WHAT IS SALVATION?
Salvation is the gracious and loving gift of Jesus’ sacrifice through His death and resurrection, offering humanity a way to heal the separation and emptiness caused by sin. It fulfills the deep desire in our souls to reconnect with our Creator and rediscover our true purpose. Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS?
Having a relationship with Jesus means accepting His solution for sin and His gift of restoration with our Creator. Like any relationship, it grows over time through intentional effort and a prioritized focus on connecting with Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father—three in one.
What We Believe - The Essentials
Scripture
The Bible is the inspired word of God, is reliable and is the final authority for faith and practice. (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20,21; 2 Tim 1:13; Ps 119,105,160, 12:6; Prov 30:5)
God
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. (Gen 1:1,26,27; Ps 90:2; Mt 28:19; 1 Pet 1:2; 2 Cor 13:14)
Jesus
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father, Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return someday to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. (Mt 1:22,23; Isa 9:6; Jn 1: 1-5; 14:10-30; Heb 4:14, 15; 1 Cor 15:3,4; Rom 1:3,4; Acts1:9-11; 1 Tim6:14-15;Titus 2:13)
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make us aware of our need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. As we claim in faith His infilling, He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift or gifts. As Christians, we seek to live under His control and daily empowerment. (2 Cor 3:17; John 16:7-13,14,16,17; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor 2:12, 3:16; Eph 1:13; Gal 5:25; Eph 5:18; Acts 8:14-17; Acts 11:15-17)
Sin
Our sin revokes our relationship with God, others, and our life purpose. Humans have a sin nature due to the fall and all are in need of a savior Jesus. (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Genesis 3:17-19; John 14:6)
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. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. (Rom 6:23; Eph 2:8,9; Jn 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5)
The Gathering
The Church is the body of Christ who gathers weekly for praise, hearing a message from God’s word, and serving together. (1 Corinthians 12:27; Hebrews 10:24-25; Ephesians 5:19-20; Acts 2:42; Galatians 6:10)
Jesus Return
We believe that Jesus Christ will come again (Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; John 14:1-3) and reign eternally (Philippians 2:9-11).
Humanity
People are made in the image of God. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life. We believe that God created, and science confirms there are two binary human genders equal in divine stature and distinguished as male and female. (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 5:2; Romans 3:23; Jeremiah 17:9; Psalm 139:13-14)
Sexuality
We believe in the unique nature of human beings that defines human sexual intimacy between one man and one woman in a marital union. Followers of Jesus seek freedom from sexual sin. (Acts 15:28-29; Romans 11:17; Acts 15:28-29; Romans 11:17; Genesis 2:24)
Beliefs We Hold But Not Essentials For Salvation
Water Baptism
We believe water baptism is for ‘believers’—an action that follows a personal conversion. We practice believers’ baptism. We are aware that many Bible-believing Christians experience water baptism differently. We respect their view and see this issue as one that Christians can disagree with each other on and not part ways. If believers in our church choose not to be baptized our way, because of biblical conviction (not just convenience or tradition), then we respect their views and we enthusiastically welcome them as partners. We practice baptism by immersion but do not see this as a major issue. What if there is a shortage of water? Christians can and do disagree on many aspects of baptism, we still recognize that baptism is an important step of obedience to Jesus Christ, to symbolize that he has saved us, and we testify we are his. We do not believe baptism is necessary for salvation; for it is by grace alone through faith we are saved. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 1:14-17)
Baptism of The Holy Spirit
We believe that every Christian receives the Holy Spirit upon trusting Christ as their Savior. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer, teaching, leading, guiding, directing, and empowering them. This indwelling unites the believer with the body of Christ at the moment of conversion. While the term "baptize" can also be used in a broader, non-technical sense, God invites His followers to seek daily renewal and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Prayers such as "Lord, fill me with Your Holy Spirit today" or "Holy Spirit, manifest Your power through me today" reflect this ongoing dependence. We are encouraged to seek the Holy Spirit for God's gifts and to bear His fruit. We believe that the Holy Spirit continues to distribute all spiritual gifts today; no gifts ceased in the past. A believer receives the Spirit of God regardless of whether they manifest a particular gift. Moreover, no single gift is meant for everyone, and no one possesses all of the gifts. The manifestation of gifts is situational, dependent on the Holy Spirit's will at any given moment. (1 Corinthians 12:13; John 14:26; Romans 8:14; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
Eschatology
