Statement of Faith

We accept the Scriptures as our authority in matters of faith and practice and adopt the following Doctrinal Statement as our interpretation of Bible doctrine.

THE BIBLE

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority.

GOD

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – three in one – co-equal, which is the Trinity.

JESUS CHRIST

We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He is both God and man.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit, one of the three persons of the Trinity, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is the life of every believer, and He empowers the preaching and teaching of the gospel.

MANKIND

We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. All human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners in thought, word, and deed.

ATONEMENT

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood.

RESURRECTION

We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, His ascension into heaven, and His present life there as High Priest and Advocate for all believers.

LAST THINGS

We believe in that “blessed hope,” the personal, pre-tribulational, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

SALVATION

We believe that all who receive salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit, and thereby they become children of God and heirs of eternal life. This is a relationship in which the born-again are eternally secure.

HEAVEN AND HELL

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost, and the joy and peace of the saved; such beliefs demand a literal heaven and hell.

SATAN

We believe in the existence of Satan, who is working in the world to destroy the souls of men, and that he and all his angels and all who do not receive Christ as their Savior will perish eternally in hell.

THE CHURCH

We believe in the Church, the Body of Christ, whose mission is to preach the gospel to all the world with its endeavors being supported by the freewill gifts and offerings of the people, which are in response to the gift of salvation purchased by Christ, not from duty or obligation, but from a grateful, obedient, loving heart.

BAPTISM AND COMMUNION

We believe that the ordinances of the Church, given by our Lord, are baptism (by immersion following conversion) and the Lord’s Supper (communion).

MARRIAGE

We believe that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, as designed by God, and any other union shall not be condoned in its practice nor celebrated by Portage Community Chapel. We also believe Christ’s grace challenges us to minister and care for anyone outside that description with the love of Christ and pursue the reconciliation of His image in every person’s life.