Our Beliefs

The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Scriptures – the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments – to be the verbally inspired Word of God, written by men in God’s control, inerrant and infallible in the original manuscripts, and the final authority in faith and life.  We accept the grammatical-historical system of interpretation of the Scriptures, and accept the historical record of the Bible as accurate and adequate (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 19:7-9).

The Godhead

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – who are identical in essence, equal in power and glory, and possess precisely the same attributes and perfection (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

The Person and Work of God the Father

We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity, the author of creation and the source of all things.  He is the “head of Christ” and the initiator of our salvation.  He is the standard of holiness and the designer of our redemption.  He controls the flow of human history and will personally bring it to culmination in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ (Genesis 1:1-31; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:3-5, 10).

The Person and Work of Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God; that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might redeem sinful man.  He accomplished this redemption by voluntarily giving Himself as a sinless substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, thereby satisfying God’s righteous judgment against sin.  He gave proof that He accomplished that redemption by His bodily resurrection from the grave.  He then ascended to the right hand of His Father where He intercedes on behalf of those who trust Him (John 1:1, 2, 14, 18; Luke 1:34-35; Romans 3:24-26; Romans 8:34).

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person who convicts the world of sin; that He alone brings new life to those who are spiritually dead; that He baptizes (or places) all believers into the one true Church, which is the Body of Christ; that He indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon them, and fills (controls) those who are yielding to Him (John 3:3-8; John 16:7-11; 1 Corinthians 12:13; John 14:16-17; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Ephesians 5:18).

The Condition of Man

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, in innocence and without sin.  But in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, became spiritually dead and alienated from God, so that man is a sinner both by nature and imputation and man, of himself, is incapable of remedying his lost and depraved condition (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 3:10-18; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3).

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God’s grace given to all who God has elected to salvation.  It includes all that God does in saving the elect from the penalty, power, and presence of sin and in restoring them to a right relationship with God.  As such, it is solely the work of God from initiation to completion.  It cannot be gained by good works, but is a free gift for all who put their trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.  All who so trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are forgiven and saved from their sins and made righteous before God and are born into the family of God by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.  God’s purpose for saving His elect is so that they bring glory to Him by their lives (Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 1:6 Titus 2:11-14).

Security, Assurance, and Responsibility

We believe that all the saved – those in whom God has accomplished His transforming work of grace – are kept by His power and thus are secure in Christ forever.  This assurance, however, is not the occasion for sin, for God in holiness cannot tolerate persistent sin in His children, and in infinite love He corrects them.  True faith in Christ is expressed by a fruitful, God-pleasing life (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:28-39; 1 John 5:13; Hebrews 12:6; Matthew 7:20; James 2:20).

Separation

We believe the Scriptures clearly teach that believers should be separated unto the Lord Jesus Christ living in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon Him, remaining separate from worldly and sinful practices.  Regular attenders who continue in sin will be disciplined in accordance with the standards of scripture (Leviticus 19:2; John 15:1-5; Galatians 5:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; Hebrews 12:1-2; Romans 12:1-2; Romans 14:13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:11; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; Matthew 18:15-22; Acts chapter 5; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; 1 Timothy 1:19-20; Titus 1:10-16).

Sanctification

We believe that God, in the Scriptures, has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness.  This includes not only salvation from the penalty of sin but also sanctification (separation) from sin.  Sanctification is the divine act where the believer is set apart from sin and unto God. It is accomplished in a threefold manner: first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness before God at the moment he trusts Jesus Christ as his savior; second, a continuing process in the believer as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to his life; third, the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord’s return for His Church (John 17:17; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 6:19, 22; Ephesians 5:25-26; Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 10:26; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 1:3).

The Church

We believe that the true Church, called in Scripture the Body of Christ, is a spiritual organism whose purpose is to glorify God.  Every person who has trusted Jesus Christ for salvation in this present age has been baptized (placed) into this organism by the Holy Spirit.  The local church, as established in Scripture, is made up of redeemed individuals who have joined together for worship, instruction, fellowship, and service, with the goal of advancing the Gospel through both words and deeds to the entire world.  This work is accomplished under the leadership and shepherding of biblically qualified men known as Elders (Ephesians 3:21; Ephesians 1:22; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Acts 2:42; Acts 13:1-2; Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:42; 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1:5-9).

Ordinances

We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances to be observed by all believers until His return – baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  At Crossroads we practice baptism by immersion (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

The Second Coming of Christ

We believe in the personal, pre-tribulation coming (rapture) of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church and His subsequent pre-millennial return (second coming) to earth to establish His kingdom (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 19:11-16; Revelation 20:1-6).

The Eternal State

We believe that at death the souls of those who have trusted Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and remain there in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at Christ’s coming for the Church, when soul and body will be reunited.  We then shall be with Him forever in glory.  We also believe that at death the souls of unbelievers remain in conscious misery until the final judgment of the Great White Throne at the close of the Millennium, when the soul and body will be reunited and cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be separated from God forever in conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:11-15).