405 Hillcrest Ave, State College, Pa. statecollegechurchofchrist@gmail.com (814) 237-2077

What We Believe

As a church family (a group of imperfect people seeking the Lord), we believe the Bible is God’s message revealed to us for the purpose of guiding us toward Him. With this in mind, in the Bible we find essential truths that lay the foundation for our faith in Jesus Christ. These truths are at the core of who we are as a church.

God

  • We believe there is only one God, and he is the Creator of all things visible and invisible. God loves us more than we can imagine.
  • He has revealed himself as a loving father of all people, as a divine human son named Jesus, and as the Holy Spirit. (John 16-17)
  • These three entities are equal and the same and yet are individual in purpose. (John 10:30)
  • God is not limited in any way by his creation or our ideas about him. (Romans 13:1-2)
  • He rules over all creation in love (1 John 4:16), justice (Revelation 15:2-4), and wisdom (Job 12:13-16)
  • Everything that exists was designed by God to be cared for and enjoyed. (Genesis 1)
  • He has a plan for what he created and will accomplish his purposes in the end. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Jesus

  • God, out of his love for the whole world, became human through His son, Jesus Christ.
  • He was miraculously conceived within the Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35) and became flesh and blood (John 1:1-16) without ceasing to be God.
  • He lived a sinless life, provided a perfect example for how we should live, and performed many miracles to confirm his divinity. (Colossians 1:15-20)
  • He died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice, paying the debt for our sins. (1 Peter 2:21-25)
  • On the third day after his death he arose from the dead showing his victory over sin and death. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
  • He appeared to his disciples and then ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God personally interceding on our behalf. (1 Corinthians 15:5-8; Acts 1:9-11)

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a member of the Godhead; consisting of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a Divine person and is distinct from both the Father and Son by both His actions and locality.

The Holy Spirit has revealed God’s Word through the apostles and confirmed it by miracles, wonders, and signs.  These miraculous gifts were also used to build up the early church.

The Holy Spirit is still working today through God’s Word convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come. (John 16:7-8) The Spirit accomplishes this when the Word of God is read or preached and takes root in good and honest hearts.

At baptism, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; the promise of eternal salvation.

The Holy Spirit dwells in us by means of His revealed Word. The Spirit’s powerful tool is the Word of God.

Humankind

  • God created people in his image to care for and enjoy his creation.
  • God unconditionally loves the people he created. (1 John 4:10)
  • All humans have sinned by personally violating God’s will for living, and the penalty of sin is spiritual death or separation from God. (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:23, 6:23)
  • Through his grace, God invites every person to be part of his family and to have a personal relationship with Him. (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1a)
  • Humans are incapable of having personal relationships with God by their own merit or nature. (Ephesians 2:8)
  • God desires for us to love Him because we want to love Him and not because we have to love Him. (1 John 3)

The Bible

  • The Bible is God’s written message to God’s people.
  • The Bible was given to us as the revelation of God, his will and as a guide for life and truth. (2 Timothy 3:16)
  • Several men wrote the Bible over a period of several generations; these men were miraculously led by the Holy Spirit of God. (2 Peter 1:21)
  • Their writings were preserved and accepted by the early church, and we at Heritage accept the Bible as God’s written and authoritative message for the human race.

Salvation

  • Salvation is the free gift of God. The death of Jesus on the cross is the only sufficient payment for our sins.
  • All have sinned, but all can be saved. (Romans 3:23, 6:23)
  • This salvation is available for anyone who puts their trust in Jesus as their Savior. (John 3:16)
  • Those trusting Jesus should repent of sin, confess their faith and be baptized by immersion. (Romans 10:9, Acts 2:38)
  • Those who truly believe are completely secure and safe in God’s grace. (John 10:27- 29).

The Church

  • The church is composed of all the people on the earth who have accepted God’s gift of salvation by trusting in Jesus to make them right with God. These people are called Christians.
  • The church partners with God to accomplish His purposes in this world. (Matthew 28:18-20)
  • God has given His church special ways in which we can draw close to Him personally and enjoy His blessings. (Ephesians 4:1-16)
  • These include prayer, worship, preaching, the Lord’s Supper, Bible study, spiritual gifts, and fasting – connecting people to God, to one another, and to their purposes for living. (Acts 2:42-47)

Jesus’ Return

  • Jesus will one day return and judge all people (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
  • Unbelievers will be separated from God’s presence in Hell and believers will be welcomed in God’s presence in Heaven, where we will live with the Lord forever. (Revelation 20:11-15)