Section 3: Teaching Position Statements

We teach that God is not only glorious, He loves His glory with infinite intensity (Isaiah 48:9-11) and therein lies His righteousness (Romans 9:14-15; Exodus 33:18-19). For God to be righteous, He must love what is best, therefore His ultimate loyalty must be to the maintenance and manifestation of His own glory. In other words, all that God does, He does for His own name’s sake (Ezekiel 36:20-23). God created humanity for His glory (Isaiah 43:7, 21). God redeems sinners for the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:5-6, 12, 14; Romans 3:26; 15:7). God empowers Christians to live for His glory, both individually (1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 4:11), and corporately (Ephesians 3:10). God’s ultimate goal for His people is that they might see and enjoy His glory forever (John 17:24). His ultimate will or plan for history is that “The earth will be filled with the knowledge and the glory of God as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14, cf.; Numbers 14:21). But God’s unswerving zeal for His own glory does not mean that God is unconcerned about man’s welfare. No, God’s mercy and grace toward undeserving sinners is the apex of His glory (Romans 9:22-23). The greatest possible good for man is to see God face to face, just as He is (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2) and to behold the beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:4). In fact, God’s absolute faithfulness to His own glory manifests itself in God’s absolute faithfulness to His covenant promises (His glory is at stake in whether He keeps His word or not) and thus it becomes the ultimate ground of our assurance (Psalm 143:1, 11; Daniel 9:14-19).

The God of the Bible is the creator of the whole visible and invisible universe and He is the sovereign ruler of it. From all eternity, He freely and unchangeably, in His most holy wisdom, ordained whatever comes to pass. To use the words of Paul, God does "all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11), having sovereign control of all events. From the events of rulers and nations (Daniel 4:25, 32, 34-35) to the flight of a sparrow (Matthew 10:29).

We teach that election is the act of God by which, before the foundation of the world, He chose in Christ those whom He graciously regenerates, saves, and sanctifies (Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:4-11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:10; 1 Peter 1:1-2).

We teach that sovereign election does not contradict, or negate, the responsibility of man to repent and trust Christ as Savior and Lord, or the desire of God that all be saved (Ezekiel 18:23,32, 33:11; John 3:18,19,36; 5:40; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12; 1 Timothy 2:4-5; Revelation 22:17). Nevertheless, since sovereign grace includes the means of receiving the gift of salvation as well as the gift itself, sovereign election will result in what God determines. All whom the Father calls to Himself will come to faith, and all who come to faith the Father will receive (John 6:37-40, 44; Acts 13:48; James 4:8).

We teach that the unmerited favor that God grants to totally depraved sinners is not related to any initiative on their own part, nor to God’s anticipation of what they might do by their own will, but is solely of His sovereign grace and mercy (Ephesians 1:4-7; Titus 3:4-7; 1 Peter 1:2).

We teach that election is an act of a truly sovereign God, and that He exercises this sovereignty in harmony with His other attributes, especially His omniscience, justice, holiness, wisdom, grace, and love (Romans 9:11-16). This sovereignty will always exalt the will of God in a manner totally consistent with His character as revealed in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:25-28; 2 Timothy 1:9).

We teach, without compromise, that God created the world out of nothing. We teach the special creation of humankind in the image of God. We do not believe the Bible requires us to take a position about the age of the earth and other scientific details of creation. We teach that the goal of creation is to bring glory to God, and to produce humility in human beings (Hebrews 11:3; Genesis 1:1, 26-27; Job 38:4; Psalm 19:1).

We teach that the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 5:24, 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 5:9-10; 8:1,31-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-9; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 7:25, 13:5; 1 Peter 1:4-5; Jude 24).

We teach that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an excuse for sinful living and pursuing worldly passions (Romans 6:15-22, 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13-17, 25-26; Titus 2: 11-14).

We teach that two ordinances have been committed to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:38-42). Christian baptism by immersion (Acts 8:36-39) is the solemn and beautiful testimony of a believer showing forth his faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and his union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life (Romans 6:1-11). It is also an act of obedience to Christ’s command and a sign of identification and fellowship with the visible body of Christ (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41,42).

We teach that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration and proclamation of His death until He comes. Participation in the Lord’s Supper by the believer should always be preceded by solemn self-examination (1 Corinthians 11:23-32). We also teach that whereas the elements of communion are only representative of the flesh and blood of Christ, the Lord’s Supper is nevertheless a unique opportunity for intimacy with the risen Christ who is present with His people (1 Corinthians 10:16).

We teach that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must make every effort to go to all nations and not wait for them to come to us (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20).

We teach that our possessions are a gift from God and that every Christian is a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to them. We teach that every Christian steward should store up treasure in heaven and not store up treasure on earth. Giving back to God is an act of worshipping the true God and reveals a heart attitude of dependence on Him and His riches.

We teach that under the Old Testament covenant God established the tithe, or 10%, as a basis for giving. Every New Testament Christian should give proportionately, sacrificially, and cheerfully with the tithe as a model. These gifts will support the ministry of the local church, help those in need, and aid in the spread of the Gospel of Christ (Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 6:19-21; Proverbs 3:9-10; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Philippians 4:19; 1 John 3:17).

