the basis of them.

God Saves

Divine sovereignty

God Orders

The role of men and women in the church and home

God Brings Joy

The relationship of God’s glory to man’s joy

God Empowers

The gifts of the Holy Spirit