What We Believe

A    B R I E F   O V E R V I E W

We are a reformed church  (for an explanation, please see our FAQ page).  This is often referred to as the Doctrines of Grace. What this means is that we hold to the teachings that were set forth in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. The Reformation did not encompass a new formulation of doctrine, but rather a returning to the Apostle’s teachings that had been lost and defamed through a slow erosion over time.

EFCA Statement of Faith

The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

God

1. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

The Bible

2. We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

The Human Condition

3. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

Jesus Christ

4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel’s promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

The Work of Christ

5. We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

The Holy Spirit

6. We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

The Church

7. We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

Christian Living

8. We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

Christ’s Return

9. We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

Response and Eternal Destiny

10. We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

Our Affiliation with the E.F.C.A.

Cedar Ridge is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America, an association of 1,250 autonomous churches united by a mutual commitment to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and obedience to the Word of God. The association is committed to cooperate with one another in ministry and fellowship as it seeks to fulfill the great commission which Christ has entrusted to His Church. The growing ministry of the E.F.C.A. currently extends to some 45 countries of the world. For an in-depth examination of the EFCA and their beliefs,  This book, “Evangelical Convictions: A Theological Exposition of the State of Faith of the EFCA, is available on Amazon  HERE “In 2004 a process was initiated that provided an opportunity for those in the Evangelical Free Church of America to re-examine and finally to reaffirm their central theological convictions. In 2008 the EFCA adopted a newly revised Statement of Faith. This book seeks to give clarity to the theological convictions contained in that Statement-spelling out what is affirmed and what is denied (and what is not addressed). Beyond that, it expounds these convictions-helping the reader understand and appreciate the wonderful truth contained in this brief and concise confession. Quite simply, the goal in formulating this new Statement of Faith was to set forth “sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God,” which he has now entrusted to us (1 Tim. 1:10-11). The EFCA believes that our essential theological convictions are vitally connected to this gospel, the evangel, as that gospel message has come to us through the biblical and historic stream of Evangelical Christianity. As an exposition of Evangelical convictions this book will be useful both in the EFCA and in the broader Evangelical world. This theological exposition speaks clearly but, as much as possible, without technical theological terms so that it can be profitable for all believers who need to be grounded in the essentials of the faith. Moreover, the theology set forth in this exposition is doxological-that is, it ought to lead us to exalt the greatness and grace of our God. As Paul instructs Timothy, “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you-guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us” (2 Tim. 1:13-14). Evangelical Convictions was written with the prayer that it may be an instrument of the Spirit to help those in the EFCA, and faithful believers everywhere, to guard, and to bear witness to, the good deposit of the gospel.”  PUBLISHERS DESCRIPTION