What We Believe

We affirm the Holy Bible as the inspired Word of God and the basis of our beliefs. We voluntarily band ourselves together as a body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ, personally committed to sharing the good news of salvation to lost mankind. The church subscribes to the doctrinal statement The Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000. The ordinances of the church are believer's baptism and The Lord's  Supper.

The following are the core beliefs of Crossway Church which are based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the exclusively inspired Word of God, they are without error in the original writings. These sixty-six (66) books are the complete and final revelation of God (II Timothy 3:16-17; Revelation 22:18-19)

There is only one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Who are co-equal in their essential nature, attributes, and perfection; and each of Whom is to be honored and worshiped as God.
(Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:21-22; Deuteronomy 6:4)

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. By his common grace He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
(John 4.24; John 17:1–8; 1 Corinthians 8:6, Psalm 145:9)

Jesus Christ is God the Son, the promised Messiah, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, fully God and fully man, without sin, and the only mediator between God and man.
(Isaiah 7:14, John 1:1-3, John 14; I Timothy 2:5)

Jesus Christ, through His death on the cross, paid for all sin, completely satisfied the righteous wrath of God against sin, and provided redemption and forgiveness for all who would place their faith in him. Jesus Christ arose bodily from the dead, after three days, was seen by many during a period of forty days, and then ascended into Heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God as our Advocate and High Priest, from which he holds all things together and will someday return to establish His Kingdom on earth.
(Isaiah 53:5-6; John 3:16; Colossians 1:17; Revelation 19:16)

The Holy Spirit is that Person of the Triune Godhead who convicts men of sin, causes spiritual birth, indwells, seals, sanctifies, guides, equips, teaches, and fills the believer, thus enabling him to walk in obedience to God and His Word.
(John 14:16-17; John 16:7-15; Acts 1:8, 5:3-4; Romans 8:9)

Man was created by God in His own image both male and female, and this is not the product of evolution. Man chose to sin by disobeying God’s direct command. The result of this sin is that all of mankind inherited a sin nature and we practice that sin. We cannot save ourselves and will face eternal separation from God unless we repent in faith.
(Genesis 1:26-28, 2:7, 2:18-24, 3:1-24, Ephesians 2:1-3)

Eternal salvation from sin, death, and hell is the free gift of God's grace. God, in His sovereignty, must draw those who will place their faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus voluntarily died as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins and arose bodily from the dead, thus guaranteeing our own resurrection to eternal life. Salvation is not received by, nor based on, any sacrament, merit, or good work on our part. The one who receives Christ's salvation is eternally secure.
(John 5:24; Romans 3:23-26; 6:23; 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-9)

At death, the redeemed pass immediately into the presence of Christ and there remain in joyful fellowship until their bodily resurrection unto life. The unsaved at death descend immediately into Hades where they are kept under punishment until their bodily resurrection resulting in damnation.
(II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 3:10-11; Revelation 20:11-15)

All who have placed their faith in Christ are united together immediately by the Holy Spirit in one spiritual body, the Church, of which Christ is the Head. In addition, the members of this one spiritual body are directed to associate themselves together in local churches.
(Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 4:4-6; Hebrews 10:25)

These local independent churches have been given the needed authority and scriptural guidelines for administering that order, discipline, and worship which Christ, the sovereign head, had appointed. The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the church are two: elders (also referred to pastors/shepherds) and deacons.
(Acts 6:1-6; Titus 1:5-9; I Peter 5:1-5)

Two ordinances have been committed to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the triune God. This ordinance, being a command of Christ, is recognized as a prerequisite for membership in the local church. Likewise, the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for remembrance of His atoning death and this offers no grace to the participant. These two ordinances are to be observed until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 28:16-20; I Corinthians 11:23-29)