We teach that the one supreme authority for the church is Christ (Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18) and that church leadership, gifts, order, discipline, and worship are all appointed through His sovereignty as found in Scriptures. The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the church are elders (males, who are also called overseers, bishops, pastors, and pastor-teachers, see Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11) who meet biblical qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-5).

We teach that these church leaders lead or rule as servants of Christ (1 Timothy 5:17-22) and have His authority in directing the church. The members of the church and congregation are to submit to their leadership (Hebrews 13:7,17).

We teach that God gives the church spiritual gifts to accomplish his work in the world. He gives individuals to the church who are set apart for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:7-12). He also gives unique and special spiritual abilities to each member of the body of Christ (Romans 12:5-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; 1 Peter 4:10,11).

We teach that the gift of speaking in tongues is the gift of speaking in real human language spoken somewhere in the world (Acts 2, 10:46, 19:6), not a secret prayer language. We also affirm that the purpose of speaking in tongues is to convince unbelievers of the reality of the gospel (1 Corinthians 14:22). Only the practices which meet these two requirements would qualify as Biblical tongues. Biblical tongues spoken in church meetings should be interpreted for the benefit of the hearers.(1 Corinthians 14:28).

We teach that signs and wonders served a unique function of confirming the authenticity of the message and authority of the prophets and apostles, and are no longer necessary now that the self-authenticating Scriptures are complete. While signs and wonders may still occur, the Scripture is now the sole test of the authenticity of a person’s message (2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:3-4).

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.

Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church, and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel for sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

See: Genesis 1:26-28, 2:18-25, 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalm 51:5, 78:1-8, 127, 128, 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8, 5:15-20, 6:20-22, 12:4, 13:24, 14:1, 17:6, 18:22, 22:6, 15, 23:13-14, 24:3, 29:15, 17, 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32, 18:2-5, 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8, 14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7.

We teach that the marriage relationship was established by God as the first human institution. The Scripture teaches that a man should leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become “one flesh”. We teach that God hates divorce and intends that marriage should last until one spouse dies.

We teach that the only Biblical provision for divorce is on the basis of a violation of God’s “one flesh” design for marriage. This would include marital unfaithfulness (extramarital sexual intercourse) by the other spouse, or when an unbelieving spouse deserts the Christian spouse.

We teach that because of this “one flesh” relationship, and God’s grace with a view to reconciliation, remarriage should be reserved for the irreconcilable instances of the death or remarriage of the former spouse. (Genesis 2:21-24; Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Corinthians 7:10-15).

We teach that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

We teach that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25.) We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4.)

We teach that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

We teach that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10.)

We teach that in order to preserve the function and integrity of New Life Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the New Life Church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by New Life Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thess 5:22.)

We teach that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11.)

We teach that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of New Life Church.

We teach the sanctity of all human life. We teach that each person is created by God and is of infinite value. Each human life is a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured, and preserved. Human life is sacred because it is made in the image of God and has an eternal destiny (Genesis 1:27; John 3:16).

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is the murder of an innocent, unborn child and is one of the things that God hates.

We teach that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are wrong, a violation of God’s law and are not acceptable (Psalm 139:14-16; Proverbs 6:16-17; Isaiah 44:24; Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:44).

We teach the sanctity of all human life. We teach that each person is created by God and of infinite value. Each human life is a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured, and preserved. Human life is sacred because it is made in the image of God and has an eternal destiny (Genesis 1:27; John 3:16).

Euthanasia is a deliberate act causing the intentional death of a person in order to relieve that person’s suffering. Use of medically prescribed drugs to control the pain of a dying person, even if the secondary effect may result in shortened life, is not euthanasia. Withholding or withdrawing medical treatment that only prolongs the dying process, is not euthanasia. To respect a competent adult’s refusal of medical treatment or their request to discontinue treatment, is not euthanasia.

Assisted suicide is a form of euthanasia and may be defined as directly helping or enabling a person to end their own life by some deliberate act.

We teach that euthanasia and assisted suicide are wrong, a violation of God’s law, and should not be acceptable practices under any circumstances (Exodus 20:13).

We have freedom in eating and drinking, though not everything is beneficial or constructive (1 Corinthians 10:23). In addition, the use of alcohol and drugs today are substantially different than the use of wine in the New Testament. We feel the use of caution beyond what the Scripture directly states is warranted.

We teach several issues that are important with respect to alcohol and drugs. The Bible clearly teaches that drunkenness should never be part of a believer’s life (Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:18). Many drugs are illegal (i.e. alcohol and tobacco for minors) and our obligation to obey authority preempts the use of those drugs (Romans 13:2). Addiction of any kind has no place in the life of a believer (1 Corinthians 6:12). Alcoholism is by far the most common drug addiction. Those who have been hurt by, or addicted to, alcohol previously are often more sensitive to its use and misuse. Therefore, abstinence from alcohol should be willingly practiced in their presence (1 Corinthians 8:9-13; Romans 14:9-23). With respect to alcohol and drugs, Scripture also maintains a higher standard for spiritual leaders because of their responsibility, example, and influence (Proverbs 31:4-5; 1 Timothy 3:3-8). We recommend, encourage, and support abstinence from alcohol and other addictive substances for everyone, and especially leaders.

We teach that, within the Church, Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the Church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may, after repeated attempts at reconciliation and consultation with the elders, seek legal protection when required (1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32).