Statement of Faith

The statement of faith of the Richmond Center for Christian Study is taken from Centers for Christian Study, International.  The goal of our statement of faith is to make the range of participation among individuals, churches and other communities in the greater Richmond area as wide as possible, while protecting the study center from influences that would erode the essentials of the gospel.  All board members of the Richmond Center for Christian Study must subscribe to, and all presentations from the study center must be consistent with, this statement of faith.

We believe in one living and true God, who is the Creator and Preserver of all things, infinite in being and perfection, existing eternally in the three Persons of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe that all Scripture is inspired by God and is therefore to be received as his written Word, trustworthy and true in all that it teaches, the only infallible authority for Christian faith and life.  All Scripture must be interpreted according to its nature, context and purpose, in humble and reverent obedience to God, who, by his Spirit, speaks through it.

We believe that human beings are created in the image of God for fellowship with God; that through rebellion against the Creator they fell from a sinless state into a state of sin, death and estrangement from God; that the entire human race is born into this state of sin and death, sinful by nature and by choice, and, apart from grace, incapable of returning to God.

We believe that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly human, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary; that he lived a life of perfect obedience to God; that he died in the place of sinners who deserve that death, bearing the full punishment for their sins in order to reconcile them to God; that he rose bodily from the grave; that he ascended into heaven where he intercedes for his people and rules as Lord of all creation; and that he will return to the earth, personally and visibly, to consummate his sovereign rule and work of redemption.

We believe that the Holy Spirit, through the proclamation of the gospel, brings about spiritual birth, repentance from sin, confession of the Lordship of Christ, holiness, and the assurance of salvation; that he intercedes for believers in accordance with the will of God; and that he leads believers into all truth and empowers them for godly living and witness to the risen Christ.

We believe that salvation is by grace, through faith alone.  We believe that the Church is a spiritual fellowship, created by the Spirit and the Word of God, with the risen Christ as its Lord; that the sacraments or sacred ordinances of the Church are baptism and the Lord's Supper; and that the Church is called by Christ to worship and serve God through the preaching of the gospel, the discipling of all nations, and obedience to the full counsel of God's Word.

We believe in the resurrection of the dead at the end of this age, the final judgment of all people, the entrance of the righteous into eternal life in the presence of God, and the condemnation of the wicked to eternal death.