What We Believe
These are some of the Biblical foundations of Living Water's beliefs as a church:
Who Is God?
God is an uncreated Spirit who is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He exists in three personalities: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are co-equal and are one God. [Genesis 1:1,26,27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; II Corinthians 13:14]
Who Is Jesus Christ?
Jesus is the Son of God and co-equal with the Father. He lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He became alive again after being dead three days to show His power over death and sin. He's the Head of the church and the only way to God and eternal life. He now "sits at the right hand of God" in heaven and will return to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. [Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1;1-5, 14:6-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13]
Who Is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son, as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation, and provides them with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. [II Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:1]
What is the Bible?
The Bible is God's message to all people. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit and is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. The original documents contained no errors. God has provided much evidence to support what he claims in the Bible. We believe God also communicates through the Holy Spirit, prayer, circumstances and His church, but these will never conflict with the truth he's already communicated in the Bible. [II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20,21]
Are Human Beings like God?
Humans are made in the spiritual image of God, and share many god-like qualities. Mankind is the supreme object of God's creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin. This attitude separates man from God. Man can only reach his highest potential by being reconciled to God. [Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1,2]
How Can I Be Saved?
Salvation is being right with God. It means having your sins forgiven rather than punished. It means God's Spirit lives within you and helps you become a real person. It means you will enjoy living with God forever in heaven after you die. Salvation is God's free gift to everyone who puts his or her faith in Jesus. [Matthew 5:3-11; Romans 5:1; 6:23; Titus 3:5; John 14:1-2]
A person can never make up for his or her sin by self-improvement or doing good deeds. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness, can a person be saved from sin's penalty, which is death. The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith, having been buried with Christ in baptism and raised to live a new life. Therefore, to become a follower of Christ, one needs to admit that he is a sinner in need of God's grace and forgiveness. He needs to pledge, in faith, that he wants to stop sinning and start living like Christ. Through faith, he must accept that Jesus paid the penalty for his sin and that he is being saved because Jesus came back from the dead. And just like the Bible says, he must be "buried with Christ in baptism" and raised to live a new life as a Christian. (In the Bible, every time a person accepted Christ, he was baptized (which means to submerge under water) as soon as possible. Since the Bible is our guide manual, we follow the same practice.) [Acts 2:38; 8:34; 22:16; Romans 5:1-2; 6:1-7; Ephesians 2:8,9; Colossians 2:12; John 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26-27]
How Can I Live as a Christian?
The Christian life is the best way to live. We enter a fully committed relationship with Him and want to do the things that please him. Our life’s goal is to become more like Jesus by depending on God's Spirit to enable us to do what is right. [Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 5:1-18]
What Is the Church?
The Church is a divinely instituted body, given the mission of strategically and effectively pursuing God's purpose on earth. Each local church is God's primary means of bringing His people to spiritual maturity and equipping them for the work of ministry. The church is a gathering place for love, support, encouragement, accountability, service, worship, growth, and mission with people who share a common bond in Christ. [Matthew 16:18; 22:34-40; 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2:42-47; Eph. 4:11-16]
What Should Christians Do About their Faith?
Jesus is the light of the world. Christians cannot keep the Light to themselves. They are commanded to let the Light shine to everyone by sharing the Good News with those God brings into contact with them. In daily living, Christ-followers are to share with others about Christ and invite friends to church. [Matthew 28:18-20; I Peter 3:15; John 15:5]
Do You Really Believe in Heaven and Hell?
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. [John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15]