What We Believe

God eternally exists as three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The three distinct persons of the Trinity are all fully God; all of God’s attributes are true of each person and together they are one God.
 
While the word “trinity” never appears in Scripture, we see evidence of the Trinity throughout Scripture
 
Genesis 1:26 | Psalm 110:1 | Isaiah 6:8 | Matthew 3:16-17 | Matthew 28:19 | John 1:1-5 | John 13:20 | 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 | 2 Corinthians 13:14 | Ephesians 2:18 | 1 Peter 1:2

The first member of the Trinity is God the Father. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things.

God is sovereign and infinite, meaning He has no limitations. God the Father can be intimately known, but because of His infiniteness, He can never be fully known.

God the Father can only be known through Jesus.
 
Genesis 1:1 | Colossians 1:16 | Acts 4:24 | Hebrews 1:3 | Revelation 4:11 | Psalm 145:3 | Jeremiah 9:23-24 | Romans 11:33 | John 14:6

Jesus is God incarnate as man – simultaneously fully God and fully human. He was born of a virgin, Mary, and conceived by the Holy Spirit. He lived a perfect and sinless life. Though He was tempted as we are tempted, (and suffered as we suffer), He did not sin. Therefore, He was able to present Himself to God as an unblemished sacrifice for our sins.
 
Jesus said that He came to seek and to save those who were lost; to serve instead of being served. He was betrayed, beaten, mocked, and crucified on the cross, where He died as a willing sacrifice for everyone. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death and making a way for us to be reconciled with God.
 
Jesus will return one day in glory. He will judge the world, and take those who follow Him to live in the presence of God for eternity.

Luke 24:39 | John 1:1 | John 1:18 | Romans 9:5 | Colossians 1:19 | Colossians 2:9 | Matthew 1:18-20 | Luke 1:34-35 | John 15:10 | 2 Corinthians 5:21 | Hebrews 4:15 | Hebrews 9:26 | 1 Peter 3:18 | 1 John 3:5 | Hebrews 2:18 | Hebrews 7:26 | Philippians 2:5-11 | Matthew 27:27-30 | Mark 15:24 | Luke 23:26-49 | John 19:16-37 | John 10:18 | Matthew 28:1-20 | Mark 16:1-8 | Luke 24:1-53 | John 20:1-23 | 1 Corinthians 15:20 | Ephesians 1:19-20 | 1 Peter 1:3 | Luke 24:50-51 | Acts 1:9-11 | Matthew 25:31-46 | John 14:2-3

The Bible is the authoritative and inerrant Word of God. It is God’s revelation about Himself to man. It is historically accurate and internally consistent, telling one story of redemption pointing to Jesus Christ.
 
God used over 40 different authors to write the 66 books of the Bible, all divinely directed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the living Word of God, applicable to all times.
 
Numbers 23:19 | Psalm 12:6 | Proverbs 30:5 | John 17:17 | 2 Timothy 3:16 | 1 Peter 1:20-21 | Hebrews 4:12

God created humans in His image. We rebelled against God through sin and separated ourselves from His glory! Therefore, we are in need of redemption and restoration to the intended likeness for which we were created.

Genesis 1:27 | Genesis 5:1-2 | Romans 3:23 | Romans 5:12 | 1 Corinthians 15:49 | Colossians 3:10

Salvation is a gift from God that can never be earned through good works or self-improvement. Salvation is only available by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is based on His work on the cross, where He sacrificially died, bearing the sin and punishment of all mankind, and paying the price required of sin for all those who believe in Him.

John 1:12 | John 3:16 | Ephesians 1:7 | Ephesians 2:8-9 | Romans 3:23-25 | Romans 5:6-9 | Romans 6:23

The church is the community of all true followers of Jesus Christ. The church is the body of Christ – with Christ as the head – and tasked with a mission to make disciples, teaching and baptizing and spreading the Good News of Christ.
Jesus’ followers are called to take an active part in the body of a local church, where we worship, grow in our faith, serve, and pray for and nurture one another as we grow to maturity in faith.
 
Ephesians 5:23 | Matthew 28:18-20 | Acts 1:8 | 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 | Ephesians 1:22-23 | Hebrews 10:25 | Colossians 3:16 | Ephesians 5:16-20 | 2 Corinthians 4:6 | Philippians 3:10 | Colossians 1:9-10 | Matthew 28:19 | Matthew 20:26-28 | Acts 14:21-22 | 1 Thessalonians 5:11 | Ephesians 4:12-13 | Colossians 1:28 | Hebrews 13:17

The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace through faith. Baptism is a public confession of that faith in Jesus to God, the church, and the world.

Following our understanding of Scripture, we practice baptism by immersion. The Greek word used exclusively throughout the New Testament for baptism is “baptizo,” which means to plunge, dip, or immerse. Jesus modeled this form of baptism and commanded it, making baptism an act of obedience and faith. Baptism by immersion represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, symbolizing our old self dying, being buried in the water, and raised as a new creation in Christ Jesus.

Anyone who has professed faith in Jesus Christ should be baptized.
 
Ephesians 2:8 | Matthew 10:32 | Matthew 3:13-17 | Matthew 28:19 | Romans 6:3-4 | 2 Corinthians 5:17 | Acts 2:38 | Acts 8:12 | Acts 8:36-38 | Acts 10:44-48

Jesus established Communion on the night He was betrayed, during His last meal with His core followers. Jesus told His Disciples to eat this meal in remembrance of His broken body and shed blood. It is designed to remind us of the great price paid for our salvation.
 
At Pinedale, we receive Communion each week, a practice that was modeled to us by the early church. This is intended to be a time of deep spiritual reflection and introspection. Look inward and reflect on what God has done for you. Confess your sins, repent, and celebrate God’s grace.
 
Luke 22:14-20 | Matthew 26:26-30 | Mark 14:22-26 | Acts 20:7 | 1 Corinthians 11:17-29 | Isaiah 53:5 | Acts 2:42

We believe 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, children who are orphaned, those who experience physical or mental challenges, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value human life.

Psalm 139

We believe in the historically Christian view of marriage and sexual expression; namely, that marriage is a covenant union between one male and one female, and that all sexual relationships outside the marriage covenant are sin.

God has given his people two best ways to enjoy connection in family: celibate singleness, or lifelong marriage between one woman and one man.

Biological sex is an essential part of human identity.
All forms of abuse, slander, dehumanization, or oppression toward fellow humans is an affront against God’s sacred image, which has been stamped upon all people.
 
Genesis 2:18-25 | 1 Corinthians 6:18 | 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 | Hebrews 13:4 | Genesis 1:26-27 | Romans 1:26-27 | Matthew 19:3-5

These statements of belief do not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and proper conduct. It provides the foundation of our beliefs.
 
For purposes of Pinedale’s belief, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our elder team is Pinedale’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.