What We Believe

We believe in one God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of all things visible and invisible.
We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the eternal Word, the one and only Savior.
- Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, both fully human and fully divine; Who lived a sinless life; Who suffered and was crucified as an atonement for sin; Who rose again bodily from the dead on the third day; Who ascended into Heaven; and Who will return in victory to rule forever.
We believe in the Holy Spirit.
- Who convicts of sin; Who indwells every Christian; Who helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us in prayer; and Who empowers us to a fruitful Christian life.

We believe in the Bible—God’s Word.

We believe God inspired the original writings of the Scripture and those original writings were consequently without error.
We believe that the Bible is the final authority for all matters of faith, truth, morality, and Christian living.
We believe the Bible teaches that God is the Creator and Sustainer of human life; that God creates each person in His image; and that life is therefore sacred, from conception to natural death. We believe that God creates each person as male or female; that these two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the “image of God” in humankind; and that each person’s biological gender is an intrinsic, immutable aspect of his or her nature and identity.
We believe the Bible teaches that God established marriage in the beginning as a lifelong, exclusive relationship between one man and one woman; that He has reserved sexual intimacy as an expression of love and commitment between married couples; and that any intimate expression of sexuality outside of Biblical marriage is sin.

We believe in the Gospel—the Good News of Salvation.

That man, created by God, willfully sinned against God, and is consequently lost and without hope apart from Jesus Christ.
That salvation—the forgiveness of sins—is only by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ.
That one receives salvation by putting faith in Christ, repenting of sin, and confessing Christ, and that the Bible commands every believer in Christ to be baptized by immersion.
That those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ are sent into the world to proclaim the Gospel and to love and serve the world just as Jesus Himself did.

We believe in the Church of Jesus Christ, founded on the Day of Pentecost, consisting of all Christians everywhere, and organized into local assemblies, called churches.

We believe the Bible teaches that every Christian should be an active member of a local church.
We believe that the Elders of the church are the overseers of its affairs and the shepherds of its members; that they are the final interpretive authority of the Bible’s meaning and application for the church; and that they are responsible for the oversight, instruction, edification, discipline, and restoration of church members.
We believe that the Bible instructs church members to:

Meet together regularly for fellowship, worship, teaching, and the Lord’s Supper. Use our natural abilities and spiritual gifts to serve one another.
Love one another, bear with one another, accept one another, and forgive one another.
Seek unity, agreement, and peace with one another.
Encourage and build up one another.
Bear one another’s burdens and pray for one another.
Spur one another to love and good deeds.
Submit to the authority of the Elders of the church.
Support the church financially.
Pursue personal holiness and obedience to God’s Word.
Strive together to fulfill the Great Commission.

Baptism

We at New Beginnings enjoy celebrating with those who have made the decision to declare Jesus as Lord and Savior by being baptized. We believe that baptism serves as a symbol of the burial of the old self and the resurrection of your soul to walk in life with Christ.

Who should be baptized?

Everyone who is willing to repent of their sins and confess their belief in Christ should be baptized (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38-39).

How and when should I be baptized?

The word for “baptism” in the New Testament is the Greek word baptizo, which means “to immerse in water.” The New Testament says baptism represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:1-5). Baptism serves as a symbol of the burial of the old self and the resurrection of the believer’s soul to walk in life with Christ. Therefore, we baptize people by immersing them in water. If you have been sprinkled, we would love to talk to you about why immersion is important.

A person should be baptized at the time he or she trusts in Christ. The Bible teaches we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), but in the New Testament church, a person’s baptism was always the first expression of faith, not separate from it. Therefore, baptism was not just a symbol or a memorial of faith but was intended to offer a means of union with Christ and a benchmark of transformation, marking the place and time a person made a commitment to Christ (Romans 6:1-8). We are attempting to restore the original intent and practice of baptism. Therefore, we ask a person to be baptized at the point that he or she is ready to make a commitment to Christ.

Why should I be baptized?

A person should be baptized to follow the example of Christ (Matthew 3:13-17), to obey Christ’s command (Matthew 28:18), to accept forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16), to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), to express trust in Christ (Acts 8:12-13), and to testify to God’s work in his or her life (Romans 6:1-8; Galatians 3:27). The only method by which the human soul can be wiped clean of sin is through the blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:27-10:7), and this “washing away” of sin is most clearly symbolized in the act of baptism (Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21).

The act of baptism cannot save an individual. We are saved only through accepting Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Baptism demonstrates the believer’s acceptance of Christ and is the point of time when the believer receives assurance of his or her faith.

Should a person ever be re-baptized?

Any person who has trusted in Jesus as the only Son of God and who has willingly been immersed into Christ may become a member of New Beginnings whether the baptism occurred here or elsewhere. Rebaptism is encouraged for those who lack confidence in their initial baptism experience because they don’t remember it, they were coerced, or their heart was not right with God at the time. Anyone who has fallen into sin after having been baptized should repent and seek forgiveness, but re-baptism is not necessary (Acts 8:13-24).