What We Believe
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” - AW Tozer
Harvest Community Church
We are a gospel-centered church located in Corry, Pennsylvania. These basic beliefs represent what we hold to be essential elements of biblical teaching.
-
We teach there is one living and true God, eternally (John 17:3) existing in perfect unity as three equally and fully divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19-20) Each Person of the Godhead, while fulfilling distinct but complementary roles in redemptive history, has precisely the same nature, attributes, and being, and is equally worthy of the same glory and honor and obedience. (John 1:1-4; Acts 5:3-4)
God the Father
We teach God the Father created all things in six literal days for His glory according to His will (Revelation 4:11), through His Son Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. God upholds all things by the Word of His power, exercising sovereign authority over all creation, including the restoration of those who have rebelled against Him. (Genesis 1:1-2:3; Isaiah 46:9-10; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3)
God the Son
We teach that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, moved by love in accordance with the will of the Father, took on human flesh. (John 1:1, 14, 18) Conceived through the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the virgin Mary. He, being fully God and fully man (John 14:8-9), lived a sinless life and sacrificially shed His blood and died on the cross in our place, accomplishing redemption for all who place their faith in Him. (Mark 10:45; Ephesians 2:8-9) He arose visibly and bodily from the dead three days later and ascended into heaven, where, at the Father’s right hand, He is now Head of His Body the Church, the only Savior and Mediator between God and
man, and will return to earth in power and glory to complete His redemptive mission. (Matthew 28:1-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; 1 Timothy 3:16)
God the Spirit
We teach the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ during this age. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He draws those who are in rebellion toward Him to repentance and faith, and at salvation imparts new spiritual life to the believer, bringing that person into a reconciled relationship with Jesus Christ and the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit sanctifies, seals, satisfies, guides, instructs, comforts, equips, empowers, permanently
indwells at salvation, and bestows spiritual gi!s to the believer for Christ-like living and service.
(John 16:8, 13:15; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 1:22, 4:11-12; Romans 8:9-17, 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 3:16,
12:4-5, 11-13, 19; Galatians 5:25; Hebrews 2:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12)
-
We teach the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments to be the full record of God’s self- disclosure to humanity. Different men, while writing according to their own styles and personalities, were supernaturally moved along by the Holy Spirit to record God’s very words. We trust in the verbal, complete inspiration of the Scriptures and that they contain all the words of God that we need in order to love, enjoy, trust, and obey Him. The Scriptures are without error in their original writings (Psalm 119:97-104; Psalm 119:160; Matthew 5:18; John 5:46-47; John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:15-16), completely dependable in their instruction (Proverbs 6:32; 2 Peter 1:19), eternal in duration (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:23-25), the final authority and the standard for Christian faith and daily practice (Matthew 4:4; Psalm 119), and sufficient for counsel in every spiritual and relational issue of life. (Psalm 19:7-14; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16) We teach the Bible versions which translate God’s Word most literally into modern English should be preferred. It is in Scripture that we see Jesus and gain His joy for daily living. (John 5:39; John 15:11)
-
We teach God created mankind—male and female—in His own image and likeness, free of sin, to glorify and enjoy Him. Adam and Eve were given the privilege to oversee all of God’s creation under His guidance and care. Tempted by Satan, but in the sovereign plan of God, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, bringing sin, death, and a death sentence to all people. All human beings are totally corrupt by nature and by choice. Alienated from God without defense or excuse and subject to God’s righteous justice, all of humanity is in desperate need of the Savior.
(Genesis 1:26-27, 3:1-6, 6:5; Romans 1:18, 32; Romans 3:10-19)
-
We teach the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as the substitutionary atonement in our place and that salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ. Before Creation, God chose His people and granted each one unearned grace solely based on His good pleasure. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was the sole and complete payment for sin, fully satisfying God’s righteous justice, for each person that turns from sin in repentance and places his or her faith in Christ alone by grace alone. If we go to heaven, it is because of God’s unmerited grace through Jesus Christ, and if we are eternally separated from Him, it is because of our own rebellion. We hold these two truths with humility and awe. (John 6:39, 44, 8:23-24) At salvation, each person is made a new creation by the Holy Spirit, declared righteous before God, and adopted as a child of God forever. Genuine faith continues in obedience and love for Jesus Christ with a life eager to glorify God and persevere to the end.
(Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 12:13; John 14:15)
-
We teach that upon placing one’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the believer is made part of the Body of Christ, the one universal Church, of which Jesus Christ is the Head. The Scriptures command believers to gather locally in order to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, encouragement and partnership, the ordinances of baptism and communion, service to the local body through the development and use of talents and spiritual gifts, and outreach to the world to make disciples. (Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 2:42-46; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20) Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the Church under the watchful care of a plurality of elders. A church’s members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ and proclaiming His Good News to all the world.
