{"id":137,"date":"2015-09-04T21:15:36","date_gmt":"2015-09-04T21:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/firstcrcmv.com\/?page_id=137"},"modified":"2015-09-05T02:57:06","modified_gmt":"2015-09-05T02:57:06","slug":"what-we-believe","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/firstcrcmv.com\/?page_id=137","title":{"rendered":"What We Believe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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At First Christian Reformed Church we believe …<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bible\u00a0<\/strong>is the Word of God and what we believe to be the unique, full and final authority on all matters of faith and life.<\/p>\n

God<\/strong>.\u00a0We believe that there is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons \u2013 Father, Son and Holy Spirit \u2013 each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality. \u00a0It is God who in the very beginning created all that we are, see, and have. He continues to sustain our universe by His power, wisdom, and goodness.<\/p>\n

Salvation<\/strong>\u00a0is God\u2019s gift of grace to humankind.\u00a0 He gives this grace freely \u2013 not because people have earned\u00a0it by anything they have done.\u00a0 This gift comes to us through God\u2019s Son, Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Salvation (life now and forever) is obtained by willingly receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.<\/p>\n

Jesus Christ<\/strong>,\u00a0the Son of God the Father, was sent to the world to become our substitute in receiving God\u2019s judgment on our sin. Jesus voluntarily paid for the sins of all people by dying on the cross as our substitute, satisfying God\u2019s justice and removing the guilt of all people. He alone paid the debt of our sin; there is no other Savior. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to reign with His Father over all things.<\/p>\n

The Church<\/strong>:\u00a0We believe the church is a community of people who are striving to begin, or grow, in their relationship with God. In the Bible, God instructs believers to gather together regularly, devote themselves to worship, prayer, the teaching of the Bible, the observance of baptism and communion, fellowship, and service to others through the development and use of talents and gifts.<\/p>\n

The Christian Life<\/strong>:\u00a0The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, guides believers in understanding and applying the Bible to their lives. Being a Christian in this world does not mean we are perfect. Believers still sin and need to keep turning back to God for strength, direction, and forgiveness. The Christian life is a relationship with God that is always growing and developing.<\/p>\n

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Our Church is part of the Christian Reformed denomination. Here is some information on what being Christian Reformed means.<\/p>\n

We call ourselves the Christian Reformed Church in North America. What does that mean?<\/div>\n