Core Beliefs
The following are the core beliefs of Springs of Life based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
Trinity
There is one eternally existing God who has three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the creator of all that exists, both visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy of all glory and praise. God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, justice, and mercy. He is unchangeable and therefore is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Revelation
God has revealed himself to us through his son, Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God. Through creation, conscience, and by common grace God has revealed His characteristics and attributes but these are not sufficient for salvation. Therefore His primary means of specific revelation are the Holy Scriptures.
Creation
Though Jesus the universe was created out of nothing. Out of an overflow of love within the Godhead , creation was given as a gift from a loving God. Humans, both male and female, were created in God's image for His glory. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created without sin and appointed as caretakers of the rest of God's creation.
Fall
When Adam and Eve chose not to obey God, they ceased to be what they were made to be and became distorted images of God. This caused them to fall out of fellowship with God, and fractured all of creation ever since that time. All human beings have inherited the internal and external consequences of sin and therefore have fallen short of the glory of God and stand under His righteous and holy judgment.
Redemption
Incarnation
Jesus Christ came to reconcile us with God. He lived a life without sin in perfect obedience to the law of God. His birth, life, and ministry, was foretold in through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures and all of the Bible points to redemption through Him. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and therefore did not inherit a sin nature from Adam. He was born of the virgin Mary and therefore was a real and actual human being. One person with two natures: fully God and Fully Man, He came to identify with us, live for us, and die for us.
Crucifixion
He willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for our transgressions. His death was substitutionary in that He died in our place. His death brings atonement and reconciles man to God. His death brings reconciliation and makes us children of God when we were formally children of wrath. His death brings justification. We had incurred actual guilt against a Holy God and by faith we are declared to be free. His death brings righteousness. By faith His righteousness is imputed to us and our sin to Him. This great exchange means that when we are in Him, God sees us as Saints. It is as if He sees the very person of Jesus. His death brings ransom. We were in debt because of sin and He brings perfect payment. His death brings freedom. We were formally slaves but now have been set free in a greater Exodus. His death brings expiation. Sin makes us unclean and dirty, especially when we are sinned against. At the cross, Jesus cleanses us from sin, takes our dirty rags, and places His clothes of spotless purity upon us. His death brings new life. In Adam we were condemned to eternal death, in the New and Better Adam we are given life and life eternal.
Resurrection
He was fully dead and buried, but death could not keep a hold on Him. God raised him from the dead and now, by grace, offers as a free gift eternal life to all who follow Christ by faith as their Lord and Savior. That is why salvation can be found in Christ alone. His resurrection life can now be ours by His Spirit and over the course of our entire lives we increasingly become what we have already been declared to be. We are justified at the cross and sanctified over the course of our lives. We will not be perfect, but because of the resurrection, Sin no longer has a hold on us.
Jesus Christ came to reconcile us with God. He lived a life without sin in perfect obedience to the law of God. His birth, life, and ministry, was foretold in through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures and all of the Bible points to redemption through Him. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and therefore did not inherit a sin nature from Adam. He was born of the virgin Mary and therefore was a real and actual human being. One person with two natures: fully God and Fully Man, He came to identify with us, live for us, and die for us.
Crucifixion
He willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for our transgressions. His death was substitutionary in that He died in our place. His death brings atonement and reconciles man to God. His death brings reconciliation and makes us children of God when we were formally children of wrath. His death brings justification. We had incurred actual guilt against a Holy God and by faith we are declared to be free. His death brings righteousness. By faith His righteousness is imputed to us and our sin to Him. This great exchange means that when we are in Him, God sees us as Saints. It is as if He sees the very person of Jesus. His death brings ransom. We were in debt because of sin and He brings perfect payment. His death brings freedom. We were formally slaves but now have been set free in a greater Exodus. His death brings expiation. Sin makes us unclean and dirty, especially when we are sinned against. At the cross, Jesus cleanses us from sin, takes our dirty rags, and places His clothes of spotless purity upon us. His death brings new life. In Adam we were condemned to eternal death, in the New and Better Adam we are given life and life eternal.
Resurrection
He was fully dead and buried, but death could not keep a hold on Him. God raised him from the dead and now, by grace, offers as a free gift eternal life to all who follow Christ by faith as their Lord and Savior. That is why salvation can be found in Christ alone. His resurrection life can now be ours by His Spirit and over the course of our entire lives we increasingly become what we have already been declared to be. We are justified at the cross and sanctified over the course of our lives. We will not be perfect, but because of the resurrection, Sin no longer has a hold on us.
Restoration
Jesus has already brought about the kingdom of God through his life, death and resurrection, yet the fullness of the kingdom has yet to arrive. We are living in the already and not yet. We are already justified, but we have not yet become perfect. We are already members of Christ but we are not yet experiencing His eternal rule and reign. One day Jesus will return to judge both the living and the dead and will usher in the fullness of God's kingdom on earth. He will make all things new, not all new things. We were live with Him for all eternity in a perfectly renewed creation that we cannot yet fully imagine.
The Holy Spirit
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is generally forgotten or raised to unbiblical preeminence. We believe that it is the purpose of the Holy Spirit to point us toward Christ. He wrote the Bible through the prophets and continues to convict of sin through this Bible as well as speaking to us directly. We are to test the Spirits to see whether they are from God. This means the still, small, voice of the Holy Spirit will never contradict what has already been revealed in the Holy Scriptures. He teaches us, guides us, gives us His gifts, and bears His fruit in us as we abide in Jesus.
The Church
The local church is a community of regenerated believers, not a building. However, they gather regularly under qualified leadership for preaching and worship. They observe the biblical sacraments of Baptism and Communion. The local church is not the moral police, they are meant to lead others to Christ. They are unified by the Holy Spirit and discipled toward holiness. The local church is not just social justice movement, they are missionaries of the Gospel. They scatter throughout the world to fulfill the Great Commission for God's glory and their joy. They are unified by the Gospel and the shared life of Christ. They are defined by Christlike character rather than rules and regulations. The Church is universal in that it is composed of all true Christians in every place throughout all history. They gather under biblical authority as delivered by the prophets and apostles. Jesus is the head of the church; the planter of the church; the builder of the church; the chief shepherd of the church; present in the church; and the ultimate judge of the church. Everything the church does should be a reflection of Him. They will not be perfect, but He is, and His grace will bring about their repentance and continued mission.