quaychurch beliefs
scripture
We believe in the Scriptures of the Old Testament and New Testament as being inspired by God and inerrant in the original writing. We believe the 66 books of the Old Testament and New Testament are God’s completed and sufficient revelation for the total well being of mankind.
GOD
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections, and worthy ofprecisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience (Mark 12:29; John 1:1-4; Matthew 29:19-20; Acts 4:3-4).
We believe in the only true God (John 17:3), the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). He created all things (Revelation 4:11) and upholds all things by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). In Him welive and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). He is the God of truth and is without iniquity, just and right is He (Deuteronomy 32:4), and He shall judge the world (Psalm 9:8).
jesus Christ
We believe in the total deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe He is the manifestation of God in the flesh.We believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We believe Him to be true God and true man (John 1:1, 14, 18; John 14:8, 9; 1 Timothy 3:16).
Holy Spirit
We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ during this age. He convicts us of sin and regenerates the sinner upon believing in Christ, baptizing the believer into one body of whichChrist is the head. He indwells, guides, instructs, fills, comforts and empowers the believer for godly living and service through individually bestowed spiritual gifts. While the Scriptures do not teach that certain gifts have ceased, it does seem to indicate that their usage would vary according to the need that each gift isdesigned to meet. The Church does not encourage the use of the ‘sign gifts.’ Instead we choose to emphasize the more excellent way of love and zeal for the more edifying gifts (John 16:8; 13:15; Titus 3:5;Ephesians 1:22; 4:11-12; Romans 8:9-17; 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:4-5, 11-13, 19; Galatians 5:25; Hebrews 4:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12).
man
We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fellfrom his sinless and happy state in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners; not only by constraint, but by choice and therefore under just condemnation without defense or excuse. We believe that without exception every man is totally depraved and needs a Savior (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; Romans 1:18, 32).
salvation
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice. We believe that all who by faith receive Him as their personal Savior are justified on the basis of His blood shed on Calvary. They are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become eternallysecure as children of God. We believe the Holy Spirit baptizes a person who believes into the body of Christ at the moment of salvation (Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
Heaven and Hell
We believe in the “blessed hope”: the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ. His return has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer (1Thessalonians 4:13-18). We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The saved are raised to eternal, conscious bliss in heaven (Matthew 25:34;John 14:2; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Revelation 2:7) and the lost are raised to eternal torment in hell in conscious separation from God. (Matthew 8:11; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 13:49-50; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 12:5; Revelation 21:8).
Resurrection
We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ, His ascension into heaven, and His present life for us as High Priest and Advocate (Acts 1:3, 9; Hebrews 7:25, 26). Since Christ’sresurrection is said to be the first fruits of the believer’s resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-22), we affirm that the saints will also experience a bodily resurrection where the natural body will be raised as a spiritual body (1Cor. 15:20-24). We believe this will happen at the time of the Rapture when the dead in Christ will rise first to be joined by the living saints as they all meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-18).
return of Christ
We believe in “the blessed hope”, the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ. His return has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Baptism and Communion
We believe that Christian baptism is a public declaration of and identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection signified by immersion in water.
The Lord’s Supper is the commemoration by believers of Christ’s death until He comes and should be preceded by a careful self-examination (Romans 6:3-6; 1 Corinthians 11:20-29).
the church
Upon accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, all believers have therefore become part of His body, the church. There is one church universal, composed of all those who acknowledge and accept Jesus Christ asSavior and Lord. The Scriptures command believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances (baptism and communion), fellowship, service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world in fulfillment of the command of Christ to make disciples of all believers (Ephesians 5:23; Romans 12:1; Acts 2:42-46; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20).
Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command there is the local expression of the church – under the watch-care of Pastors and Elders. Its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ (Ephesians 4:16).
Christian Living (Concerning Conduct)
The Bible teaches that all believers are saints, set apart unto God and are thus responsible to live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord (Romans 21:1-2; I Peter 1:14-19; 2 Timothy 2:19; Titus 2), lest the Word of God be blasphemed (1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:5). As Christians we should obey theWord of our Lord, seek the things which are above, walk as He walked and accept as our responsibility the duty and privilege of bearing the Gospel to a lost world (1 John 2:3; Colossians 3:1; Ephesians 5:23; Matthew 29:19-20). A victorious and fruitful Christian life is possible only for those who have presented themselves wholly to Christ and walk by the power of the Holy Spirit, which all believers are called to do (Romans 12:1,2; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:18; Romans 6, 7).
“I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1
“Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” Galatians 5:1
“Be not drunk with wine . . . but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18
Marriage and Sexuality
We believe in the sanctity of the marital union as described in Scripture:
- God created the first marriage as a sacred covenant relationship between one man and one woman for the purposes of procreation, companionship and dominion over creation, in keepingwith the covenant relationship God himself established with his own creation (Genesis 2:15-24; Romans 1:16-32); and
- Jesus blessed a marriage celebration between a man and a woman with his presence and his firstpublic miracle, thereby affirming the traditional definition of marriage as a cornerstone of every culture and community (John 2:1-11); and further that he advised those who are for congenital or psychological reasons unable to enter into marriage (i.e. between a man and a woman) to remain single and therefore celibate (Matthew 19:4-12); and
- Society historically has embraced this traditional definition of marriage, eschewing all other unions as unnatural, inappropriate and anti-social, and has advocated the family unit of husband and wife and their children as the chief building block of society (Leviticus 18:22-30; Psalm 127:3-5;Romans 1:16-32; 1
Corinthians 7:1-2; Hebrews 13:4).
We adhere to the belief that marriage is be defined biblically and theologically in God’s own terms rather than man-made terms; and further that this Church intentionally adheres to the highest standards for marriage, namely biblical standards, and that other legal definitions and court actions are secondary to biblical mandate. We believe that the term ‘marriage’ has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.
This Church affirms that all marriage ceremonies performed in the name of this Church and any related celebrations or activities allowed in its facilities shall be for unions that meet the standards named in the Quay Church By-laws, and further, that church ministers and staff engage only in marriage ceremonies in keepingwith this Church’s adopted biblical and theological definition of marriage.
We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexualconduct, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God.