Statement of Faith | 
Preamble |
As members of the Peebles Church of Christ we do not claim to be the only Christians, nor are we seeking through this statement to provide an exhaustive statement of the historic and orthodox Christian faith and practice. The beliefs stated here are what form the core of our commonly held beliefs.


ABOUT THE TRIUNE GOD |
We believe with heart and confession:

• There is only one God, eternally existing in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 
• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal and each possess all of the attributes of God. 
• Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are the same in substance, equal in power, goodness, and glory. 
• God is the only wise, good, and sovereign Creator of all things.  
• God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. 

John 4:24; Job 11:7-9; Ps. 90:2; Jas. 1:17; Ex. 3:14; Ps. 147:5; Rev. 4:8; 15:4; Ex. 34:6-7. 1 John 5:7; Matt. 28:19. Deut. 6:4; Jer. 10:10.


ABOUT THE FATHER |
We believe with heart and confession:

• We believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. 

Genesis 1-2; Isaiah 45:18; Psalm 104; Jeremiah 10:10-12; Acts 17:22-31


ABOUT THE SON | 
We believe with heart and confession:

• We believe in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. 
• He is one with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. 
• He is the only Redeemer of God’s people, who being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continues to be. 
• He is fully divine and fully man. God and man in two distinct natures, one person, forever.
• For us and for our salvation He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died on a cross for all sin, and was raised bodily from the grave after three days. 
• In His death, burial, and bodily resurrection, He defeated, sin, satan, and death. He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.

Isaiah 9:1-7; Isaiah 53; John 1:1-18; Matthew 1; Romans 1:2-4; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11


ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT |
We believe with heart and confession: 

• We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Giver of life. 
• He is one with God the Father and Jesus Christ. 
• He spoke by the prophets and inspired the Scriptures, who indwells and empowers the Church, as our Comforter, Guide, and Advocate, 
• He convicts the world of sin.  

Genesis 1:1-2; Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2; John 14-16; Romans 8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 5:16-26


ABOUT THE CREATION OF HUMAN NATURE |
We believe with heart and confession: 

• Humanity was created by God after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with the task of exercising dominion and subduing creation to the glory of God and for the blessing of all. 
• The chief end of mankind, then, is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.
• God created mankind as male and female after His own image.
• Each individual person is wonderfully and immutably created as male or female. These two distinct, but complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. 
• God gave mankind the gift of marriage. This ‘one flesh’ union (the uniting of one man and one woman in a single exclusive union) was given by God to mankind for joy, mutual help in subduing creation, and for procreation.

Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:18-24; Psalm 8, 73:25-28,139; Matthew 19:4-9; Mark 10:5-19;  Rom 11:36; 1 Cor. 10:31; Ephesians 5:31-33


ABOUT THE SANCTITY AND GLORY OF HUMAN LIFE |
We believe with heart and confession: 

• All Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. 
• We are called to defend, protect, and value all human life from conception to natural death. 

Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:18-24; Psalm 8, 73:25-28,139; Matthew 19:4-9; Mark 10:5-19;  Rom 11:36; 1 Cor. 10:31; Ephesians 5:31-33


ABOUT THE FALL OF MANKIND |
We believe with heart and confession: 

• All humanity has rebelled against God’s original intent and design for humanity and its role within creation. 
• In doing so we sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. 
• By their fall, the whole human race lost their communion with God, are under His wrath and curse, and so are made liable to all the miseries in this life and to death itself.

Gen. 3:8, 10, 24; Eph. 2:2-3; Gal. 3:10; Lam. 3:39; Romans 1:18-3:20, 6:23; Matt. 25:41, 46.


ABOUT THE SALVATION OF MANKIND |
We believe with heart and confession: 

• That by God’s good pleasure and abounding grace through the person and work of Jesus Christ that all of humanity was offered salvation and the forgiveness of sins. 
• That through the person and work of Jesus Christ everyone may be brought out of sin and misery and into eternal life.
• We believe salvation is a free gift that must be accepted. A repentant life, our confession of Christ’s Lordship, and baptism by immersion, are the primary responses of our faith as modeled in the NT. 

John 3:1-21; Acts 2:37-39; 8:26-39; 10:1-48; 16:11-34; 22:2-16; Romans 3:21-31; 5:6-11; 6:1-23; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 15:1-58; Galatians 3:13-14; Ephesians 2:8,9; Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:10-13; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 1:8-10


ABOUT THE CHURCH |
We believe with heart and confession: 

• In one, holy, universal church, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets
• That the Church is not a place but a people, the new covenant people of God. 
• That the mission of the church flows from the mission of God to redeem and restore His creation: we are called to make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching disciples to obey Jesus in all things. 

Genesis 12:1-3; Matthew 16:13-20, 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-20; Luke 22:14-23, 24:36-49; John 20:19-23; Acts 1:1-8, 2; 1 Corinthians 12; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; Ephesians 2; 1 Peter 2:1-12; Revelation 7:9-12; Revelation 19:6-10


ABOUT THE RETURN OF JESUS AND THE BODILY RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD |
We believe with heart and confession: 

• That Jesus Christ will return in glory to judge the living and the dead. 
• At His return, such as are found alive shall not die, but be changed, and all the dead in Christ shall rise bodily to live with God forever in the New Heavens and New Earth. 

Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 66:15-25; Matthew 25; John 5:25-29; 1 Corinthians 15; Revelation 20-22


ABOUT THE BIBLE |
We believe with heart and confession: 

• The Bible, the sixty six books of both the old and new testaments, are the inspired and infallible word of God. 
• Each book, within the Bible, does not endorse anything untrue, they are reliable and true. 
• The Bible principally teaches what we are to believe concerning God and what duties God requires of us. 
• It is our only rule to direct us in how we may glorify God and enjoy Him.

Eph. 2:20; 1 Peter 1:19-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17;  1 John 1:3-4