We Believe

Westwood Community Church is a community of faith that experiences the love of Christ together and shares that love with others in the greater community and throughout the world. Everyone is welcome here. People from a wide range of denominational backgrounds, or no faith background at all, have made Westwood their church home. We are united in our desire to see our lives, and the lives of others, transformed by the hope and grace found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Statement of Faith

THE WORD OF GOD

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, verbally and fully inspired and without error in the original
manuscripts and that it has supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter
1:20-21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31-32; 20:31; Acts 20:32)

THE TRINITY

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1, 26;
Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 3; 4:24; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 1:20; Ephesians 4:5-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

GOD THE FATHER

We believe in God the Father, who is infinite, just, personal, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love.
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe. He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs
of people; He hears and answers prayer; and He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through
Jesus Christ. (Luke 10:21-22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:1-2; 2:5-6;
1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6; Romans 3:26; Deuteronomy 32:4)

JESUS CHRIST

We believe that Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the
Virgin Mary. He is fully God and fully man. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and
teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, victorious resurrection on the third day,
ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal, visible return to earth. (John
3:16; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:21-23; John
20:30-31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9-10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; 1
Timothy 3:16; Philippians 2:6-9)

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of guilt in regard
to sin, righteousness and judgment. At the moment of regeneration he baptizes every believer into the
Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit continually draws believers closer to God, transforms them into the image
of Jesus Christ, empowers them for ministry, and distributes spiritual gifts to the church. (John 14:16-17,
26; 15:26-27; 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26)

REGENERATION

We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual
and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a
sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. We believe that those who repent,
receive and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are, in Christ, delivered from
condemnation and enjoy the free gift of eternal life. (Genesis 1:26; 2:17; Chapter 3; 5:2; John 1:12; 3:14, 16;
5:24, 30; 8:12; 10:26)

THE CHURCH

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all those that follow
Him as their Lord and Savior are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of followers of Jesus
Christ who gather for worship, growth, service, and fellowship. We believe God ordained His church to bring
hope to the world through the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ as we seek to make disciples in His name.
(Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-25; Matthew 28:19)

THE LAST THINGS

We believe in the personal and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting joy of the saved and the
everlasting conscious punishment of the lost. (John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew
25:31-46; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15; Ephesians 5:1)

CHRISTIAN CONDUCT

We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct, by
God’s grace, should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their time and
possessions for God’s purposes; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature
of maturity in Christ.

We believe we are called to live our lives consistent with the standards of biblical teaching; including the
support of this local ministry in attendance, prayer, service and giving, by living lives in word and deed that
are an encouragement to others to know and be like Jesus Christ, and by reflecting in all our relationships the
servant-love of our Lord. (1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 14:15, 23-24; 1 John 2:3-
6; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Colossians 1:9-10)

THE ORDINANCES

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the
Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith and participation in
a crucified, buried and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection
to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.

We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for believers walking in fellowship with Him and is
an ongoing reminder to commemorate His death and our hope in life today and for eternity. We believe that
these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)