What We Believe
We believe the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired (God-breathed) Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). It is the final authority for all matters of faith and practice. In other words, it is the revealed will of God concerning what Christians should believe and how they should live.
The Bible is our ultimate statement of faith. “Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent.” Doctrinal creeds and statements of faith can be both divisive and misleading, since they are all composed by imperfect human beings.
Therefore, we assert the following:
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In essential beliefs—we have unity
(Ephesians 4:4-6) -
In nonessential beliefs—we have liberty
(Romans 14:1,4,12,22) -
In all our beliefs—we exhibit charity
(I Corinthians 13:2; Ephesians 4:15)
Although we prefer the Bible to speak for itself, for the purpose of understanding the basic doctrinal positions of Oasis Christian Centre, the following is presented.
GOD
There is only one, true God, eternally existing in three distinct personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, having the same nature, attributes, and perfections, and are therefore worthy of the same worship and obedience. God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of the universe.
[ Genesis 1:1, 26-27; Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Timothy 2:5; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Corinthians 13:14 ]
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son. He is Creator, and is present in the world to convict people of their sin and make them aware of their need for the Savior-Jesus Christ. People are regenerated (born again) by the Holy Spirit, and He lives in believers to manifest the character of Christ. He provides believers with power for holy living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance for life. He also gives Christians spiritual gifts, so they might serve the church and the world in a manner that surpasses their own natural abilities and limitations. The victorious Christian life must be lived under His daily control.
[ Genesis 1:2; John 14:16-17, 16:7-13; Acts 1:8, 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14, 12:3-11; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18 ]
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, meaning He is coequal with the Father. He is the expressed image of the invisible God and Creator of all things. He became a man, being born of the virgin Mary, and lived a sinless life. Consequently, Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He rose bodily from the dead after three days, demonstrating His victory over sin and death. He ascended to heaven, is seated in authority, and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
[ John 1:1-5,14, 5:18; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-3, 4:14-15; Philippians 2:5-11; Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Acts 1:9-10 ]
SALVATION
Because people are unable to save themselves from their sinful condition, salvation is altogether the work of God. Neither good works nor self-improvement can make up for our sin. Salvation is the free gift of God. However, like any gift it must be received. This gift is received by faith, or by believing and trusting in Jesus Christ who died as our substitute that we might live. Through repentance from sin and faith toward God, we turn from our self-ruled life to trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
[ John 1:12; 14:6; Romans 5:6-21, 6:23; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5 ]
PEOPLE
People are created in the image of God, and are designed to reflect His character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation and love. Through willful transgression and disobedience, people have fallen from their originally created state of righteousness, peace, and joy into a state of separation from God. Being separated from the source of life, love, and joy has resulted in bondage and death. People are unable to deliver themselves from their sinful condition, but are totally dependent upon the power of God as presented in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
[ Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6, 59:1-2; Romans 3:23; 5:12-21 ]
ETERNAL DESTINY
God created people to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. Eternal separation from God is Hell. Eternal fellowship and union with God is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
[ John 3:16; Matthew 25:31-46, 19:29; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:11-15 ]
THE CHURCH
The church is composed of all who have experienced, through faith in Christ, the new birth into the family of God. All true believers are then members of the universal church, the body of Christ. Since the New Testament exhorts believers to gather for such purposes as worship, prayer, fellowship, sharing the Lord’s Supper, teaching of the Word, ministry to fellow Christians, and evangelism, the local church is an indispensable part of God’s plan for His people and the world. The work of parachurch groups is appreciated, but the local church is God’s chosen instrument for both the nurture of Christians and world evangelism. We believe in the spiritual unity of all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and in cooperating with one another for the causes of evangelism, social action, and missions.
[ Matthew 16:16-18; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:4-6, 9-16 ]
MARRIAGE
Oasis Christian Centre believes in the sanctity of marriage according to Mark 10:6-9 Between one man and one woman. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Married people are expected to maintain their marriage vows to each other.