Core Beliefs
HOLY BIBLE
The following are the core beliefs of Anchor Church 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. This Church accepts the Bible as the revealed will of God, the all-sufficient rule of faith
and practice, and for the purpose of maintaining general unity of statements of faith.
The Trinity
It is the testimony of both the Old and New Testaments and of the Christian Church that God is both One and Triune. The biblical revelation testifies that there is only one God and that He is eternally existent in three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God the father
God the Father is the creator and sustainer of all things, and He created the universe in love. He created man in His own image for Fellowship and called man back to Himself through Christ after the rebellion and fall of man.
God The son
Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning, and through Him all things were made. For man’s redemption, He left heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit through the virgin Mary; henceforth, He is forever one Christ with two natures—God and man—in one person.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost. He empowers the saints for service and witness, cleanses man from the old nature and conforms us to the image of Christ. The baptism in the Holy Spirit, subsequent to conversion, releases the fullness of the Spirit and is evidenced by the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The Scripture
We affirm that the Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, is
alone the only infallible, inspired Word of God, and that its authority is ultimate, final
and eternal. It cannot be added to, subtracted from or superseded in any regard. The
Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction and reproof. It contains all
that is needed for guidance in godliness and practical Christian conduct.
The Atonement
Christ’s vicarious death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of
the whole world, but its benefits are only applicable to those who receive Jesus as
personal Savior. His atoning sacrifice makes available healing of the body, soul and
spirit, when appropriated by His saints.
Salvation
The Word of God declares clearly that salvation is a free gift of God, based on the merits of the death of His Son, and is appropriated by faith. Salvation is affected by personal repentance, belief in the Lord Jesus (justification) and personal acceptance of Him into one’s life as Lord and Savior (regeneration). The new life in Christ includes the privileges of adoption and inheritance in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Salvation is an act of free will in response to God’s personal love for mankind. Salvation should produce an active lifestyle of loving obedience and service to Jesus Christ our Savior.
The Church
The goal of the church is to make disciples of all nations and to present
the saints complete in Christ. The church is governed by the office of Elder as
mentioned in scripture. It is essential to the life of the church that scriptural patterns
of discipline are practiced and that oversight for church discipline, individual and
corporate, is exercised by the leadership of the church.
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
We believe that the Scriptures portray the life of the saint in this
world to be one of balance between what is imputed to us as Christians and what is
imparted to us according to our faith and maturity. Therefore, God’s provision for His
children is total, and His promises are final and forever.
As new creations, we are born into the Kingdom of God as infants and we live our
lives becoming progressively more mature in our faith as we yield to the guidance and
power of the Holy Spirit. This maturity is an experiential process of having our minds
renewed by the truth that is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. As we become
progressively more mature in Christ, our behavior will more and more reflect His life in
us and His purposes for us. A vital part of this process is living life in the community of
believers that make up the Church and allowing ourselves to be built up by our
relationships with other believers.
The Christian life, while joyful and fulfilling, still includes trials, tests and warfare
against a spiritual enemy who takes advantage of our flesh to lure us into sinful
behavior and independence from God. Victory over these trials, tests and attacks is
provided to us through our faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross that redeems
us from the power of the enemy.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
The Word of God places on the church two
perpetual ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first, baptism, is the outward sign
of what God has already done in the individual’s life and is a testimony to all that the
person now belongs to Jesus. It is identification with Jesus and is affected in the
name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is a
commemoration of the death of the Lord and is done in remembrance of Him until He
comes again; it is a sign of our loving participation in Him. Both institutions are
restricted to those who are believers.
Eschatology
We affirm the bodily, personal, second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saints, the millennium and the final judgment. The final judgment will determine the eternal status of both the saints and the unbelievers, determined by their relationship to Jesus Christ. We affirm with the Bible the final state of the new heavens and the new earth.