What We Believe

Tapestry is a Christ-Centered and Biblically Based Church. The Essentials We Believe:

We believe that there is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—each of Whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality. In the beginning God created out of nothing the world and all the things therein, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness. By His sovereign power He continues to sustain His creation. By His providence He is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes. (Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19)

Jesus Christ is the eternal second Person of the Trinity who was united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lives a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. He ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own. He shall come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. (Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-5, 14, 14:9-14, 28-30; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3-4; I Corinthians 15:3-4; I Timothy 2:5-6, 6:14-15; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 4:14-15)

The essential accompaniment of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. He was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to mankind the saving work of Christ. He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them a recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them. At the point of salvation He permanently indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength and wisdom, and uniquely endows each believer with gifts for the up-building of the body. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scripture. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christlike character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father. (John 14:16-17, 26, 16:7-15; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:11, 26-27; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; II Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1:13-14, 5:18)

The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament. We believe that Scripture in its entirety originated with God, and that it was given through the instrumentality of chosen men. Scripture thus at one and the same time speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Scriptures are infallible, expressing the truth without any mixture of error. They are the unique, full and final authority on all matters of faith and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God. (Psalm 119:105, 160; Proverbs 30:5; II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21)

Mankind was created in the image of God as the supreme object of all creation. Because man disobeyed God's command in the Garden of Eden, mankind is alienated from God. Marred by sin, man's attitude is one of rebellion towards God's authority. The only way fellowship with God can be restored is through the Lord Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:27, 3:1-24; Psalm 8:3-8; Isaiah 53:6, 59:1-2; Romans 3:23, 5:10-14, 8:1-14; James 1:13-15, 4:1-3)

The central purpose of God's revelation in Scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have fellowship with God, man defied God, choosing to go his independent way, and was thus alienated from and suffered the corruption of his nature, rendering him unable to please God. The fall took place at the beginning of human history, and all individuals since have suffered these consequences and are thus in need of the saving grace of God. The salvation of mankind is, then, wholly a work of God's free grace, not the result, in whole or in part of human works or goodness, and must be personally appropriated by repentance and faith. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness and turning from our self-ruled life can we be saved from sin's penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ as into his life as Savior and Lord by faith. (John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:10-12, 5:1, 8, 6:23, 10:9-10, 13;Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)

If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot "lose" it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is God's grace and promised power that gives us this security. (John 10:29; Ephesians 1:13-14, 2:8-9; Philippians 1:6;II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10-14; I Peter 1:3-5; I John 2:19, 5:11-13)

People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. (John 3:16; Romans 6:23;I John 2:25, 5:11-13; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20;15)

The effect of the union with Jesus Christ is that all believers become members of His body, the church. There is one true church universal, comprised of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Scripture commands believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of baptism and the Lord's Supper as the ordinances established by Jesus Christ, fellowship, service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world. (Matthew 16:16-20 & 18:18-20; Acts 2:42-46; Romans 12:4-8; I Corinthians 11:33, 12:17 & 14:26-33; Ephesians 3:10; Hebrews 10:24-25)