What We Believe

1. God: We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in 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.

2. The Bible: 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.

3. The Human Condition: 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.

4. Jesus Christ: 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.

5. The Work of Christ: 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.

6. The Holy Spirit: 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.

7. The Church: 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.

8. 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 work and deed.

9. Christ’s Return: We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious 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.

10. Response and Eternal Destiny: 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.

Because we believe that the Scripture is inspired by God, authoritative, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice for Christians, we commit to following the Scripture in all areas regarding doctrine and morality. All disputes regarding doctrine or ethics at Riverview Church will be decided by the Elder Board through their interpretation of the Scripture. This constitution cannot clarify and establish all areas of doctrine and ethics. Basic Christian doctrines are included above, and certain ethical teachings are included below in order to clarify the church’s stance on issues that are particularly relevant for our culture.

1. Personal Commitment – It is the call of every Christian to personally exercise his or her faith, to participate in corporate and personal worship, and to use his or her spiritual gifts and resources to serve the church and community. Each individual should practice personal and family Bible reading and prayer and should be accountable to one another in order to grow in love of God and neighbor.

2. Temperance – Temperance is a Christian virtue that means a person should practice self-control in his or her emotions, passions, and appetites. A person should submit to the church for accountability and to the Holy Spirit for aid in overcoming any addictions and excesses. (Exodus 20:6-7, 34:5-7; I Corinthians 6:13-14; Galatians 5:22-23; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:17; I Thessalonians 5:21-22; II Timothy 2:15; Titus 1:8-9, 2:2)

3. Marriage – We believe that marriage is the God ordained union of one man and one woman that is sacred and morally binding for the entire life of both the husband and the wife. We believe that so called “homosexual marriage” is not a legitimate form of marriage. We do not recognize “homosexual marriage” and will not conduct weddings between members of the same sex. We also stand against the rampant and destructive divorce culture that pervades our world. We commit to working to help strengthen and restore marriages that are struggling. We also commit to working redemptively to restore those individuals who have become victims of divorce. Covenant partners who seek divorce against the counsel of church leadership will face church discipline and may be asked to relinquish their covenant partnership and any positions of leadership within the church. (Mark 10:4-12; Rom. 1; Rom. 7:1-3; I Cor. 7:10-16)

4. Human Sexuality – God has uniquely created the sexual union as part of the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. Sexual practices outside of this sacred covenant are sinful and destructive. We believe that fornication (sex outside of marriage), adultery, homosexual acts, and use of pornography are incongruent with God’s created order and are condemned by the Scripture. Christians should refrain from such practices and should seek purity in their lives. It is the church’s responsibility to work redemptively and compassionately with those who struggle with sexual temptation.  We also believe that God has created each person with a distinct biological gender. While some people may struggle to fully identify with their biological gender, the church should work redemptively to help such individuals better identify with their created gender rather than to artificially attempt to change their gender. (Lev. 18:22, 20:13; Rom. 1:26-27; I Cor. 6:9-10)

5. Human Life – We believe that God has created all humans in His own image, and that all people are precious and valuable. We believe that human life begins at conception and that unborn children are fully human and share the same value and dignity that all humans are given by God. Therefore we stand against our culture’s devaluing and destruction of human life due to social convenience through the practices of abortion and euthanasia. (Exodus 20:13, Psa. 139:13-16)

6. Citizenship – We believe that God uses civil governments to maintain social order and justice. It is the duty of the Christian to be a good citizen and to show love to his or her neighbors. Christians should live at peace with others and should honor and obey civil laws, unless a law is unjust and violates God’s law.  (Matt. 22:17-21; Acts 4:19-20; 5:28-29, 23:5; Romans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1-2)