We Believe…
STATEMENT OF FAITH
God: The Trinity
We believe and teach that there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1, 26; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-3, 4:24; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 1:20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:5-6)
Jesus Christ
We believe and teach that Jesus Christ has eternally existed as God the Son, the 2nd Person of the Trinity, as a man was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is both fully God and fully man. (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; John 1:1-4)
The Bible
We believe and teach that the Bible is the completely inspired Word of God, without error in its original manuscripts. The Bible is our supreme and final authority in faith and life. (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:18, 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
Man and Sin
We believe and teach that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned in Adam and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death which is separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, guilty sinners in thought, word and deed. (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-24; Romans 3:25, 5:12-18; 1 John 1:8)
The Gospel
We believe and teach that the Lord Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; that He bodily arose victorious from the grave on the third day, and that all who believe in Him alone are justified for salvation on the basis of His shed blood. (Matthew 20:28, 28:6; John 3:16, 36; Romans 3:24-26, 5:1, 10:9; 1 Corinthians 15:3, 14; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 2:2)
Salvation
We believe and teach that the Gospel affirms all who come by grace alone through faith alone to accept the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God forever. (John 1:12-13, 3:3-5; Ephesians 2:8-9; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23)
Christ’s Imminent Return
We believe and teach the personal and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
The Life of Faith in Christ
We believe and teach that while without faith it is impossible to please God, the possession of faith does not ensure health or prosperity (Luke 9:22-27; 2 Corinthians 11:23-31, 12:7-10; Philippians 1:29-30; 2 Timothy 3:8-12; Hebrews 11:6, 32-40), but rather will necessarily involve suffering (Romans 5:1-5; Philippians 1:29) and trouble in life (John 16:33).
Bodily Resurrection
We believe and teach the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust, the everlasting joy of the saved in heaven, and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost in hell. (Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:12-57; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15)
Baptism and Filling of the Holy Spirit
We believe and teach that all Christians are baptized with the Holy Spirit and permanently indwelt by Him at the point of salvation. The filling of the Holy Spirit is meant to be a continuous experience for the believer through submission to His controlling authority and power. (John 14:16, 15:5; Romans 6:3-5, 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 5:15-21)
The Church & Spiritual Gifts
We believe and teach that the body of Christ, the church, is composed of interdependent members who are born again, each having received spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit which are to be exercised for the building up and edification of the whole body. No one gift is given to all believers nor indicates regeneration, filling, or baptism with the Holy Spirit. (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 2:14-20, 4:4-16)
APPLICATIONS AND PRACTICES
Baptism and communion are the two ordinances Jesus Christ gave to His Church before He ascended to the Father, and are significant ways that we identify with Christ.
Baptism by Immersion
We practice baptism by immersion as a symbol of new life for the believer. It is an outward expression of an inward reality and a proclamation of the assurance of salvation in Christ. Through baptism we publicly acknowledge both our faith in Christ and our commitment to follow His teachings and example. As a church, we recognize previous baptism experiences. (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:29-34, Acts 2:37-38, Ephesians 4:4-6, Matthew 28:19-20
Communion
We regularly observe communion as a community of believers to remember what Christ did on the cross for the forgiveness of the sins of all people. We celebrate communion as a living memorial of His redemptive death and as a reminder of present fellowship with Christ and His body. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:28-47, 8:36-40, 10:47, 18:8; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29)(Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:14-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
Biblical Sexuality, Gender and Biblical Marriage
We affirm each person as an image of God and welcome all people to worship and participate in the life of the church. We hold that intimate sexual expression is intended, by God, to be between one man and one woman in the life-long, monogamous, covenanted commitment traditionally called marriage. Intimate sexual expression outside of marriage goes against God’s will. (Genesis 2:24-25; Exodus 20:14-17, 22:19; Leviticus 18:22-23, 20:13-16; Matthew 19:4-6 & 9, Romans 1:18-31; I Corinthians 6:9-10 & 15-20; I Timothy 1:8-11; Jude 7) We hold that God created the human race male and female. Intentionally adopting a gender other than one’s birth-gender is outside of God’s will. (Genesis 1:27, Deuteronomy 22:5). Those who seek marriage through Ascent, including the use of Ascent buildings or resources, and/or officiating by Ascent pastors, must seek to pursue behavior consistent with the above beliefs.
Biblical Interpretation
As believers, the words of God in Scripture are our ultimate authority in faith and practice. We recognize that believers can, in good faith, have differences in biblical interpretation on matters that are not essential to salvation through Christ. The Holy Spirit is our guide as we study Scripture and pray about matters of biblical interpretation, and every believer is personally and ultimately accountable to God. For these and other practices of Ascent, the Board of Elders holds final authority and interprets Scripture as they are led by the Holy Spirit. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Peter 1:19-21, 1 Corinthians 2:9-13, 1 Thessalonians 2:13)