Statement of Faith

Twelve Church

1. THE BIBLE:We believe that the Bible is the foundation for both our faith and our practice. The Bible was written by men under the supernatural and divine guidance of God.  Because God inspired it, we believe it is authoritative, truthful, trustworthy, relevant, and inerrant. The Bible is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.

2. THE TRINITY:There is only one living and true God, and He exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  All three persons of God possess equal power and authority while serving different roles.

   1. God the Father:God is all powerful, all knowing, ever present, unchanging, all loving, and all wise. He lovingly and providentially cares for His universe, including His creation and the stream of human history.

   2. God the Son:Jesus Christ is simultaneously completely human and completely God.  He is God’s Son, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  He lived a sinless life, willingly took upon Himself the sins of humanity, died and rose again bodily, and is exalted at the right hand of God the Father where he serves as the Mediator between God and people. He will return in power and glory to consummate history and to fulfill the divine plan of God.

   3. God the Holy Spirit:The Holy Spirit is fully divine. He calls people to follow God and indwells those followers of Christ with transforming power. He convicts people of their sins, God’s righteousness, and coming judgement. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows spiritual gifts by which followers serve God through His church.  

3. MAN:  All people are created in the image of God and are the supreme object of his affection. God created people to exist in relationship with him, but we became alienated from him by sinful disobedience.  As a result, we justly deserve God’s wrath and cannot attain a right, restored relationship with God apart from the redemptive power of Jesus Christ.

4. SALVATION:Salvation is a gift that cannot be earned through human goodness or personal effort.  Salvation can only be attained through repentance and faith in Christ’s completed work on the cross as the sacrificial atonement for the sins of man.  Salvation is a change of heart initiated by the Holy Spirit’s convicting of sin and a lifelong progression to moral and spiritual maturity through the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through the believer. 

5. THE CHURCH:  All baptized followers of Christ are members of the local church. The purpose of the church is to teach the Bible, obey its commands, and seek to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  All members of the church have a responsibility to work together in love and unity for the purpose of glorifying God and are accountable to the lordship of Christ. 

6. BAPTISM:  Christian baptism is defined as the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism identifies the believer with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection by symbolizing the believer’s death to sin, burial to his old life, and resurrection to a new life of faith in Christ.  While baptism itself does not save anyone, it is a biblical command and is therefore a prerequisite to church membership.

7. MARRIAGE:  Marriage is defined according to the Bible as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman.  Marriage exists as a representation of how Christ loves, protects, and cherishes the Church.

8. EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS:All believers should seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society; however, this is only possible when believers are rooted in the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, believers should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Furthermore, believers have an obligation to seek to spread the Gospel to the lost by verbal witness and a committed life to Christ. To accomplish these commands, believers should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth as found in the Bible.