Vision Statement:
The chief aim of Hillside Community Church is Christ; glorifying the Father, by His Spirit in us and through us.
A. THE SCRIPTURES
- Scripture, as it appeared in the original manuscripts, is the Divinely inspired, in-errant Word of God
- All scripture is centered on Christ
- All scripture is for our instruction and correction
B. THE GODHEAD
- The Godhead is three persons – The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
C. ANGELS, FALLEN AND UN-FALLEN
- Angels are sinless, spiritual created beings
- Satan (Lucifer) is an angel who fell because of pride
- Satan is the originator of sin, who is the enemy of God and all believers
- Demons are fallen angels accompanying Satan
- Angels who did not fall minister to believers
D. MAN: CREATED AND FALLEN
- Man was originally created in the image of God
- He (Adam) fell through sin, lost his spiritual life and thus died
- He passed on his sin nature to all the human race
- The human race is born in a depraved and lost condition
E. THE DISPENSATIONS
- Human history is divided into different dispensations or stewardship periods
- Each dispensation has shown the failure of mankind to live righteously
- The current dispensation of Grace will be followed by a 7 year period which conclude the dispensation of Law
- The future dispensation of the Millennial Kingdom will take place after the 2nd advent of Christ
- God has shown salvation by grace in each dispensation
F. THE FIRST ADVENT
- Jesus was born of a virgin in a sinless human body
- Jesus was both perfect man and perfect God
- Jesus fulfilled the prophesies as Israel’s Messiah
- He was born as a sacrifice for the sins of all the world
- He died on the cross, was buried and was resurrected
- He physically ascended into heaven
- He is now before the Father as our High Priest
G. SALVATION ONLY THROUGH CHRIST
- A person must be born again to receive eternal life
- Salvation is by faith alone in the substitutionary death of Christ on our behalf
H. THE EXTENT OF SALVATION
- When a person is born again they are a new creation, fully justified and accepted by God
- At the moment of re-birth our salvation is complete and we posses every spiritual blessing
I. SANCTIFICATION
- Sanctification has a past, present and future aspect
- Past – when we were placed positionally in Christ at re-birth
- Present – we are being sanctified now as the Holy Spirit perfects us
- Future – when we shall be fully changed and fully conformed to the image of Christ
J. ETERNAL SECURITY
- Every born again believer is eternally secure in that their salvation cannot be lost
- If we continually sin, God will chasten us, but we will not lose our salvation
K. ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
- Salvation is assured because it is based on the promises in the written Word of God
- Salvation is assured because it is based on the work of Christ on the cross
L. THE HOLY SPIRIT
- The Holy Spirit was given universally to believers on the Day of Pentecost
- He indwells every person from the moment of conversion
- He is at work in believers, energizing them by the use of spiritual gifts for specific ministries
- The gifts of speaking in tongues and healing were temporary during the formation of the early church and are not for the today
M. THE CHURCH, A UNITY OF BELIEVERS
- The church is the Body and Bride of Christ and is composed of all believers who have been born-again by the Holy Spirit
- The church is distinct from Israel
N. THE SACRAMENTS OR ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH
- Water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the only sacraments for the church in this dispensation
O. THE CHRISTIAN’S WALK
- Christians are to walk in and by the power of the Holy Spirit
- Our old Adamic nature can still affect our walk unless we are yielded to the Holy Spirit
P. THE CHRISTIAN’S SERVICE
- The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to believers to empower them for service to God
Q. THE GREAT COMMISSION
- Believers are to act as ambassadors, and witnesses of Christ to those that are not saved
R. THE BLESSED HOPE
- Christ will return to gather all born-again believers to Himself (“Rapture”) before the Great Tribulation
S. THE TRIBULATION
- After the “Rapture” of the Church there will be a 7 year period of Tribulation
- The 7 year period of the Tribulation is the seventieth week of Daniel which will conclude the dispensation of Law
T. THE SECOND ADVENT (COMING) OF CHRIST
- Christ will personally return at the end of the Tribulation to set up His Kingdom on earth which will last for 1000 years
- Christ will rule as King in the Millennial Kingdom which will complete the covenant God made with Israel
U. THE ETERNAL STATE
- Christ will personally return at the end of the Tribulation to set up His Kingdom on earth which will last for 1000 years
- Christ will rule as King in the Millennial Kingdom which will complete the covenant God made with Israel
