About our Faith

Who is Jesus?

Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God, equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead, or Trinity. God has always and will always exist. At the beginning of time, human beings were perfectly created by God. But the first man, Adam, disobeyed God (he sinned) and destroyed his perfect fellowship with God. God is perfect, and his justice demands the death penalty for sin. Therefore, Adam and all people after him now need God's help to be restored to a right relationship with God.

Human sin activated God's plan for restoration or redemption of his people to fellowship with him. God's people looked forward to the coming of the Savior or Messiah for a long time. Finally, as prophesied in the Old Testament of the Bible, Jesus the Savior was born as a baby boy, the son of a human mother, Mary, and of the Holy Spirit. He came to live in Palestine as both God and man for just over 30 years during the time of the Roman empire. On earth, Jesus preached the Word of God and ministered to people by the power of the Holy Spirit. He always lived to please God and he never sinned against God.

Though completely innocent of any wrongdoing, he allowed himself to be executed on a wooden cross by the Roman government at the request of jealous Jewish leaders of that time. During his death, he took on the guilt of human sin. By his death he satisfied the death penalty for everyone who accepts his payment for their sin. People who acknowledge that they are sinners and accept Jesus' payment for sin (his sacrifice for sin) are called "believers," and their sins are forgiven by God.

The third day after he was killed, God brought Jesus back to life in an event called the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus showed God's acceptance of Jesus' payment or sacrifice for sin and showed Jesus' complete power over death. Although Christian believers will die physically, their bodies will be resurrected and transformed, as Jesus' body was, to live forever with God.

Forty days after Jesus rose from the dead, he ascended in bodily form to heaven to the Father's right hand. He remains there as Lord, Ruler, and Savior. On Pentecost ten days after he ascended, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, as he promised, to live within all persons who believe in him. The Holy Spirit has been at work in believers ever since.

At the end of time (the specific time is known only to God), Jesus will return to earth. All the dead will be resurrected. Jesus will judge all persons who have ever lived as to whether or not their sin is paid for by believing in him and accepting his payment for their sins. All believers, whose sins are paid for and forgiven in Jesus, will live eternally with God in a new heaven and earth (eternal life). All unbelievers, who will stand accused of their sins, will live eternally separated from God in hell (eternal death).

The story of Jesus' life and his teachings, as recorded by his followers in the first century A.D., are preserved in the New Testament of the Bible.

At this point, you may be wondering "Who is a believer?" A person is a believer if they accept Jesus' payment for their sins by his death on the cross. They are saved from eternal spiritual death.

See the "Steps to Salvation" and Bible passages below to become a believer and establish a personal relationship with a loving, saving God.

Steps to Salvation

1. God loves you and provides a way to have a relationship with you:

"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." (John 3:16, New International Version of the Bible)

2. You have sinned against God and will never satisfy God's perfect standards on your own:

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23 NIV)

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6 NIV)

3. Sin will be judged by God:

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27 NIV)

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NIV)

4. Jesus satisfied God's standards for us and paid the penalty for sin:

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 NIV)

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.'" (John 14:6 NIV)

5. You need to repent (admit that you have sinned) and receive Jesus' payment for your sins:

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." (Acts 2:38a NIV)

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." (Acts 3:19 NIV)

What Do I Do Next?

Jesus has already done what you cannot do for yourself. He died on a cross as a sacrifice to pay for your sins. All you have to do is receive the gift of eternal life. Do you want to receive what Jesus did for you? Then talk to God with this simple prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for what You did for me by dying on the cross for my sins. I want to know You personally and live forever with You. I'm tired of running my own life. Please come into my heart. I ask You to take over. I receive You as the Savior and Lord of my life. Thank You for forgiving me for my sins. From this day forward, make me the kind of person You want me to be. Help me to do what You would do for the rest of my life. I can't wait to spend eternity with You. Thank You, Jesus.

