Our Beliefs
At The Bridge, our mission and vision are deeply rooted in the timeless truths of Scripture. Our faith, guided by the Bible, shapes everything we do—from how we serve, learn, and connect. We embrace the foundational beliefs of Christianity, celebrating the power of God's Word, the love of Christ, and the transformative grace of salvation. Our Doctrinal Statement is not just a set of beliefs; it's a beacon, guiding us as we build a community anchored in the solid rock of God's Word, inspiring us to grow together in faith and love.
Statement of Beliefs
The Bible
The Bible, all 66 books, is the inspired word of God (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pe 1:21). Because God is perfect, He gave the Bible without error (Jas 1:17). What the Bible says bears His authority (Ps 119:137) and is true in all it affirms (Ps 19:16). It provides what is necessary for salvation (2 Tim 3:15) and spiritual life (1 Pe 2:2). It sufficiently equips believers for every good work (2 Tim 3:17).
God
God is the Creator of the universe (Gen 1:1), the Almighty (Gen 17:1) giver of life (Deut 32:39). God is unique in His divine nature: self-existent (1 Tim 6:16), eternal (Ps 90:2), infinite (Ps 147:5), transcendent (Isa 55:9), and immanent (Isa 57:15). God alone is worthy of worship (Ex 20:3; Rev 22:9). God is relatable in character: holy (Isa 6:3), good (Ps 119:68), wise (Rom 11:33), just (Rom 3:26), and merciful (Ex 34:6). He cannot be fully comprehended (Job 26:14) but may be truly known (Jer 9:24).
Trinity
God exists as three relationally distinct persons yet is one in nature: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19). The Father is the source of all (Rev 4:11), sovereign (1 Tim 6:15), ultimate Judge (Heb 12:23), and reconciler (2 Cor 5:18-19) who gave His Son to offer salvation (John 3:16).
Christ
Jesus is the eternal Son of God (John 1:1; 20:31). At the incarnation, He became flesh (John 1:14), one person with two united yet distinct natures, both deity (Col 1:19) and sinless humanity (Heb 2:14; 4:15).
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is divine, as seen in His titles (2 Cor 3:18), attributes (Ps 139:7), and activities (Gen 1:2). He is also personal with intelligence (1 Cor 2:11), emotion (Eph 4:30), and will (Rom 8:26-27). He regenerates (Tit 3:5), indwells (1 Cor 3:16), baptizes (1 Cor 12:13), seals (Eph 1:13), and gifts (1 Cor 12:11) all who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.
Creation
In the beginning, out of nothing, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). In six days, He formed and filled all of creation, culminating with humanity (Gen 1:26). Before resting on the seventh day (Gen 2:2; Exod 20:11), God declared all that He had made to be very good (Gen 1:31).
Humanity
God made the first humans, a male and a female, in His image, according to His likeness (Gen 1:27) and blessed them (Gen 5:1-2). Every human has a physical body (1 Cor 6:20) and an immaterial soul (Ps 103:1). All are accountable to God (Ps 50:6; Rom 14:6) and will face His ultimate judgment (Heb 9:27), ending either in eternal life with God in glory (Matt 25:46; Rev 21:3) or eternal separation with pain (Matt 25:30; Rev 20:15).
Sin
When the first man and woman disobeyed God (Gen 3:6), sin entered the world (Rom 5:12). Sin is falling short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23) by doing wrong (1 John 3:4) or failing to do what is right (Jas 4:17). People sin because they are born with a sin nature (Rom 5:19). Sin results in death (Ezek 18:4), corruption (Rom 8:21), bondage (Rom 6:17), and spiritual hardness from deception (Heb 3:13).
Angels
God created angels, powerful (2 Pe 2:11) and holy (Mark 8:38) spiritual beings who serve God (Isa 6:2-3) and His people (Heb 1:14). Satan and his demons are fallen angels (Jude 6) that deceive (1 Tim 4:1), torment (Luke 8:29), and maliciously seek to destroy people (John 10:10). They are irredeemably evil (2 Pe 2:4) and will be condemned forever (Rev 20:10).
Salvation
After the fall, God set in motion His plan to save (Gen 3:15). Jesus accomplished salvation through His life, death, and resurrection (1 Cor 15:1-5). Sinners are saved by grace (Eph 2:5) through faith (Eph 2:8-9), which is knowing, agreeing with, and trusting the gospel message to the point of action (Jas 2:17). Genuine faith includes repentance (Mark 1:14-15), turning from sin and to God (1 Thess 1:9), and results in eternal life (John 3:16).
Church & Spiritual Growth
The church is the assembly of the saved (Acts 20:28) built by Christ (Matt 16:18). True churches are defined by the marks of orthodoxy (2 John 9), order (Tit 1:5), and the ordinances of baptism (Matt 28:19) and the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:23-25). True churches do the work of evangelism (Acts 1:8), edification (Eph 4:11-13), and exaltation (1 Pe 4:10-11). Their love (Heb 10:24), prayer (Jas 5:16), preaching (2 Tim 4:2), teaching (2 Tim 2:2), training (Matt 28:19-20), discipline (Matt 18:15-17), encouragement (Heb 3:13), worship (Phil 3:3), and fellowship (Acts 2:44) form the essential environment for growth to Christian maturity (Eph 4:13-16; Col 1:28).
Last Things
At an unknown time yet to come (Mark 13:32), Jesus Christ will return (Acts 1:11) as King and Judge. All people will be resurrected (John 5:28-29), the saved to eternal life (Matt 25:46) and the condemned to eternal punishment (Rev 20:15). Until then, believers who experience physical death are apart from the body but present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23) awaiting the Lord’s rewards for all their good work (2 Cor 5:10; Eph 6:8). The great tribulation will come (Matt 24:21), but Jesus will defeat evil and establish His kingdom (Rev 19:20-21). He will renew creation (Rom 8:21) and bring an end to sin and death (1 Cor 15:54-57), suffering (Rev 21:4), and the devil and his demons (Matt 25:41; Rev 20:10). God will live with His people forever (Rev 21:3; 22:3-4) in a glorious new heaven and earth (Rev 21:1).
