Sundays at Heritage

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments were fully verbally inspired of God, and were inerrant in the original writings, and that, therefore, they are of supreme authority in faith and life.

[II Tim. 3:15-4:2; II Pet. 1:15-21; John 10:35; and Luke 24:25.]

We believe in one God, Who is a personal and eternal Spirit, perfect and unchangeable in all of His attributes. This one God eternally exists in three Persons, impossible of division but capable of distinction as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; all having precisely the same nature and attributes and all being worthy of the same homage, confidence, and obedience.

[Deut. 6:4; John 4:24; Psalm 90:1-2; James 1:17; Matt. 3:16-17; Matt 28:19.]

We believe in Jesus Christ, God the Son, born of the virgin Mary, Who atoned for sin once for all by His sacrifice of Himself on the cross. We believe in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension into heaven, and in His present life there as High Priest and Advocate in our behalf.

[John 1:1; Matt. 1:18-25; Heb. 9:26-28; Luke 24:5-7, 36-40; Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 5:1-10; I John 2:1-2;]

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, Who came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world and to regenerate, sanctify, comfort, and seal forever those who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that each believer is baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit at the time of his conversion; that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer from that moment, and that the Spirit will fill and empower every believer who yields himself completely to God.

[John 15:26; John 16:7-11; Eph. 1:13-14; I Cor. 3:16; Rom 8:9; Eph. 5:18.]

We believe that salvation is of the Lord on the merit of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation is a free gift which excludes any possible merit on the basis of works. We believe that the two essential doctrines that must be presented to every lost person are repentance and faith. We also believe that, once a person has been saved, there is no chance of him ever going to hell, and he is eternally secure in Christ.

[Phil. 1:6; Romans 3:24-26; Eph. 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; II Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5; Acts 2:38, 16:31; Romans 10:9-10; John 3:16, 36; John 10:27-29.]

The Church: We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ founded the Church, and commissioned it, and that a church is a group of baptized believers in whom Christ dwells, and they in Him, under the discipline of the Word of God, organized for evangelism, education, worship, and the administration of the ordinances. Each local church is to be self-governing and congregational in government. Further, each local church is to be the sole judge of measure and manner of its cooperation; in all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of discipline, and of benevolence; the will of the local church is final. Christ is the Chief Shepherd; the Pastor is the undershepherd of the flock. The congregation follows and supports the Pastor, as he follows Christ. Heritage is independent. The only authority over it is Christ and the Word of God.

[Acts 20:28; I Peter 5:1-4; Heb. 13:7,13, Matt. 16:18 and 28:19-20.]

We believe that the two ordinances which accompany the Gospel are Believer’s Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism, following faith in Christ, is by immersion in water, and symbolizes the identification of the believer with Christ in death, burial, resurrection, and new life. We believe that immersion in water is the only Scriptural mode of baptism. The Lord’s Supper is to be observed as a memorial of the death of Christ. The elements symbolize His broken body and shed blood. The elements shall be unleavened bread and grape juice.

[Matt. 28:19-20; Romans 6:3-4; I Cor. 11:23-32.]

We believe that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ will be bodily, personal, and visible; that, in time, it will be premillennial and pre-tribulational. At His return, all believers, living and dead, will be instantly transformed and translated to meet the Lord in the air.

[Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20-21; I Thess. 4:13-17; James 5:7-8.]