What We Believe

Edgewood is committed to three discipleship essentials

Gospel

Centering our lives on the empowering good news of Christ.

At Edgewood, we believe the gospel (or good news) is not merely the starting point to the Christian life, but is also what Christians need to be reminded of day after day. Here is that gospel: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 ESV)

Scripture makes much of the gospel, or the “word of the cross”, because it is the key to life change. Not only does it have the power to transfer a person from the domain of darkness to the Kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Colossians 1:13 ESV), but it also daily reminds every believer to live out of an understanding of God’s grace shown at Calvary. We forgive, for instance, because God forgives us in Christ (Ephesians 4:32 ESV).
The world is searching for power to make men and women better in a host of different places - politics, education, psychology, etc. - but only the gospel can do for us what we desperately need to have done. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV)

Community

Participating in a group that cultivates Christ-centered friendships.

People in the 21st century are increasingly isolated. We are supposedly more “connected” than ever through phones and social media, but statistics on skyrocketing loneliness show this “connection” is a mirage. The ultimate answer is in Christ’s church, where God calls his people to be faithfully face-to-face and to develop Christ-centered friendships and accountability (Hebrews 10:24, 25; 13:17).
At Edgewood, community is found in weekly corporate worship and through regular involvement in smaller “life groups”. Both are essential to true biblical connection and continued growth in Christ.

Mission

Serving the least, reaching the lost, and loving one another.

After an encounter where he changed a hardhearted, money-loving, tax-collector into a person who was anxious to make amends and follow him, Jesus declared, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” Luke 19:10 (ESV). As the hands and feet of Jesus, we in the body of Christ, the church, continue to minister to a hurting world in the same way, seeking and saving the lost.

We serve those who are in need, those whom Jesus called the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40), while at the same time reaching out to those who need to believe the gospel and receive eternal life through Christ. And finally, we serve one another in the church, trying to meet one another’s needs with our time, talents and resources (Galatians 6:10).
At the heart of it all is the Great Commission of Christ: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV).

Our doctrinal beliefs...

God

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We believe in the personal, bodily, and glorious 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

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.