What We Believe

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - A.W. Tozer

"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, charity. In all things, Jesus Christ."
At First EFC, it's our common faith in Christ that brings us together from various backgrounds. We want to be known as people who love God and treasure His glory displayed in the gospel above all else. The following is a list of the core beliefs around which we choose to unite rather than an exhaustive commentary on Biblical doctrine. As an Evangelical Free Church located in Las Cruces, we gladly embrace the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA).
Note: The following presentation of the EFCA Statement of Faith includes our own annotation of select Scripture references.

Our Statement of Faith

ARTICLE 1: 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. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16; Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19; Ephesians 1:3-14)

ARTICLE 2: 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. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Psalm 119:105)

ARTICLE 3: 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. (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 5:12; John 3:3, 6)

ARTICLE 4: 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. (Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-18; 1 John 4:2, 5:1; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Acts 1:9; Hebrews 10:12; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 John 2:1)

ARTICLE 5: 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. (Romans 5:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; Romans 5:1; John 1:12-13; Acts 4:12)

ARTICLE 6: 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. (John 15:26; John 16:7-14; Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:22-23)

ARTICLE 7: 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. (Ephesians 1:22-23; Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Ephesians 2:8-10; Acts 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 12:11-18)

ARTICLE 8: 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. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-7; Romans 6:22; James 2:17-18; Mark 12:30-31; Isaiah 58:6-11; Matthew 25:34-40; Ephesians 6:12-13, 18; Matthew 28:18-20)

ARTICLE 9: 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. (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:3, 11; Titus 2:12-13; 1 Corinthians 15:58)

ARTICLE 10: 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. (Matthew 25:31-46; John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Revelation 20:4-6; Luke 16:19-26; John 5:25-29; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 20:11-15)