What We Believe

Any time someone is checking out a new church, the first thing they want to know is what you believe, but many of them immediately get caught up in man-made labels. Are you Catholic or Protestant? What denomination? Fundamentalist? Calvinist? Emergent? Missional?

We’re not sure God really digs all those labels, so we don’t get too wrapped up in them either. We believe in a living, loving, forgiving God who invites us into a relationship with Him through faith in His son Jesus. We gladly welcome anybody who wants to get to know God, regardless of creed, race, sexual orientation, or any of those other names that we tend to apply to ourselves. We believe God’s story is the most beautiful, powerful, life-changing story ever. The message of unconditional love that Jesus told can overcome any barriers or divisions that we humans create, so we want to share that story with anyone who will listen.

Because we aren’t really using any man-made labels to talk about religion, it’s important for you to know what we believe as a church. This isn’t everything, but these are the essential things we as members of the Real Live Church all agree on.

God is real, but He isn’t necessarily some old white dude with a beard hanging out on a cloud. He has always existed as one God in three persons (the Trinity — Father, Son, and Spirit), and He’s perfect.

God is the source of all life and love and creation and beauty in the universe. God made the universe as a display of His power, creativity, and splendor. God created humans, both male and female, to have a relationship with Him. We were all equally made in the image of God to represent Him in the world.

The first people, Adam and Eve, messed everything up when they chose not to listen to God. Because of one simple act of disobedience, the whole world was affected. Death and disease entered the world, and we’re all born with a rebellious spirit that drives a wedge between us and God. God kicked Adam and Eve out of paradise because of that disobedience, but He promised that one day He would send someone to fix everything.

Two thousand years ago, a man named Jesus showed up. Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary. He was God’s son, but He was also God in the flesh. He lived a perfect life of obedience to God. He challenged the religious leaders of the time and told them they were missing the point and getting it all wrong. God is about love, not legalism. God values relationships with real, messed up people, not just those who pretend to be perfect by following a long list of rules. The religious leaders didn’t like what Jesus was teaching, so they killed Him.

Jesus didn’t stay dead though. He rose from the dead just like He said He would, and everything changed. Because of Him alone, we humans have a way to restore our relationship with God. He loved us enough to send His son to die as a sacrifice to pay for our rebellion. All we have to do is confess our sins, believe in Jesus, submit to Him as leader of our lives, and follow His example for living.

After Jesus was resurrected, He gave us a mission: to live as He lived and to share His story with the world. Then He ascended into Heaven with a promise that He will return one day.

Jesus didn’t abandon us though. He sent the Holy Spirit to help us. The Spirit urges us to turn away from our rebellious lifestyles and to embrace a relationship with God through Jesus. It empowers us to live in obedience to God and equips us to carry out the mission Jesus gave us.

Jesus also gave us the church. It isn’t a place though. It is a group of people — those of us who are committed to Jesus and each other and are working to carry out His mission. We’re led by qualified men who teach us what we need to know to live our lives properly and to share the story of Jesus with those around us. We as the church practice two ordinances as testimony of our faith: baptism and communion.

One day, Jesus will return as He promised. He will bring those who believe in Him into God’s physical presence. Jesus will destroy evil once and for all and will make all things new. We don’t know when this will happen though, so we need to be ready.