The Essentials We Believe
As a local church we recognize that Christians exist around the world who do not agree on every detail of doctrine. Our unity as a universal church is based solely on the person and work of Jesus and not on absolute agreement of other doctrines outside the atoning work of Jesus. As a local fellowship of believers, we at Southside hold to the following doctrinal beliefs:
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| About God |
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three coequal persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving and all wise. |
Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22 Psalm 90:2
Matthew 28:192 Corinthians 13:141
Peter 1:2
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| About Jesus Christ |
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He is coequal with the Father. Jesus, while upon this earth, was God revealed in the flesh. He was both fully God and fully man. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life, died a substitutionary death on the cross, was resurrected bodily from the grave, ascended to heaven, and currently sits at the right hand of God. He is coming again personally and visibly to claim His bride, the Church, and will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. |
Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 52:12-53
Zechariah 9:9
Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 20:28; 26:37-39
John 1:1-18; 1:29-34; 10:30
Acts 1:9-11
Romans 1:3-4 1Corinthians 15:3-4
1 Timothy 6:14- 15
Titus 2:13
Hebrews 4:14
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| About the Holy Spirit |
The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with the power for living, understanding spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift(s), when he is saved, to be used in ministry to others. As Christians we seek to live daily under His control. |
John 16:7-13; 14:16-17
Acts 1:8
1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:16
2 Corinthians 3:17
Galatians 5:25
Ephesians 1:13, 5:18
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| About the Bible |
The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source for true Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. |
Psalm 12:6; 119:105, 160
Proverbs 30:5
2 Timothy 1:13; 3:16
2 Peter 1:20,21
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| About Salvation |
Salvation is God’s free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. |
John 1:12, 10:28-29, 14:6
Romans 5:1, 6:23
Galatians 3:26
Ephesians 2:8,9
2 Timothy 1:12
Titus 3:5
Hebrews 7:25, 10:10, 14
1 Peter 1:3-5
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| About Man |
Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was given by his Creator freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Only the grace of God can bring man into His fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. |
Genesis 1:26-30
Psalm 8:3-6
Isaiah 53:6a; 59:1,2
Romans 3:23, 5:12-21
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| About Eternity |
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation that is found in Jesus alone. To be eternally separated from God is hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence. |
John 3:16, 14:17
Romans 6:23, 8:17-18
1 Corinthians 2:7-9
Revelation 20:15
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| About the Church |
The church (comprised of believers throughout the world) is the spiritual organism of which Christ is the Head. The church universal is a collection of local churches that have unity, not in every detail of philosophy and doctrine, but in a common head, Jesus Christ, and a common mission. The local church (a portion of the Body of Christ) is an autonomous (self-ruled) group of believers who have organized themselves to do the work of God’s ministry. The church exists to worship God, disciple and care for believers, and to evangelize a lost world. The two church ordinances in which all believers are to participate are water baptism (by immersion) and communion. |
Matthew 3:13-17, 16:13-19, 28:18-20
Mark 4:22-26
Acts 2:38, 8:38-39, 18:8, 20:17-18, 28
Romans 6:1-5
1 Corinthians 11:23-34
Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:23
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| About Baptism and the Lord’s Supper |
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. Being a church ordinance, scriptural baptism is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of Christ. |
Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20
Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26
Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20
John 3:23
Acts 2:41-42, 8:35-39, 16:30-33, 20:7
Romans 6:3-5
1 Corinthians 10:16, 21; 11:23-29
Colossians 2:12
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| About Eternal Security |
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security. |
John 10:28-29
2 Timothy 1:12
Hebrews 7:25, 10:10-14
1 Peter 1:3-5)
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