We Believe

The following are the core beliefs of Waters Edge Church which are a shared statement of faith amongst all of our Fellowship Churches.

The Doctrinal Statement (Statement of Faith) of Fellowship Evangelical Free Church.  We believe there is but one living and true God, who is one in essence, while eternally existing in three distinct personalities: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Though each person of the Godhead possesses the same nature, each functions differently in respect with God's dealing with man (Dt. 6:4).

We believe that the first person of the Trinity orders and directs all things according to His own purpose, pleasure and grace. He created the universe apart from any pre-existing materials and without any means other than His own pure power. He has decreed all things that come to pass for His own glory. He graciously involves Himself in the affairs of men, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Matt. 6:9; John 5:19-24; Eph. 1:3-6).

We believe Jesus Christ to be the eternally co-existing Son of God who became fully man without ceasing to be fully God. We believe He is God's only begotten Son (Jn. 3:16) and our sole Mediator (I Tim. 2:5). We believe in His preexistence (Jn. 1.1), substitutionary atonement (Rom. 3:23-25), His bodily resurrection from the grave (Acts 2:24-27), and His bodily return from heaven (Tit. 2:13). We believe He is now in heaven exalted at the right hand of the Father, where, as High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of intercession and advocacy for us (Heb. 12:3).

We believe Jesus Christ to be the eternally co-existing Son of God who became fully man without ceasing to be fully God. We believe He is God's only begotten Son (Jn. 3:16) and our sole Mediator (I Tim. 2:5). We believe in His preexistence (Jn. 1.1), substitutionary atonement (Rom. 3:23-25), His bodily resurrection from the grave (Acts 2:24-27), and His bodily return from heaven (Tit. 2:13). We believe He is now in heaven exalted at the right hand of the Father, where, as High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of intercession and advocacy for us (Heb. 12:3).

We believe the Bible is the Word of God; verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings, and that it is the supreme, final, and infallible authority in doctrine and practice. By inspiration we mean God's superintendence of human authors so that using their own individual personalities, they composed and recorded without error His revelation to man in the words of the original autographs. We further believe there is but one method of Bible interpretation-the literal, or historical-grammatical method. This method recognizes the fact that the authors of Scripture meant what they said. Therefore, we consistently apply the rules of grammar, literature, history, and culture to Scripture in order to unlock and understand the author's meaning (Matt. 5:16-18; II Tim. 3:16, 17; II Pet. 1:20, 21).

We believe that man was created innocent and in the image and likeness of God, for fellowship with God, but that he sinned bringing forth both physical and spiritual death (which is separation from God) to himself and his posterity. As a consequence, man is now a sinner both by nature and by choice, is alienated from God, and apart from salvation through Jesus Christ is eternally separated from God (Gen. 1:26, 27, 2:17, 3:6, 19; Rom. 3:10-18, 5:12-21; Eph. 2:1-3).

We believe that salvation is a gift of God and is received by man only through personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We believe that man is justified by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, apart from human merit, works, or ceremonies (Eph. 2:8-10). We believe that all true believers, "born again" by the Spirit through faith in Christ, are kept secure in Christ forever and will exhibit the present evidence of a transformed life (Jn. 10:27-30; Rom. 8:33-39).