Further Steps:

1. If you just prayed that prayer and received Jesus into your heart, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God! Right now Jesus is living in you through his Holy Spirit:

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. . . . And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." (Romans 8:16, 11 NIV)

2. In thanks to God for saving you from sin, you need to change the way you live and obey God as his child, with Jesus as Lord of your life (The Holy Spirit will help you.):

"To all who received him [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12 NIV)

"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." (Romans 10:9 NIV)

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10 NIV)

3.Here are a few suggestions for getting to know God better:

First, get a Bible in a current translation, such as the New International Version or the New Living Translation and read it.
Begin to read about Jesus in one of the books Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John in the New Testament of the Bible.
Then you may want to read about the beginning of the Christian church in the book of Acts and the teachings of the church in the book of Romans, which are also found in the New Testament.

NOTE: You can also learn biblical truths in the monthly devotionals elsewhere in this Web site.

Second, start talking to God by praying (you don't need fancy words) and start listening to him by reading the Bible.

Third, find a local church where the Bible is taught. If you live in the Grand Rapids area, we invite you to Cascade Fellowship! Talk to the pastor. Tell him you are a new Christian and that you want to grow in your faith.

4. You now have the ultimate life advantage. You know God in the real way--He's in your heart. Share his incredible love with others.

5. Read on to the "Five Assurances for Believers" that follow and claim them as you live.


(The "Steps to Salvation" and "Further Steps" were adapted from WWJD?: The Questions Everyone is Asking by Bruce Bickel & Stan Jantz, [Santa Ana, CA: Bob Siemon Designs, 1997], pp. 130-133.)

Five Assurances for Believers

To assure is to "put beyond all doubt." These assurances are some basic promises God has made to Christians. You can become convinced of the reality of these promises in your life as you memorize, meditate on, study, and apply the Scripture verses presented here.

1. Assurance of Salvation:

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:11-13 New International Version)

2. Assurance of Forgiveness:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9 NIV)

3. Assurance of Answered Prayer:

"Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." (John 16:24 NIV)

4. Assurance of Guidance:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways ackowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

5. Assurance of Victory:

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)

(From Lessons on Assurance, [Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1988])

About the Christian Reformed Church

We believe:

1. the Bible to be the divinely inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

2. there is one eternal God. He exists in 3 persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1; Matthew 28:19; John 1:2; 10:30).

3. that God created the world out of nothing and mankind in His image and upholds all creation by His power (Genesis 1-2; John 1:1-13).

4. in the deity of Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father (John 8:40, 10:33; Acts 2:22); His humanity (John 8:40; Acts 2:22); His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:35); His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, 7:26); His miracles (John 2:11, 20:30-31); His substitutionary and atoning death (1 Corinthians 15:3; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 2:9); His bodily resurrection (John 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:4); His bodily ascension to the right hand of the Father (Luke 24:50; Acts 1:9); and His personal return in power and glory (Matthew 16:27; Acts 1: 11; Revelation 22:12).

5. that because of the fall of mankind into sin, we must be reborn by the Holy Spirit unto salvation; and that people are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ and that only by God's grace and through faith alone are we saved (John 3:1-19; John 5:24; Romans 3:23-24, 5:8-9; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5).

6. in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved will be raised to eternal life, and they that are lost to eternal death (John 5:28-29).

7. in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:26-28).

8. in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit in every believer, by whose indwelling and leading into Biblical truth the Christian learns to live a godly life (Romans 8:13-14; 1 Corinthans 3:16, 6:19-20; Ephesians 4:30, 5:18).

9. that Christ is now ruling and calls all people to recognize Him as Savior and Lord (Matthew 28:18; Acts 17:30; Ephesians 1:20-23).

10. that God established a covenant with parents and their children and that according to that covenant, the church provides education to all ages and supports parents as they educate their children. (Genesis 17:1-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

(Adapted from the "Statement of Beliefs" of Ada Christian School)

The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
He descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

(From Psalter Hymnal, [Grand Rapids, MI: CRC Publications, 1987], p. 813)

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