Christian Living

We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed. Article 8, EFCA Statement of Faith

We are justified by “God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone.” But this faith is an active, living faith.

Saving faith is the root while living faith is the flower.

This living faith takes expression as we “care for one another” in the body of Christ, show “compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed,” “combat spiritual forces of evil,” and, “make disciples among all people.”

JUSTIFYING GRACE AND SANCTIFYING POWER

We believe God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose.

Justifying grace: On the basis of Christ’s death, God pronounces that the believer, in union with Christ, has fulfilled all of the requirements of the Law. This includes the pardon, remission, and non imputation of all sins, reconciliation to God, and the end of His enmity and wrath.

Acts 13:39 NIV

Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.

2 Corinthians 5:19 NIV

that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Romans 4:6–7 (NIV84) — David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Romans 8:14–17 (NIV84) — because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Galatians 4:4–7 (NIV84) — But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Sanctifying power and purpose: The believer is also recreated in Christ and progressively transformed into His likeness.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Romans 8:29 (NIV84) — For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Hebrews 10:14 NIV

For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Indwelling sin remains in the believer throughout this life, and he experiences a continual warfare between the flesh and the Spirit.

Galatians 5:17 NIV

For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

Nevertheless, the dominion of sin has been broken.

Romans 6:1–2 (NIV84) — What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

Romans 6:8–9 (NIV84) — Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

Romans 6:18 NIV

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

We live a life of victory over sin but it is a qualified victory. It includes progress in holiness but not sinless perfection. We are not yet what we shall be.

Romans 6:11–14 NIV

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 8:1–4 (NIV84) — Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 (NIV84) — So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

1 John 3:9 (NIV84) — No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

1 John 1:8–9 NIV

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 3:2 (NIV84) — Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Though it is God’s work in us, sanctification involves our responsible participation. Christians are to grow in the grace and knowledge, even as they are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory by God’s Spirit. They are to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, but it is God who works in them to will and to act according to His good pleasure.

2 Peter 3:18 (NIV84) — But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV84) — And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Philippians 2:13 (NIV84) — for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Reliance on God, devotion to Christ, being filled with the Spirit, prayer, Bible study, and communion with God’s people are some of the means of Christian growth.

How do “God’s justifying grace” and “His sanctifying power and purpose” relate? How are they different? What does the expression “must not be separated” mean?

LOVE GOD AND OTHERS

We believe God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially.

Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Leviticus 19:18 (NIV84) — “ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

Matthew 22:37–39 (NIV84) — Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Mark 12:30 (NIV84) — Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

Luke 10:27 (NIV84) — He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Just as Jesus “went around doing good” (Acts 10:38), so should we, loving not just our friends, but our enemies as well. In particular, we are to live out our faith with:

care for one another

Romans 12:10 NIV

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 14:13 (NIV84) — Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.

Romans 15:7 (NIV84) — Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.,

Galatians 5:26 (NIV84) — Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Ephesians 4:32 (NIV84) — Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NIV84) — May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV84) — Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NIV84) — Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

Hebrews 10:24–25 (NIV84) — And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

1 Peter 4:9 (NIV84) — Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Compassion toward the poor

Deuteronomy 15:11 (NIV84) — There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open handed toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

Psalm 82:3–4 (NIV84) — Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 140:12 (NIV84) — I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

Proverbs 14:21 (NIV84) — He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.,

Proverbs 14:31 (NIV84) — He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Proverbs 19:17 (NIV84) — He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

Proverbs 22:9 (NIV84) — A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

Proverbs 22:16 (NIV84) — He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.,

Proverbs 22:22–23 (NIV84) — Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.

Proverbs 29:7 (NIV84) — The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

Proverbs 31:8–9 (NIV84) — “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Jeremiah 22:16 (NIV84) — He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD.

Galatians 2:10 (NIV84) — All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

James 1:27 NIV

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Justice for the oppressed

Exodus 23:6 (NIV84) — “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.”

Leviticus 19:15 (NIV84) — “ ‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.’ ”

Psalm 82:3–4 (NIV84) — Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 82:3–4 NIV

Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 140:12 (NIV84) — I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

Proverbs 29:7 (NIV84) — The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

Proverbs 31:9 (NIV84) — Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Isaiah 1:17 (NIV84) — learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Jeremiah 9:24 (NIV84) — “but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

Micah 6:8 NIV

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Zechariah 7:9–10 (NIV84) — “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’”

Matthew 23:23 (NIV84) — “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”

Luke 4:18 (NIV84) — “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,”

These are strong biblical themes that have too often received little emphasis. This does not supplant or replace the gospel, but rather is one important aspect, or outworking, of the true biblical gospel as we live out our faith in the world. This statement implies no particular political agenda. How we are to fulfill this biblical mandate must be worked out in fellowship with one another.

What does this mean today? How will this bear out in our lives, in the life of the church?

COMBAT SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL

We believe that with God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil.

Ephesians 6:10–18 NIV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Hebrews 3:13 (NIV84) — But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Hebrews 10:25 (NIV84) — Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (NIV84) — For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV84) — I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

1 John 5:3–4 (NIV84) — This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

What are the “spiritual forces of evil? What are the means with which we are to engage them? Why is the plural “we” important to remember?

MAKE DISCIPLES AMONG ALL PEOPLE

We believe that, in obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people.

Matthew 28:19 NIV

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

John 20:21 (NIV84) — Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Revelation 7:9 (NIV84) — After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Thus we affirm the missionary mandate as a priority and an integral part of the gospel. God’s gospel is for the world, and we have been given a commission to take it to everyone (Matthew 28:19).

The EFCA Statement of Faith makes explicit the proper concern of all Christians to seek to reach “all people.” Further, it’s use of “among” requires that “all people” be understood to refer not only to all individuals but also to all groups of people. This missionary mandate includes the process of discipleship as well as evangelism.

We believe that as we make disciples, we are always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed. Our witness to the gospel is to be verbal and non-verbal, for who we are and what we do is to reflect the message we bring.

Acts 1:8 (NIV84) — But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Matthew 5:13–16 (NIV84) — “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Memory Verses:

2 Timothy 1:9; Revelation 12:10-11