Each person, whether he or she writes them down or not, has a set of beliefs about the big questions in life, such as: “Is there a God? How did we get here? What were we created for? What happens when we die?” Below you will find an explanation of what we at Gateway Community Church believe about many of these big questions. For the sake of precision and brevity, you will find some of the statements to be rather technical in nature. If you have any questions, big or small, Pastor Paul would be more than happy to talk with you.

God. We believe in one true and living God who is eternal, infinite, holy, glorious, and in every way deserving of our praise. He is a personal God who is loving, merciful, just, and good.

Trinity. We believe that God is one, yet he has eternally existed in three distinct, co-equal persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Scripture. We believe that the Bible in its entirety is the inspired and infallible Word of God. Thus, Scripture is the final authority for believers, and it should be used to help believers grow in maturity.

Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who came to earth as one who was fully God yet truly human. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross as a sacrifice and substitute for mankind. We believe in Jesus’ subsequent bodily resurrection, his ascension into heaven, and that he will one day return again to judge the living and the dead.

Holy Spirit. We believe the Holy Spirit works to regenerate those who put their faith in Christ. Once regenerated, the Holy Spirit empowers believers to persevere and to live godly lives, and he equips believers with gifts used to serve God and his church.

Creation. We believe God created all things; that He created man and woman in His own image; that He instructed man and woman to multiply the earth; and that He instituted the union of one man and one woman (marriage) to propagate and nurture future generations.

Salvation. We believe every person is sinful by nature and by choice and thus are in need of God’s grace. Because works cannot save sinners, people need to be justified - declared innocent - by God through faith in Jesus Christ who died to purchase our salvation. The result of salvation is forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God in heaven.

Church. We believe Christ is the head of the church and that the church consists of all people who have been regenerated by the Spirit through faith in Christ. The universal church is made visible through local churches where believers meet for teaching, fellowship, worship, and prayer. We believe in the priesthood of believers, and that all believers have direct access to God through Christ.

We also believe that the church and its members are held to a high standard of conduct. Because believers are called to live for God’s glory and are strengthened by the Holy Spirit, members of the church should always seek to grow in holiness, maturity, obedience, and love for God and neighbor.

Last Things. We believe that Jesus Christ will personally and visibly come again to call his church to himself. We believe that Jesus will then judge the living and the dead; those who are faithful will receive eternal life in heaven, while unbelievers will be consigned to eternal punishment in hell.