WHAT WE BELIEVE
At Forest Grove, we believe we are a part of the worldwide Church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which has chosen to meet for worship and have fellowship in the Forest Grove Community (I Corinthians 1:2).
We are the body of Christ, and He is the Head of this church (Ephesians 1:22-23). We are founded on the teachings of the apostles and prophets which are recorded in the Old and New Testament Scriptures (Ephesians 2:19-20). We celebrate water baptism and the Lord’s Supper until Christ returns (Matthew 26:26-29, 28:18-20).
We strive not only to study, understand, and teach these scriptures, but most importantly to obey and live out the scriptures so that the world may know that Jesus is the Christ and that we are His disciples (John 8:31, 20:31).
We follow no teachings that are contrary to God’s Word. We believe that our ultimate purpose in living is to glorify God by proclaiming Him to all people and by serving Him in every aspect of our lives. We believe that sin has separated all people from God (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 3:23), but God is not willing that any should perish but for all to come to repentance (John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9b). This is why He commissioned us to go and preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to every person, and to guide those who believe this message into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15-16, Matthew 28:18-20).
We believe that every Christian needs to be equipped for works of service under the guidance of a local church leadership (Ephesians 4:11-16). We have faith that God has enabled us to complete this mission by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit given to us in response to our salvation and obedience to Him (Ezekiel 36:27, Acts 5:32).
IN SUMMARY, WE BELIEVE:
GOD: God is One, the only true living God, eternally existing in three equal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each completely and fully God (Matthew 28:19, Luke 3:22, John 10:30, 14:9).
JESUS CHRIST: Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God, who died for our sins and rose from the dead (1Corinthians 15:1-8, John 3:16).
THE BIBLE: It is the inspired Word of God, without error in the original inspiration, and of final authority in all matters about which it speaks (John 17:17, 2Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21).
BAD NEWS FOR ALL HUMANITY: Every person has worth as a creation of God, but all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Psalm 139:14-16, Romans 3:23).
GOOD NEWS FOR ALL HUMANITY: Forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life are available to those who trust Christ as Savior and Lord (John 3:16, 11:25-26).
CHRISTIAN LIVING: Those who declare they have trusted in Christ, should repent of sin, share their faith, and be baptized into Him (Romans 6:1-6, 10:9, Acts 2:38).
MARRIAGE & SEXUALITY: God created marriage as a life-long union between one man and one woman, and sexual intimacy belongs only in that relationship (Genesis 2:24). Sexual intimacy outside of marriage counters God’s design including pre-marital sex, same-sex sexual behavior and adultery (1 Corinthians 6).
THE CHURCH: The Church is the body of Christ on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and exists to grow warmer through fellowship, deeper through discipleship, stronger through worship, broader through ministry and larger through evangelism (Ephesians 4:1-16, Matthew 25:31-46, 28:18-20).
THE END TIMES: We believe in the personal, future coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in the rapture of the church, the great tribulation on earth, and the visible and bodily return of Jesus Christ to the earth, commonly called the Second Coming. We believe Jesus will rule the nations and establish His millennial kingdom and ultimately his eternal kingdom on earth (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Philippians 3:20; Matthew 24:15-31; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-6).