 At Westover, we believe…
In essential beliefs - we have unity
"There is one Body and one Spirit...there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all."
In non-essentials - we have liberty
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.... Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls.... So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.... So, whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God."
In all our beliefs - we show love
"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."
The Essentials
The Bible
We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament in their entirety to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, essentially accurate as preserved, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of persons, and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life.
God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three persons as the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where at the right hand of God, He is now our High Priest and Advocate.
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is a Person whose ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, convict persons of sin, and alone enables persons to place genuine trust in Jesus Christ, baptizing them into the Body of Christ at the moment of saving faith. We believe this constitutes the only baptism by the Holy Spirit and is not evidenced by any special gifts. The Holy Spirit indwells, guides, instructs, and empowers the believer for godly living and service.
Mankind
We believe man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
Salvation
We believe salvation from sin is a free gift offered by God through His grace and received by personal repentance from sin and by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The shed blood of Jesus and His resurrection provide the only ground for salvation for all who believe. Only those who receive Jesus are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus, become children of God.
The Church
We believe the Holy Spirit incorporates all true believers into the Church, which is Christ's Body, and that as members of His body, they are to show love for each other and to represent Him with their life.
Ordinances
We believe the ordinances of Water Baptism of believers and the Lord's Supper are sacraments to be observed by the Church during the present age. Neither are regarded as a means to salvation.
Dedication of Infants
We believe that God honors the sincere desire of parents to dedicate their children to Him, and provision shall be made for such public dedication of infants.
Angels and Demons
We believe in the personal existence of unseen spirits in the world who contend for the souls of persons, some furthering and others, under Satan, opposing the purposes of God.
The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in the personal and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this “Blessed Hope" has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.
Heaven and Hell
We believe in the bodily resurrection and everlasting blessedness of believers and in the bodily resurrection of unbelievers to final judgment and everlasting punishment.
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