Agawam Church of the Bible
What We Believe
Our
Core Values
1. We believe that God's word is true, is the final authority and is powerful
to change lives, and therefore, it should be central in our lives and the
ministries of our church.
2. We believe that prayer is God's chosen method for expressing dependence upon
and communicating with Him, and therefore, ought to be a priority in our lives
both individually and corporately.
3. We believe that God loves lost people, and therefore, we ought to as well.
4. We believe that everything we do should reflect God's unconditional love for
us as the model and motivation for our unconditional love for one another.
5. We believe that healthy small groups will be used by God to facilitate the
process of life change, and therefore, we will prioritize small groups as a
means of discipleship and spiritual growth in the church.
6. We believe that the church should be culturally relevant while remaining
biblically true.
7. We believe that God uses biblically sound artistic expression (such as
contemporary Christian music, drama, and technology) as a means of worship for
believers and outreach to seekers, and therefore, our Sunday morning worship
services will be characterized by a contemporary style of worship.
8. We believe that God's design is for every believer in the church to be
actively involved in ministry both within and outside of the body of Christ.
9. We believe that children can become believers, grow spiritually and serve
the church body, and therefore, we will have ministries designed to equip and
facilitate this process.
10. We believe that expressing God's grace to one another includes the freedom
to apply the Scriptures under the Spirit's guidance, and therefore, though we
may teach, exhort, admonish and correct in regard to matters which are clearly
contrary to Scripture, we will not judge one another in questionable or unclear
matters.
Biblical
Foundations
Introduction
The Biblical Foundations are the core, essential truths of the Bible that our church affirms. All teachers and leaders as well as church members at Agawam Church affirm these truths. The Pastor and teachers at Agawam Church teach many truths contained in the Scriptures that go beyond these biblical foundations and conduct ministry in accordance with these more particular views (ex. Baptism by immersion). However, we recognize that beyond these biblical foundations, people at Agawam Church may have differing views on various less essential matters. In this regard, we encourage and practice: “In Essentials harmony, in non-essentials unity and in all things charity”
The Bible
2Pe 1:20ff The sole basis of our belief is in the Bible,
composed of
1Ti 3:16ff the
sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament.
Ps 19:7-8 We hold that the Scriptures are infallible,
and inerrant in the original manuscripts.
They are the unique, full, and final authority on all matters of faith
and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired.
God
John 1:1 We believe that
there is one true, holy God, eternally
Mt 28:19 existing in three
persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--
John 1:3 each of Whom
possesses equally all the attributes of deity
Ep 1:3-10 and the
characteristics of personality.
Mankind
Gen 1:26 We believe that man
was created in the image of God; that
Gen 1:27 he sinned, and
thereby incurred, not only physical death,
Jer 17:9 but also that
spiritual death which is separation from God;
Rom 3:23 and that all human
beings are born with a sinful nature,
Rom 5:12 and have become
sinners in thought, word, and deed.
Jesus Christ
Jn 1:14 Jesus
Christ is the eternal second person of the Trinity
Mt 1;18 who was united
forever with a true human nature by a
1Pe 3:18 miraculous conception
and virgin birth. He lived a life of
Jn 3:16 perfect
obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned
for
the sins of all by dying on the cross as their substitute,
thus
satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation
for
all who trust in Him alone.
1Cor 15 He
rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified,
Heb 7:25 in
which he lived and died. He ascended
into heaven, and
1Th 4:13ff will come again to
earth, personally and visibly, to con-
summate history
and the eternal plan of God.
Salvation
Ep 2:8-9 The salvation of
mankind is, then, wholly a work of God's
Phil 1:6 free
grace, not the result, in whole or in part of human
Jn 5:24 works
or goodness, and must be personally received by
Rom 6:23 repentance
and faith in Christ's finished work on the
Rom 4:5 cross. The effects of salvation upon man are that
he is
Jn 3:3 regenerated,
is brought out from under condemnation and
Jn 17:3 the
penalty of sin, is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, is declared
1Jn 1:3 righteous before God, is given
eternal life, and is brought
into
fellowship with God.
The Church
1 Co 12:13 There is one true
universal church, which is comprised of
Mt 28:19,20 all those who
acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
This universal church commits, as local assemblies, to pursuing God's purposes for His church .
Human Destiny
Heb 9:27 The eternal destiny
of each person is sealed by physical
Jn. 3:18 death. For all
mankind, then, there will be a resurrection of
Jn. 3:36 the body and a
judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. Unbelievers will be separated from God into
eternal, conscious punishment.
Believers will be received into eternal communion with God.
Phone: 413-789-2904
Email: Office@AgawamChurch.org