What We Believe

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.” — 2 Corinthians 13:14

We believe in one God existing eternally in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each has characteristics of God and does what only God can do. The Bible points to relationship and community within the Godhead, affirmed in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.

God the Father

We believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. The Fatherhood of God is revealed through Jesus.

The Father is holy, wise, all-powerful, all-knowing, and tender-hearted towards the lost.

God the Son

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became Man without ceasing to be God in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful humanity.

Jesus, God’s Son, is merciful. He taught His followers to be the same: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

God the Holy Spirit

We believe God the Holy Spirit comes forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and the coming judgment. The chief characteristic of the Holy Spirit is His holiness. The Holy Spirit ushers us into God’s Presence.

This Spirit raises up gifts in God’s people, which, taken altogether, unifies the Church and promotes maturity and kingdom influence.

We acclaim both a king and a kingdom. Jesus brought the good news of God’s kingdom into our world through healings, deliverances, and teaching. His atoning death and glorious resurrection established Him as the King who has made a grace covenant with us through his selfless sacrifice on our behalf. We participate in His kingship through repentance and faith-obedience.

The Scriptures of the ancient Church constitute the divinely inspired Word of God—revelatory, authoritative, and applicable in all areas of life.

The Stories and The Story

Through historic narratives, wisdom literature, letters, prophecies, and poetry, the Scriptures reveal the great truths about God and humanity.

The larger story is that God created the universe and placed people, made in His image, to care for His good creation under His wise and ultimate authority.

In sinful arrogance, we separated ourselves from our holy God and failed to live into the trustworthy stewards and partners He created us to be. We became dead to God, distant, lost, and broken. Yet in His compassionate mercy, God pursued us. He offered covenant relationships first to the Jews, and then to all the world through Jesus the Jewish Messiah, God’s Son, as a gracious gift for us that He bought with the price of His blood.

Every penitent person is now offered a joyous, restored relationship with their Creator and Redeemer. Any person may relate to God as their Father through Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Jesus taught us that God is our Father. And when He rose from the dead, He said He was ascending to His Father and our Father. His entire purpose was to heal our relationship with God. While the Bible’s great story has often been dismissed as foolishness to the wise and absurdity to the proud, we know it to be true.

“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” — Luke 22:20

The Lord is a covenanting God. God created covenants with his people through Noah and Abraham and Moses and David. Each covenant had an element of grace in it. But in this new covenant in his blood, the fullness of grace came.

“In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he has lavished upon us.” Ephesians 1:7

“I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” — 1 Corinthians 2:2

“The Cross” is shorthand for the unjust crucifixion of Jesus and his astonishing resurrection, spoken of so much in the New Testament. The injustice of the crucifixion is evident in that Pontius Pilate authorized this crucifixion yet washed his hands of it.

A sign was customarily placed above a Roman cross naming who was being executed and why. But Pilate ordered the sign to read, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” deliberately infuriating Jesus’ accusers. They wanted him to put, “This man said he was King of the Jews.” But he wouldn’t do it.

Jesus’ death was no accident. He foretold his suffering no less than three times. He referred to it in parables. On the night He was betrayed, He took bread and wine and declared them to be symbols of His body broken and blood outpoured for forgiveness of sin. His suffering and death were the apex of his ministry. By them he embraced and demonstrably broke the powers of sin and death.

While He is risen and no longer on the Cross, we always return to the Cross that His work may have its continuing, atoning effect on us. The Cross of Christ reaches from history into today’s world, changing people from the inside out as they come to know “Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

The Scriptures illuminate a magnificent hope, namely that God’s entire creation will one day be magnificently restored. To acclimate us to that new creation, we begin on the inside. Our prayers are characterized by repentance and faith, as new birth and new creation takes hold inside of us.

We renounce the things we are tempted to put above or before God, things which plague our hearts, rob our affections, and sap our courage. We value honesty among ourselves. We want relationships that are authentic, encouraging, and full of hope.

All Christians should be connected and committed to a local church body. It is through fellowship with other believers that the church (ecclesia – ‘those called out’) is formed, encouraged, equipped and sent into the world to serve Christ.

“For the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword… it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12

If our hearts are open, we will encounter the Living Word.

• In worship. In worship we hear a Bible-based sermon.
• In classes. Church members of all ages are expected to participate in classes offered, and to pass along what they are learning to others.
• In discipleship groups. City Church encourages small weekly discipleship groups of men or women who study the Bible, pray, and help hold one another accountable to stated goals. In such a way they not only share teaching, but life application.
• In the family. At City Church we believe children’s parents are their primary instructors in the faith. Mom and Dad share the ‘priesthood’ of parenting. Our children’s ministry offers instruction to the children; but more importantly, it provides resources to the parents so they can disciple their own children.

“The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 5:5

Prayer promotes love of neighbor, and love promotes heartfelt service. When the love of God overflows in us, we cannot help but take that love into the world around us.

We value the multitude of professions and vocations within our congregation and support Christians’ engagement with culture. We support missionaries in Argentina and Uganda. Locally we serve or support Agape Ranch, Care Portal, the Coastal Bend Food Bank, the Pregnancy Center of the Coastal Bend, and STCH Family Counseling Ministries.

City Church practices the ancient mysteries of Holy Communion (the Lord’s Supper) and Holy Baptism.

It is our custom to receive the Lord’s Supper every Sunday.

“For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until He comes again.” — 1 Corinthians 11:26

Holy Baptism is primarily to declare a believer’s new birth and to immerse them into Christ’s death and resurrection.

In the New Testament there are examples of entire households being baptized. When infants and young children are baptized, the parents and the church must assume responsibility for their faith. The children are incorporated into the life of the church.

The reformed theologian P. T. Forsyth called such baptisms “the sacrament of the future.” In such baptisms the church affirms by faith that they are “born to be born again” and promises to help nurture their faith through instruction and encouragement.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” — Matthew 28:19–20

When we read the Bible, we see that God is involved in every aspect of culture. Scripture guides not only “religious life,” but every part of life before God.