We believe that Jesus Christ is coming again, and those who have believed in Him as their Savior will be gathered with Him at that time. We do not specify, in our core beliefs, the exact timing of such an event. We believe Jesus and the cross ushered in God’s kingdom in our midst and the fulfillment of His Kingdom will appear upon Christ’s return. We see miracles, the Holy Spirit, and the power of God in the world around us and that we, God’s children, are to steward this world for God and His glory. Our teaching will emphasize we need to live ready for Jesus’ return. (Matthew 24:42; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Peter 3:8-10; Titus 2:13; Revelation 22:12)
Salvation Security
We believe followers of Christ are very secure in their salvation. Once deciding to follow Christ, the indwelling and transformations of the Holy Spirit take place. Even after a decision for Christ, we are still free will beings. We’re transformed by the Spirit by submitting to the Spirit. Sometimes, and often due to extreme trauma or circumstance, people regress from submission to the Spirit, continually hardening their hearts, and are at risk of abandoning their faith and relationship with Jesus. This is not “losing salvation” like one loses their car keys. Followers of Christ are very, very secure in their salvation and can also neglect their faith to the point of a conscious decision to abandon or even reject Jesus Christ and the free gift of salvation. (Hebrews 3:12-14; John 15:5-6; Galatians 5:4; 2 Peter 2:20-21; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Timothy 4:1-2)
Generational Sin
There is human responsibility and the freedom to choose or reject God. Sin is seen as a deliberate violation of God’s will, leading to separation from Him. While humanity is depraved due to the fall, individuals are still capable of choosing faith through the prevenient grace offered by God and are not born into damnation, but born with a sin-nature. God’s grace enables humans to respond to God’s call, highlighting the importance of free will in the process of salvation. Sin hinders one’s relationship with God, but through faith in Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, believers can pursue holiness and victory over sin. (Deuteronomy 30:19; Romans 3:23-24; Titus 2:11-12; John 1:12-13; 1 Peter 1:15-16)
Prophecy
We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word reveals God’s desire for the body of Christ to practice the Holy Spirit's gift of prophecy with an attitude to preserve and protect the body of Christ from those who would lead people astray. Much of the prophetic word gift is used within the context of preaching or bringing the message of scripture from the stage to the large group gathering. Private prophetic words can be given to NHCC pastors for discernment and action.
Women as Ministers
We believe that women and men are equally created in God’s image and given equal authority and stewardship of God’s kingdom. We affirm a classic traditional egalitarian theology. We hold to a classic orthodox position of women leading in the local body. We avoid later reformation views on this issue. We do not believe gifts of the Holy Spirit or authority are dictated by gender. Therefore, gender is not the point of entry or exit for ministry. There are difficult passages for all positions on this issue and there is a need for great humility and sensitivity. This means that at NHCC, women can vision cast, instruct, and lead from any physical platform and in any ministry affirmed by leadership. That is not limited to and includes the board of directors, lead pastor, pastor, and director which are all overseeing roles. As Jesus followers, the Bible is our authority, and we wrestle with the passages that address the issue from both and all reasonable exegesis and argument. (See 1 Timothy 2:8-15, 1 Corinthians 11:2-16; 14:34-35, Acts 2:17-21; 21:9, Romans 16:1-2, Galatians 3:28, Judges 4) Our position is in alignment with our association in the Church of God, Anderson Indiana, whereas since 1876, this Wesleyan holiness movement, recognized women as co-equal partners and submissive to one another in the family home and in local church leadership.
Salvation by Grace Alone
We do not believe in salvation through works or morality or baptism or promises to obey. We believe in salvation by grace and through trust in Jesus. We become Christians by trusting Jesus Christ as Savior. We believe in Jesus to give us life and a relationship with God that begins now and lasts for eternity. The way to God is by grace, through faith and trust. The Bible teaches this continually, especially in books such as John, Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians. We do not become Christians by promising to obey him. We should do that as a response to salvation. Every follower of Jesus will commit their entire life and all they are to Jesus. But we are saved, that is regenerated, by trusting a Savior who died for our sin and rose again. We transfer our trust from self (being good enough) to Jesus and start by simply believing in Jesus effective power to save us. (See John 1:12, 3:15-16, 5:24, Romans 3:21-31, Ephesians 2:8-9). We recognize that a mark of a true believer is obedience and Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Sanctity of Human Life
We believe that the primary message of Christians to those who support abortion must not be one of condemnation and judgment, but the love and grace of Jesus Christ and the freedom he brings us. The Bible teaches that human life begins at conception and therefore abortion is an interruption of God’s plan and is sin. We realize that many people, both inside and outside the church, have been scarred by the guilt and shame of abortion and we offer the liberating, healing grace and complete forgiveness of Jesus. (See Psalm 139; Psalm 51; Luke 1-2.) The Bible teaches that all human life is sacred and created by God in his image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life (Psalms 139).