What We Believe

ZOE’s Doctrinal Statement

Scripture – God has faithfully revealed Himself and His truth in the physical creation, in the Scriptures, and supremely in Jesus Christ; the Scriptures (Old and New Testaments) are verbally inspired by God and completely without error (inerrant) in the original writing, so that they are of supreme and final authority in all matters they address.

Creation – God created the physical universe out of nothing. The creation faithfully declares God’s existence, power, glory and wisdom.

God – There is one sovereign God, eternally existing as three infinite and distinct persons: the everlasting Father, His only begotten Son, and the life-giving Holy Spirit. All three persons share equally and completely the one divine nature, and are therefore the same God, coequal in power, nature, and glory.

Jesus Christ – Jesus Christ is both true God and true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, existing in one person and without sin. His crucified body was resurrected from the dead; He ascended into heaven as Lord of all, where His present work continues as High Priest and Advocate.

Holy Spirit – The Holy Spirit indwells and gives life to believers, enables them to understand the Scriptures, empowers them for godly living, and equips them for service and witness. For unbelievers, the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, draws them to Christ, and recreates the inner person for intimate relationship with God.

Mankind – God directly created Adam and Eve in His own image, in a state of original righteousness for fellowship with Himself; they were the historical parents of the entire human race, distinct from all other living creatures.

Our first parents rebelled against God’s revealed will and thereby incurred both physical and spiritual death. As a result, all human beings are born with a nature that leads them to sin in thought, word and deed.

Satan and Evil – Satan, sin, spiritual death and evil powers are real, and all these have been defeated by God in the cross of Christ.

Redemption – The Lord Jesus Christ died in humanity’s place, bearing the full penalty for our sin, perfectly fulfilling the law of God, and triumphing over all evil. All who believe in Him are credited with Jesus’ righteousness and forgiven of all their sins.

Justification – All who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith are born into new life through the Holy Spirit. They thereby become children of God, enabled to love, worship and commune with Him.

Resurrection – The bodily resurrection of the just and unjust leads to the everlasting blessedness in heaven of those who have accepted God’s offer of new life, and the everlasting separation from God and torment in hell of those who have rejected it.

The Church – The one, holy, universal Church is the body of Christ and is composed of all true believers at all times and places. The function of the Church is to carry out the Lord’s expressed will through the power of the Holy Spirit, by proclaiming the gospel of God’s redemptive love through our Lord Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth by word and deed.

Future Things – Jesus Christ will soon return to this earth, personally, visibly, and unexpectedly, in power and great glory, to gather His own, to raise the dead, to judge all humanity, and to establish his glorious reign in a kingdom that will never end. We look forward to the blessed hope, Christ’s second coming in glory.

The Great Commission – The Lord Jesus Christ has commissioned all believers to proclaim the good news of eternal life in Himself throughout the world and to disciple, baptize, and teach people everywhere to follow Him and to obey His Word.