Our Beliefs

Our doctrine is the foundation by which we serve God. Geist Community Church’s doctrinal statement has been organized into categories to assist you in understanding what we believe and teach through our various ministries.

The 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God and without error in the original writings, embracing all matters which the Biblical writers address, and believe the Bible is the supreme and final authority in faith and life. 2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

There is one God-eternal, Creator, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, existing eternally as three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and one in nature, attributes, power, and glory. Genesis 1:1,26; Proverbs 30:4; Mark 12:29; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 1:1-4, 14,18; Acts 5:3-4.

• God the Father - The Father is the executive head residing at the throne of Heaven. He is working all events of the universe, past present and future to the fulfillment of His plans and purposes. Romans 8:28

• God the Son - The Lord Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and that He is both fully God and fully man. Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; Philippians 2:6-11; Isaiah 7:14; John 1:14

• God the Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit is a divine Person, equal with God the Father and God the Son; that He was active in creation; that He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment; that He is the Agent in the new birth; that He baptizes all believers into the body of Christ at conversion; that He indwells, seals, endows, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer. Psalm 139:7-12; John 14:16,17; 16:13,14; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19

Mankind was created perfect in the image of God, but the first man and woman sinned intentionally which resulted not only in physical death but also spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God. All are born with a sinful nature, and are sinners in thought, word, and deed. Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 1:18,32, 3:10-19, 5:12,19

The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins as a representative, substitutionary sacrifice and rose again for our justification; that all who believe in Him are justified on the basis of His shed blood and are saved by grace through faith wholly apart from human works. Acts 13:39; 16:31; Romans 3:21-28; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:3-8

We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus are born again by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God and thereby become the children of God forever and are eternally secure. John 1:12,13; 3:3-16; 5:24; 10:28,29; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:4-11

Christians should live for the glory of God and the well being of their neighbors. Their conduct should be above reproach and blameless before the world. They should be a faithful steward of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:31; Galatians 6:10; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2, Ephesians 4:13-16

The local Church is an organized congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant, observing the ordinances of Christ, having the offices of elders and deacons, exercising the gifts, rights, privileges, and responsibilities given them by His Word. We believe that the Church which is His Body includes all New Testament believers. Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 7:17; 11:16; 1 Timothy 3:1-15; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 1:22,23, 2:14,15, 5:23-32
We believe that the Scriptural ordinances of the local church are Baptism and the Lord's Supper; that Baptism, by immersion, should be administered to believers only, as an identifying symbol of their belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our death to sin and resurrection to a new walk in life ; that the Lord's Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s death and His atonement for our sins. Matthew 28:19,20; Acts 8:36-39; 18:8; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; I Corinthians 11:23-32.

Our ultimate hope is the glorious return of our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus will physically return to earth as Judge and King to reign from the throne of David. 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Isaiah 9:7.
We believe in the physical resurrection of every person who has ever lived. All believers, whose names are found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, will live forever with God in their perfected bodies in the new heaven and new earth. All unbelievers of all ages, whose names are not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, will be judged at the great white throne, cast into the lake of fire, and eternally separated from God. Daniel 12; 1 Corinthians 15:12-28; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 Revelation 20-22.

God’s design for marriage is a lifetime covenant between one man and one woman. The God-given responsibility of parents is to lovingly train their children in the instruction and knowledge of the Lord. Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 19:3-9; Ephesians 5:18-32, 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 3:4, 5, 12.