Our Statement of Faith

West Olive Church’s Statement of Faith, Preface:

We are a diverse group of individuals whom the Lord has called from various denominational backgrounds back to Himself and has given us the desire to engage in and become the body of believers resembling the “First Century” Church.

This is what we believe:

The Word of God:

​Jesus Christ is the living Word of God. The Holy Spirit has been working to reveal God’s one plan of salvation in Christ from its first promise in the Old Testament to its fulfillment in the New. Given in human words in history, the Scriptures of both Testaments are the inerrant, inspired Word of God; authoritative, trustworthy, and true in every respect. The New Testament, witnessing the climax of that history, is the final rule of faith and life for the church. As an expression of grateful love to God, we believe and obey the Bible, for this written Word of God reveals to us Jesus Christ, the living Word of God.

  • John 1:1-5  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  [2] He was with God in the beginning.  [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  [4] In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  [5] The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it [the darkness has not overcome it].
  • Hebrews 4:12, 13  For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  [13] Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The Triune God

​The Bible reveals one true and living God in three equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This one God is eternal, infinite, personal, and perfect. The description and reality of the trinity transcend human reason, logic, and proof; they remain matters of revelation, confession, and worship. In holy love the triune God, by an act of sovereign will, created the universe and all living things. In this activity, as in everything touching the world of space and time, all three of the persons of the Godhead participated. 

  • Genesis 1:26  Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness . . .”
  • Matthew 3:16, 17  As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  [17] And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
  • Matthew 28:18-20  Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

God the Father

​The Scriptures reveal the first person of the trinity known as God the Father. The created world testifies to Him in both the external order of nature and the internal working of conscience. As the Father of Old Testament Israel, He led the nation with parental love and care, with warnings, chastening, and promise of inheritance. He sent His beloved Son into the world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. All who confess Jesus as Lord, the Father makes into a new creation and adopts as His children. 

  • Luke 12:32  Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
  • 1 Corinthians 8:6  . . . for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came for whom we live . . .
  • Jame 1:17  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

God the Son

​The second person of the trinity is the Son. He is the living Word, the revelation and revealer of the unseen Father. Although He possessed the divine nature from eternity, the Word became flesh for us and for our salvation. He was born of a virgin and lived the perfect human life upon earth. As Man and God, Jesus lovingly gave Himself for others in a ministry of service and reconciliation. His obedient life led to His sacrificial death in fulfillment of prophecy. Upon the cross He bore sin and its penalty in our place. He was raised and glorified in the body in which He suffered and died. He ascended as Lord and Savior into heaven, where He continually intercedes for those who are His and from which He will return in glory. Therefore, He is the source of eternal salvation for all who believe in Him, submitting to His Lordship.

  • John 3:16-18  Jesus says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”   

God the Holy Spirit

​The third person of the triune God is the Holy Spirit. He was active in creation, the history of Israel, the inspiration of Scripture, the ministry of Jesus, and the birth of the church. The Spirit likewise acts today, opening the mind to understand Scripture, calling forth the response of repentance and faith, and giving the desire and ability to grow in Christ’s likeness. The New Testament portrays His activity as both event and process: It describes the event using the terms receiving, being filled, sealed, and baptized to indicate that the Holy Spirit comes to the believer at conversion. It describes the process as the Holy Spirit filling and equipping Christians at numerous times for special tasks. He joins them to Christ’s church, directs them to a local congregation of believers, and bestows on them spiritual gifts for the church’s ministry. The Spirit’s indwelling is to make a visible difference in the lives of Christians as they yield to, and cooperate with, His transforming power. 

  • John 16:13-15  Jesus said, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  [14] He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.  [15] All that belongs to the Father is mine.  That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”

Sin

​God created humanity, male and female, in His own image with freedom to obey or disobey Him. As a result of their disobedient choice, sin entered our race, and its effects of guilt and corruption have been passed on to every person. The image of God, though not destroyed, is now distorted. Sin dwells in all people, making them unable to please God or to escape its power in their lives. The penalty of sin is death, but a new, right relationship with God is promised to those who accept life in Christ Jesus. 

  • John 10:10  Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”
  • 2 Corinthians 5:21  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Salvation

​Salvation is both an event and a process: it is an accomplished fact, a continuing walk, and a future hope. Always the gift of God, salvation is received by repentance from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and is expressed publicly through water baptism. In faithfulness to His promises, God adopts believers as His children, forgiving their sins and giving them His Holy Spirit. They in turn demonstrate their faith by obeying the commands of Christ and following His example in daily living. Scripture uses various terms to describe aspects of salvation, but ultimately it means Christlikeness-conformity to the image of God’s Son by the work of His Spirit within us. To that end we are kept by the power of God, which operates through the Holy Spirit and our faith in Him.

  • John 3:16, 17  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
  • Ephesians 2:8, 9  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — [9] not by works, so that no one can boast.
  • Romans 10:9, 10  That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

The Church

​God’s purpose in human history is to form a people for His own glory. This purpose, begun in the Old Testament nation of Israel, is continued in the New Testament church, which is founded upon Jesus Christ. He calls it to be a visible body of His followers, extending His own ministry in the world. It is composed of all who have received Him as saving Lord and have committed themselves to being His faithful disciples. This one body finds expression in local communities of believers who are responding to the call of God. Through mutual submission they unite for the purposes of worship, nurture, evangelism, and service.
God in His gracious love gave to the church special gifts through His Spirit. These gifts, varied and numerous, have but one purpose: to strengthen the body by equipping each member for ministry. Love is the framework in which the gifts operate and guides their use for the common good.

​God also gave to the church ordinances, symbolic rites established by the command and example of our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles. They are pledges of our faithfulness to Him, visible declarations of the gospel, and necessary expressions of an obedient faith. The ordinances include:

  • Baptism
  • The Lord’s Supper
  • Anointing and praying for the sick

These obedient acts of faith testify to the gracious work of the triune God for His people in the past, in the present, and in the future. 

  • Matthew 16:18  Jesus said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock (the proclamation that Jesus Christ is the Christ, the Son of the living God) I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.”
  • Ephesians 2:21, 22  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  [22] And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
  • 1 Timothy 3:15  . . . God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
  • Matthew 3:15  Jesus replied to John the Baptist, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”
  • 1 Corinthians 11:26  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
  • James 5:14, 15  Is anyone of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.  [15] And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.  If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

The Life of Faith

God has made available to us in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, in Scripture and the church, all the resources needed to live the life of faith. By His life Christ exemplified the walk to which we are called; by His death He made possible renewed fellowship with the Father; by His resurrection He revealed the power that is available to us. The Holy Spirit now enables us as God’s children to live in obedience to the Scriptures and grow in spiritual maturity. The Scriptures provide the teaching and example of Jesus and the apostles which we are to follow as a loving response to God and as a means of glorifying Him. The church is the gathered community which nurtures believers in the life of faith. Using these resources, we can demonstrate the new birth through a new behavior which is made possible through our Lord Jesus Christ.

  • 2 Corinthians 5:7  We live by faith, not by sight.
  • Romans 1:17  For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written:  “The righteous will live by faith.”
  • Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
  • Hebrews 11:6  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
  • Romans 10:17  Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
  • James 2:26  As the body without the spirit is dead so faith without deeds is dead.

Matthew 22:37-40  Jesus replied:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  [38] This is the first and greatest commandment.  [39] And the second is like it:  ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”