What we believe

God

We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

The Bible

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

The Human Condition

Jesus, the Messiah

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel's promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

The Work of the Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

The Church

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God's grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

Christian Living

We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

Messiah’s Return

We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

Response and Eternal Destiny

Further Clarification on Heritages’ Theological Convictions:

  • The Lord God created human beings male and female (see Gen 1:27) to experience relationship with Him and one another. He has given the gift of marriage to us, defined as the union of one man and one woman for a lifetime. Sex is a wonderful gift of God to be enjoyed only within the confines of the marriage covenant relationship.

  • Baptism is a physical act and public declaration of loyalty to Jesus, where one personally identifies with His death and resurrection (Rom 6:1-4), and by extension, relates to those who have likewise done the same. While the EFCA broadly allows for both a credobaptist or paedobaptist theological position, Grafted’s distinct conviction is that baptism is an expression reserved only for those who have made a personal profession of faith in the Lord (Gal 3:27). Prior to baptism, infants may be dedicated within the covenant community, as the body of Messiah affirms that it will walk with the child and point them to Jesus in word and deed.

  • We believe God chose Jewish people as His bridge of redemption to a sinful world. He made an everlasting and irrevocable covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 15:9–21, 17:1-8, 26:3–5, 28:13–15, 35:11–13; Romans 11:28–29). It includes the election and perpetuity of Israel as God’s chosen people, the gift of the land of Israel, and the promise of Messiah through whom all families of the earth will be blessed (Genesis 12:1–3; 2 Samuel 7:6–16; Jeremiah 31:23–40; Romans 9–11; Galatians 3:6–4:7). We believe God initiated the restoration of creation by calling Abraham and his seed to bless the world (Genesis 12:1–3). The nation of Israel, Abraham’s seed, is a kingdom of priests, a light to the nations, a witness to God’s faithfulness, and a continuing part of God’s program (Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 49:6, 61:1, 4–6).

  • There is continuity between a number of the covenants in Scripture, and the Bible communicates that Jesus’ work ushered in the New Covenant spoken of in Jeremiah 31:31-34. We believe this covenant is completely sufficient in and of itself for salvation. Everything one needs for eternal life has been accomplished by the Messiah and is received through faith in Him alone. One need not come under the Mosaic Covenant in order to enter into the family of God. However, we do want to affirm that the Torah is good (see Rom 2:20), and believers may certainly have the conviction that certain laws under the Old Covenant are valuable to observe. But they are not to be imposed as obligatory on other believers.