Our Beliefs
The heart of what we believe centers on the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What is the gospel?
Everything we are and do is empowered by the gospel. The gospel is the great news that God is forgiving and adopting sinners as his very own children through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Hear Pastor Matt explain the Gospel in a recent sermon.
Basic Beliefs
There are truths that serve as the foundation on which everything we believe is built upon. For more detail, check out our statement of beliefs.
We believe…
…the Scriptures are true, authoritative and sufficient.
…there is one true God, who eternally exists as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
…that all humans-Christ excluded-are sinful by nature and choice
…Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death on the cross and rose from the dead three days later
…the consequence of sin is eternal death, but the free gift of God is eternal life for all who believe in Jesus Christ
…the local church is God’s primary means for making disciples of Jesus and spreading his glory everywhere
Theological Distinctives
The covenant members of Citylight Church affirm our statement of beliefs and our member covenant. The elders/pastors of Citylight Church hold to these particular theological distinctives that we consider open-handed for our members.
Gospel-Centrality
We believe the gospel is both the means by which we are saved and the truth and power by which we are sanctified. The gospel enables us to joyfully do what is pleasing to God and conforms us to the likeness of Jesus. We never grow beyond our need for the gospel of grace.
God’s sovereignty in saving sinners
We believe God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be his adopted children, not on the basis of anything we would do, but on the basis of his sovereign grace. We believe the Holy Spirit effectually draws the elect to himself through the gospel and keeps us in Christ forever. We believe God sovereignly uses the means of prayer and witness to draw the elect to himself.
Holy Spirit empowerment through a continuationist framework
We believe that Christ-like life and ministry depends on being continually filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We believe the Spirit sovereignly bestows all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament to Christians today for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Equality and complementarity in home and church
We believe that God created humanity in his image male and female. Men and women, therefore, share moral, spiritual and personal equality. We also believe that men and women function in a complementary fashion in the home and church. Husbands are called to provide Christ-like headship in their homes and male elders are to provide Christ-like servant leadership through the office of elder or pastor.
Believer’s baptism
We believe that baptism is picture of union with Jesus in his death and resurrection. Since we are raised with Christ through faith and become partakers of the new covenant through faith, Citylight church only baptizes those who give a credible profession of repentance and faith in Christ.
Missionary understanding of the local church
We believe the local church is God’s primary plan for establishing his Kingdom on earth. We believe the church is called to make disciples of Jesus in its Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the Earth. We believe the primary means of accomplishing this mission is by planting healthy churches that plant healthy churches.
Danvers Statement
To further clarify our complementarian view of gender and sexuality we hold to the Danvers statement as published in its final form by the CBMW in Wheaton, Illinois in November of 1988.