Core Beliefs of New City Church

The following beliefs represent the core of orthodox Christianity from a Biblical and historical perspective. Partners are expected to affirm the beliefs of New City Church and deal with any disagreements with these beliefs with humility and love always seeking to encourage and maintain unity in the body (1 Cor. 1:10; Heb. 13:17).

What We Believe

 1.  Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible, and God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matt. 5:18; John 16:12-13).

2.  The Godhead

We believe in one True God, the eternal sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit co-eternal in being, co-eternal in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; 2 Cor. 13:14).

3.  The Person and Work of Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man, by living the perfect, God-honoring life sinners could not live (John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 1:35).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Rom. 3:24; 1 Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry as Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 7:25, 9:24; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again to judge the living and the dead. (1 Peter 4:5; Rom. 14:9; 2 Tim. 4:1). His second coming will bring about the restoration of all things to God (Acts 3:20-21; Col. 1:15-16, 19-20; Rev. 21:1-5).

4.  The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8, 11; 2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 5:18).

5.  Total Depravity

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but through Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; man is totally depraved and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3, 12).

6.  Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace through the work of the Holy Spirit and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; John 1:12; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

7.  Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ, forever sealed by the Holy Spirit (John 6:37, 40; John 10:27, 30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4, 8; 1 Peter 1:5; Eph. 1:13-14).

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion for the flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11, 15).

8.  Ministry and Spiritual Gifts

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of spiritual gifts. However, it is the believer's responsibility through the work of the Holy Spirit to develop their spiritual gift(s).

We believe that particular spiritual gift(s) are neither essential nor prove the presence of the Holy Spirit, nor are they an indication of deep spiritual experience (1 Cor. 12:7, 11, 13; Eph. 4:7-8).

We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accordance with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15).

We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister according to the gift(s) and grace of God that is given to him (Rom. 12:1, 8; 1 Cor. 13; 1 Peter 4:10-11).

9.  The Church

We believe that the church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all those whose faith is in Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25, 27; 1 Cor. 12:12, 14; 2 Cor. 11:2).

We believe that the establishment and continuance of the local church is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 18:22; 20:17; 1 Tim. 3:1, 3; Titus 1:5, 11).

We believe in the autonomy of the local churches, free of any external authority and control (Acts 13:1, 4; 15:19, 31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4, 7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1, 4).

We recognize believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper as scriptural means of testimony for the church (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:8; 1 Cor. 11:23, 26).

10. Additional Beliefs

 While there are far too many "additional beliefs" to mention, we believe there are some which are helpful to those searching for a church family.

10a. Regarding Church Diversity:

 We believe that the local church is the Kingdom of God present in a broken and fallen world, a glimpse of what His Kingdom was meant to be and one day will be. We believe that as the Kingdom of God is diverse, including people from all tribes, nations, and tongues, the local church should be as diverse as its community, reflecting the people who live there. Therefore, the local church should not only be open to all people in its community, but it should strive to reach and include the diverse people of its community as well.

10b. Regarding Marriage and Sexuality:

 We believe and affirm that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: a single, exclusive, covenantal union between one man and one woman, for life, sanctioned by God as delineated in Scripture. We believe and affirm from the teaching of Scripture that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe and affirm from the teaching of Scripture that any other form of sexual conduct, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexuality, gender reassignment, bestiality, incest, pedophilia, polygamy, or pornography, is sinful and offensive to God.

 We believe and affirm that to preserve the function and integrity of the Church as the local body of Christ and to provide a biblical role model to the community, it is imperative that all Church Partners, those employed by the Church, and those who serve as volunteers in any capacity, shall abide by and agree to this Statement of Biblical Belief Regarding Marriage and Sexuality and conduct themselves accordingly by the grace of God.

 We understand that because of sin and brokenness, disordered desires exist in all of us. Our goal in these matters is to pursue truth and love and to abandon neither in favor of the other. As in all matters of faith and life, our elders are available to encourage you in how to live life in a way that pursues God’s glory and honors His design for marriage and sexuality.

10c. Regarding the Consumption of Alcohol:

We believe that Scripture is clear: drunkenness is a sin and often leads to other sins. We further believe that while there is freedom for the believer to consume alcohol in moderation, the Bible clearly teaches that even freedoms should, at times, be set aside for the good of others.

We are all accountable to God for our actions, and all of our actions must spring forth from faith. For some, faith will lead to abstinence. For others, it will lead to moderation. Regardless of our convictions, let us remember to do all things to the glory of God. (Romans 14:13-23; Colossians 2:16-17)