What We Believe

God

We believe in the one true and eternal God who is at the very foundation of our lives and is the eternal God revealed in Scripture. He is the God who created all things and sustains and guides all things according to His perfect divine purposes. God is one but exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Though they are co-equal, coexistent, and co-eternal, they play different roles in human history, working together in creation, revelation, redemption and the final judgment.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity. Jesus is fully human and fully God, united in one Person forever. He became flesh (incarnation), through his miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary (virgin birth). Jesus, the Son of God, lived in perfect obedience to God the Father and then died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sins (atonement). On the third day he was bodily resurrected to new life – a prelude to our own bodily resurrection when Christ returns. After ascending into heaven, he is now seated at the right hand of God the Father and is our Mediator.

The Bible

We believe in every word of the Old and New Testaments as originally given, and that God inspired humans to write it without error. The Bible is the Word of God. It is the absolute truth and therefore is the standard of faith as well as the ultimate handbook for every aspect in a believer’s life.

Sin and Mankind

Mankind, male and female, Adam and Eve, were created by God and are unique in God’s creation in that they bear the divine image of God. That image became distorted and fractured by sin.

Theologically, our sinful condition is called original sin. It means that in our origins as human beings, because of the fall of Adam and Eve from their perfect state to one of disobedience to and rebellion against God, sin has played a never-ending role. Since the fall, all persons are sinners from birth in need of God’s forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Our sin affects the totality of our lives. We cannot, on our own, establish the relationship with God that God wants us to have. We cannot, because our lives are oriented away from God and toward ourselves so that we do not desire to live otherwise. The results are that our loves, our choices, our whole life’s directions are turned in upon ourselves and turned away from God’s purposes for us. We cannot change our natures by ourselves. We need divine help if we are to find forgiveness, freedom from guilt and sin. In short, we need a Savior.

Baptism Overview

Baptism is appointed for the solemn admission of the one who is baptized into the visible church, which is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, outside of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.
The sacrament of baptism shall be administered only once to each person. The one who comes to faith after receiving Christian baptism does not need to be and should not be baptized again. Baptism is the sign of God’s covenant with His people, signifying and sealing all that He has promised to them and all that He requires of them.

The Baptism of Adults

Those who desire to commit their lives to Christ, and enter into communicant membership in Christ’s Church, and who have not been baptized, should receive the sacrament of baptism. Before the sacrament is administered, it is desirable that such persons receive instruction concerning the meaning of the sacrament, the nature of the Church and the Christian faith, and the privileges and obligations attendant upon membership in the Church.

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The Baptism of Children

The baptism of infant or young children is identical in meaning with the baptism of those making a profession of faith. God’s covenant is made with believers and their children, whether born to them or adopted into their families. Baptism sets forth the grace of God in Jesus Christ and affirms that all who believe and their children are heirs of this covenant of grace, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself. In the sacrament of baptism they are acknowledged to be members of the household and family of God. God’s name and claim are placed upon them and His covenant promises and demands are thereby signified and sealed. It is thus the responsibility of parents to present their children for baptism at an early age.

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The Lord’s Supper / Communion

The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is to be administered as instructed by our Lord in the New Testament. We do not limit this most sacred sacrament to members of Chapel by the Sea alone. All who have been baptized and have made a profession of faith and have entered into communion with Christ in the visible Church are invited to participate. The Sacrament of Communion is observed on the first Sunday of every month. Additional observances may be held during other times of the year.

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