At West Fork Christian Fellowship we believe our purpose is to develop a healthy, life giving church where believers are equipped for service and empowered to take the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to our communities, our nation and to the nations of the world, declaring Gods' love and acceptance for all of mankind........... (1 John 5: 19-20; Ephesians 2:1-6; Mark 16:15-16)
Statement of Faith
What we believe forms the foundation of our strength and purpose
 
1. The Godhead
Our God is One, but manifested in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Philippians 2:6; Matthew 3:16-17)

a. Father: God has revealed himself as the eternally self-existent One. He is greater than all, the Source of the Word and the Begetter (John 1:14, 14:28, 16:28)
  b. Son: The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and as much shares in the divinity and deity of God. He is the One Begotten (John 1:1, 14, 18, 10:30)
  c. Holy Spirit: He proceeds forth from both the Father and the Son and is eternal (John 15:26). We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14)
 
2. The Scriptures

The Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God, the product of holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (II Timothy 3:15-17; I Thessalonians 2:13; I Peter 1:21)

 
3. Creation

We believe that God created the universe. We reject evolution as an unscriptural theory of origin (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)

 
4. Man, His Fall, and Redemption

Man is a created being, made in the likeness and image of God, but through Adam’s transgression and fall, sin came into the world. We believe that Satan is the author of sin, and the cause of the fall of man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall be eternally punished in the lake of fire. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was manifested to undo the works of the devil and gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and restore man back to God. (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11, 25:41; Romans 3:9-10, 3:23, 5:12, I John 3:8; Galatians 3:13, 14; Revelation 20:10)

 
5. Salvation

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”(Rom. 3:23) We believe that there is only one way of salvation and that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (John 1:12, 14:6; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19)

 
6. Resurrection and Eternal Existence

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29, 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13)

 
7. Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and that separation from all religious apostasy, sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded of God (Romans 12:12; 14:13; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; II Timothy 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11)

 
8. The Church

We believe that the church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons. (I Corinthians 11:2; 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27). We believe that the establishments and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27;20:17,28-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).

 
9. Sanctification

The Bible teaches that without Holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe in the doctrine of sanctification as a definite, yet progressive work of grace, commencing at the time of regeneration and continuing until the consummation of salvation (Hebrews 12:14; I Thessalonians 5:23; II Peter 3:18; II Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:12-14; I Corinthians 1:30).

 
10. Water Baptism

All who repent of their sins and believe in Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. This is a declaration to the world that they identify with Christ in His death and have been raised with Him in newness of life. (Matthew 23:19, Mark 16:16, Acts 10:47-48, Romans 6:4)

 
11. Baptism in the Holy Ghost

The Baptism in the Holy Ghost and Fire is a gift from God as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to those who are believers in this dispensation and is received subsequent to the new birth. This experience is accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit Himself gives utterance. (Matthew 3:11; John 14:16-17; Acts 1:8, 2:4, 2:38-39, 19:1-7)

 
12. Laying on of Hands

A simple belief that power or anointing or any other necessary quality can be transmitted from one person touching another. Laying on of hands was practiced by the Levitical Priesthood. Jesus practiced it in Mark 10:13-16 as a blessing, and is our grounds for baby dedication instead of baptism.

  a. Laying on of hands for divine healing, which was provided for in the Old Testament, and is an integral part of the Gospel. (Exodus 15:23-26; Psalm 103:1-3; Is. 53:4-5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 5:22-23,41, 28-31; Acts 28:8, 19:11-12; James 5:14-16)
  b. Laying on of hands to confer office (Acts 6:2-6)
  c. Laying on of hands to receive the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:16-18)
  d. Laying on of hands to believe words spoken, to receive anointing, and to cultivate the anointing (I Timothy 4:14)
  e. Laying on of hands for ordination to consecrate and receive the necessary ministry tools (I Timothy. 4:14).
 
13. Communion - The Lord's Supper

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of His sufferings and death and a prophecy of His second coming. It is enjoyed by all believers until He comes. (I Corinthians 11:26)

 
14. Giving

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe, ten percent of one’s total income, as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give additional offerings cheerfully to the support of various ministries of God’s Kingdom, including, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel.

 
15. Missions

We believe that God has given all believers a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians 5:20).

 
16. Human Sexuality

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s plan. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24, 19:5,13, 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; I Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)

 
17. Abortion

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5, 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24, 49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

 
18. Civil Government

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home; 2) the church; and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13-14).

 
19. Lawsuits Between Believers

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians, the church, or Christian organizations to resolve personal disputes. We believe the Christian community possesses all of the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between believers.

 
20. The Apostle's Creed

We believe in what is termed the Apostle's Creed as embodying fundamental facts of the Christian faith and endorse the historic orthodox creeds of the Church.

APOSTLE'S CREED
1. I Believe in God the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth:
2. And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord:
3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary:
4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell:
5: The third day He arose again from the dead:
6: He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:
7. From thense He shall come to judge the quick and the dead:
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:
9. I believe in the holy eternal church: the communion of saints:
10. The forgiveness of sins:
11. The resurrection of the body:
12. And the life everlasting. Amen.
5636 West Fork Road | Cincinnati, OH 45247
(513) 481-LORD (5673) | www.westforkcf.net