The
Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of
autonomous churches united around these theological
convictions:
God
1.
We believe in one God,
Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and
eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally
divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God
has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a
people for Himself and to make all things new for His own
glory.
The
Bible
2.
We believe that God
has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments,
through the words of human authors. As the verbally
inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the
original writings, the complete revelation of His will for
salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm
of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged.
Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches,
obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it
promises.
The
Human Condition
3.
We believe that God
created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when
tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are
sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God,
and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work
in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and
renewed.
Jesus
Christ
4.
We believe that Jesus
Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one
Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel's promised
Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and
born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was
crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from
the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right
hand of God the Father as our High Priest
and Advocate.
The
Work of Christ
5.
We believe that Jesus
Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His
blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient
sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and
victorious resurrection constitute the only
ground for salvation.
The
Holy Spirit
6.
We believe that the
Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus
Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates
sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with
Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also
indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers
believers for Christ-like living and service.
The
Church
7.
We believe that the
true church comprises all who have been justified by God's
grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are
united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which
He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local
churches, whose membership should be composed only of
believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism
and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and
tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means
of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine
faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the
believer.
Christian
Living
8.
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.
Christ’s
Return
9.
We believe in the
personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to
God, demands constant expectancy and, as our
blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living,
sacrificial service and energetic mission.
Response
and Eternal Destiny
10.
We believe that God
commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by
turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord
Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the
dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the
unbeliever to condemnation and eternal
conscious punishment and the believer to eternal
blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven
and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious
grace. Amen.
P.A.E.F.C
MISSION STATEMENT
We, the
Portland
Avenue
Evangelical
Free
Church , exists
to glorify God by providing a place and an environment for
worshipping Him (Psalm
95:6-7); making our
church a "house of prayer" (
1 Timothy 2:8); helping
Christians reach their true maturity in Christ through
instruction in The Word and oppertunities for service
(Ephesians
4:13); and
enthusiatically introducing others to Christ in our
community and around the world (Matthew
28:19-20).