We base our ministry upon certain doctrinal essentials. Adherence to these biblical truths not only serves as a condition for partnership at Highlife, but, more importantly, serves as a foundation for the higher life promised by Jesus Christ.
The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe Scripture originated entirely from God and that it was given through writers inspired by God. Scripture speaks with the authority of God and at the same time reflects the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of the human authors. The Scriptures are presented exactly as God intended and without error in the original manuscripts. They are the unique, full, and final authority on all matters of faith and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
We believe there is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons -Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and each of whom is worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. In the beginning, God created the world and all things out of nothing, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness. By His sovereign power He continues to sustain His creation. By His providence He is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.
The central purpose of God's revelation in Scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have fellowship with God, man defied God, choosing to go his independent way, and was thus alienated from God. The consequence of this rebellion from God is the corruption of human nature, so that people are unable to please God in any way. The fall took place at the beginning of human history, and all individuals since have suffered these consequences and are in need of the saving grace of God. The salvation of mankind is, then, wholly a sovereign work of God's grace, not the result, in whole or in part, of human effort or works of goodness. Salvation becomes a reality in a person's experience when he or she admits his or her own sinfulness and inability to save himself or herself, and receives God's gift of forgiveness by faith. By this act of faith, each person acknowledges his or her own need for repentance and solely relies on Jesus Christ's finished work on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. When God has begun a saving work in the heart of any person, He gives assurance in His word that He will continue performing it until the day of its full consummation.
Jesus Christ is the eternal second person of the Godhead - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He was united with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily made amends for the sins of humankind by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. Jesus rose from the dead in the same body, now glorified, in which He lived and died. He ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own. He shall come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
The essential accompaniment of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. He was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to mankind the saving work of Christ. He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them a recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them. At the point of salvation He permanently indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength and wisdom, and genuinely endows each believer with gifts for the building of the church. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying Scripture. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character, referred to as fruit of the Spirit, to the glory of the Father.
Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. At the return of Christ, every human being will be bodily resurrected from the dead. All who have rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will be separated from God for eternity. God's judgment will reveal His justice in consigning them to perpetuate in eternity their own rejection of God. All who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be received into everlasting communion with God and will be rewarded for works done in this life that glorify Christ.
The result of union with Jesus Christ is that all believers become members of His body, the Church. The one true Church is composed of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Wherever God's people meet regularly, there is the local expression of the church. Under the watchful care of elders and other supportive leaders, its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of bringing glory to God. Scripture commands all believers to be an active part of a local church body, devoting themselves to worship, prayer, and the teaching of God's Word. Participation in a local body also includes the observance of believer's baptism and communion as the sacramental ordinances established by Jesus Christ, fellowship, service to the body, and outreach to the world, thereby glorifying Christ and furthering His purposes.
Scripture is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. This church recognizes that it cannot bind the conscience of individual members in areas where Scripture is silent. Rather, in these areas each believer should seek the wise counsel of others in the church and then be led by the Lord, to whom he or she alone is ultimately responsible.