We believe that God created us to be in relationship with Him. As flawed human beings, we pull away from the God who created us, and in an attempt to further ourselves from Him, we sin and create a chasm between ourselves and God, the Father. God, in His profound love for us, provides for us the free gift of salvation through His own Son's sacrificial death on the cross, so that we can again be in close relationship with Him both here on Earth and in Heaven. You can choose to follow Jesus and receive the free gift of salvation. Here’s how you can get started:
Embrace the reality of God’s personal love for you. Faith begins in love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3b
Admit that you have sinned and helped form a chasm between you and your relationship with God. Freedom begins with truth. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12
Believe that Jesus is God’s solution to your sin and offers you reconciliation through His sacrificial death and overcoming of death in resurrection. Heaven begins with forgiveness. “All the prophets say the same thing about Him – that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.” Acts 10:43 “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to Him and make our home in Him.” John 14:23
Commit your life to following Jesus – give Him complete control! Give Him Complete Control! A new life begins with willingness to act on the truth. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with hi, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13
You can commit your life to Jesus and receive salvation right now by faith through prayer. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here is a suggested prayer: “Lord Jesus, I need You; please forgive me. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and for giving me eternal life! Please take control of my life and make me the kind of person You want me to be. Amen.”
We know that theology surrounds the Christian faith. Instead of getting into all of the small stuff, because it's just that, small stuff, here we have outlined the beliefs that are of key importance to our faith. If you ever want help navigating what you believe, or want to understand what we believe here at The Church at Severn Run more deeply, please reach out to us here.
Both the Old and New Testaments, were inspired by God. We believe that we can learn all we need to learn from Scripture, that we can be sure of it’s truth, and that we can live by the principles it outlines to honor God. In the Bible we can find the true path to salvation and the foundations of our faith. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; John 16:12-13.
We believe God originally created man in His own image and free from sin; but, through the temptation of Satan, man denied God. This caused him to fall from his original holiness and righteousness, and became alienated from God. Because of this choice, we have become separated from God and are unable to redeem our relationship with Him outside of the sacrifice of Jesus. Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22 & 23, 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12.
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in Jesus Christ. After living a life that showed us what God’s love really means, Jesus willingly laid down his life as a sacrifice for our sins. This selfless act of pure love offers us forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation to God. Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. We believe that He became man, without ceasing to be God. Fully God, and fully man. We believe that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary who was a virgin at the time. We believe that this was God’s glorious plan of love so that Jesus might reveal God and redeem His relationship with man. John 1:1, 2 & 14; Luke 1:35
We believe that Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross and resurrection over death. His sacrifice took the place of our lesser, insufficient, and imperfect sacrifice, covering all of our wrongdoings and making a relationship with God freely attainable. No other action is needed, only a willingness to accept this gift. Romans 3:24, 25; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; 2 Peter 1:3
We believe in the Trinity, the idea of God as three-in-one. God is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each revelation of God has distinct personal attributes, but are the same Being. Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:4; John 10:30; John 14:16-17
After you have accepted the free gift of salvation, we believe baptism is symbolic of the our death to our old life. We believe baptism is fully symbolic, but also an act of obedience that proclaims our new commitment to following Jesus. We practice believers, immersion baptism. This means that we will only baptize a person after they, themselves, have made a commitment to follow Jesus and receive the gift of salvation. This means that we do not baptize infants or children at the request of their parent, but only as a representation of their personal commitment to Christ. Instead we offer Child Dedications to symbolize a parents’ commitment to raise their children in a Christ-centered home. Acts 10:48; Luke 3:21-22
If you have accepted Christ’s free gift of salvation, and would like to be baptized, you can sign up here.
We believe that we are God’s expression of love to the world today. The Church at Severn Run has a vision to reach men, women, boys, and girls with the Good News that salvation and a reconciled relationship with God is freely available to them. If you’d like to learn more about our vision and our call as Christ Followers, listen to our Extraordinary Message Series and our 2020 Vision Series.