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The Evangelical Free Church of America is an
association of autonomous churches united around
these theological convictions:
God
1. We believe in one God, Creator of all things,
holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in
a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having
limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has
graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people
for Himself and to make all things new for His own
glory.
The Bible
2. We believe that God has spoken in the
Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the
words of human authors. As the verbally inspired
Word of God, the Bible is without error in the
original writings, the complete revelation of His
will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by
which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor
should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in
all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires,
and trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
3. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in
His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In
union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature
and by choice, alienated from God, and under His
wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus
Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
Jesus Christ
4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate,
fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures.
Jesus-Israel’s promised Messiah-was conceived
through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius
Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into
heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father
as our High Priest and Advocate.
The Work of Christ
5. We believe that Jesus Christ, as our
representative and substitute, shed His blood on the
cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for
our sins. His atoning death and victorious
resurrection constitute the only ground for
salvation.
The Holy Spirit
6. We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that
He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He
convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates
sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union
with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of
God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips
and empowers believers for Christ-like living and
service.
The Church
7. We believe that the true church comprises all
who have been justified by God’s grace through faith
alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy
Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the
Head. The true church is manifest in local churches,
whose membership should be composed only of
believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances,
baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and
tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the
means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in
genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish
the believer.
Christian Living
8. We believe that God’s justifying grace must
not be separated from His sanctifying power and
purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and
others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with
care for one another, compassion toward the poor and
justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the
Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name,
we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In
obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make
disciples among all people, always bearing witness
to the gospel in word and deed.
Christ’s Return
9. We believe in the personal, bodily and
premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The
coming of Christ, at a time known only to God,
demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed
hope, motivates the believer to godly living,
sacrificial service and energetic mission.
Response and Eternal Destiny
10. We believe that God commands everyone
everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him
in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and
judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to
condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and
the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the
Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the
praise of His glorious grace. Amen.
Adopted by the Conference on June 26, 2008
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