What We Believe

The Bible is our sole source of authority. We believe that the Bible is God's inspired, infallible Word and that it is relevant for faith and life issues today. Through the Holy Scriptures we learn about God, salvation, right living, and eternal life to come. In it we learn that there is one God, eternally existing in three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-each possessing all the attributes of Deity.

God created humans to enjoy a personal relationship with Him, but they defied Him by going their own way. As a result, we all need a way to come back to Him. God provided that way (salvation) as a free gift (grace) through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, God from eternity who became one of us through His birth by the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life on earth and voluntarily paid for our sins by dying on the cross for us. This secured salvation for all who receive it by trusting in Christ alone-not human effort or good works. Christ rose from the dead and is the only Mediator between us and God. In the last days, He will return to the earth to bring about judgment and then to reign forever in heaven with those who love and trust Him.

The Holy Spirit the third person of the Trinity, is God living within us. More than a feeling, He is a person who draws sinners to Christ, creates faith in our hearts, and equips believers for spiritual growth and service to God. We receive the Holy Spirit when we trust Christ for salvation, and day by day we can be filled with His presence as we yield to His direction in our lives.

Baptism and the Lord's Supper, we believe, are not sacraments for salvation, but acts of obedience and remembrance. Baptism symbolizes the believer's identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, and the Lord's Supper symbolizes the body and blood of Christ offered on the cross for our salvation.

Denominational Affiliation: West Bellevue Church is an independent, self-governing church that chooses to affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention-the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. We do this because of 1) the solid, biblical teaching of the S.B.C. and 2) to cooperate in supporting more than 10,000 missionaries around the world-something we couldn't do by ourselves.

To find out more about the doctrine and organization of West Bellevue Church, we invite you to attend our Class 101: "Discovering West Bellevue Church."

Download a PDF file of What We Believe here.