(1 Timothy 3:1-7; Ephesians 4:16; Mark 16:15)
-
Baptism and communion are the two ordinances required in the church. We teach that Christian baptism by immersion in water is a public identification with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Although baptism is not required for salvation, it is commanded of all believers, declares one’s allegiance to Jesus as Lord and Savior, and is for believers only in order to declare that we are saved by God’s grace through Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-41; Acts 18:8; Romans 6:1-4; Ephesians 2:8-9) Scripture shows that a person was baptized after receiving forgiveness of sin through trusting in God’s grace through Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:41, 8:36-38, 10:47; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) Baptism by immersion is a symbol of our death, burial, and resurrection to newness of life that happens when we become new creations in Christ. (Colossians 2:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:1-4)
Communion is the remembrance by believers of Christ’s death for us, and a reminder—through the bread and the juice—of the Savior’s broken body and shed blood for us. We are reminding ourselves that Jesus satisfies as the Bread of Life when everything else leaves us unfulfilled and empty. (John 6:48-51; Jeremiah 2:13) Communion is to be a time of self-examination and also a time of celebration of who we are in Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:3-6; 1 Corinthians 11:20-32; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:5; Romans 6:6; 1 Peter 2:9, 3:18) We encourage believers to take communion in their homes and small groups as a way of life as God leads.
(Matthew 26:26-29; Acts 2:41-42)
-
Every believer has the calling and privilege to glorify God by being active participants in the Great Commission call of Jesus Christ; that is, to go and make disciples of our family, neighbors, and all nations. The primary focus and priority of this call is centered on establishing and strengthening disciple makers who make other disciple makers who then strengthen and plant churches for future generations and God’s glory.
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Ephesians 6:1-4; 2 Timothy 2:1-2)
-
A local church is a regular assembly of people who profess and give evidence that they have been saved by God's grace alone, for His glory alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. (Ephesians 1:1-14) We teach the importance of offering an intentional and clear path for people to start and continue in healthy, encouraging, committed, accountable, and growing relationships with others in the church body. Church membership is a byproduct of people who are growing in Christ and who understand the importance of fulfilling God’s call to love one another and reach the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Church membership helps make the gospel clear to non-Christians by providing a unified witness of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Pastors and elders also need to know for which of God’s people they are responsible to personally know, lead, feed, and protect so that they can tend to them most responsibly and effectively. Church membership reveals devotion and commitment to Christ, His people, and His mission.
(John 13:34-35, 17:20-26; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-6; 1 John 4:20-21; Acts 2:40-47; 1 Corinthians 12:14-26; Ephesians 4:11-16)
-
We recognize that all have sinned, and as a result, our brokenness is demonstrated in numerous ways that are contrary to God’s ways, including greed, selfishness, covetousness, and immorality. We teach all people must be shown compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Any behavior or attitudes not displaying these qualities should be rejected, as they are not in accord with Scripture or the Spirit of Christ. (Galatians 5:14; Luke 6:31-38)
We teach God wonderfully created each person as distinctly male or female. (Genesis 1:26-31, 2:18-25, 5:1, 2) These two distinct and complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Gender identity is determined by biological sex and not by one’s self-perception – a perception which is often influenced by fallen human nature in ways contrary to God’s design. (Ephesians 4:17-18; Jeremiah 17:9) Rejection of biological and God-given gender is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
We teach marriage was created and sanctioned by God to join one man and one woman in a single and exclusive union for a lifetime. (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6)
We teach God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. Any form of sexual intimacy outside of marriage is sexually immoral and is sin against God and His design for healthy relationships. (1 Corinthians 6:15-7:6; Ephesians 5:3-7) Sexual immorality includes, but is not limited to, adultery, sexual activity outside of marriage, homosexual conduct, and pornography. (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)
We extend love and compassion to those whose sexual self-understanding is shaped by a distressing conflict between their biological sex and their gender identity. We also offer the Good News of freedom through Jesus Christ. (Luke 4:18-19; 1 John 1:9)
We teach God offers forgiveness, transformation, and restoration to all who confess and repent from their sin and humbly ask for God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:11; John 8:31-36) Our love for the Gospel and urgency for the Great Commission includes declaring what Scripture teaches about God’s design for us as male and female persons created in His image, for His joy, and for His glory.
(Psalm 34:8; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 20:27; Romans 11:36)
-
We teach God is the creator of the universe and all things and that He created the earth in six twenty-four-hour days and that before He created the universe, nothing except God existed. (Genesis 1; Exodus 31:17; Psalm 33:6-9; Acts 17:24; Hebrews 11:3; Colossians 1:16) God chose to create the universe and all that is in it to reveal His glory, divine nature, eternal power, infinite wisdom, supreme authority, and great joy. (Isaiah 43:7; Psalm 19:1-2; Jeremiah 10:12; Romans 1:20; Revelation 4:11; Genesis 1:31; John 17:13; Matthew 25:23)
We reject the theory of macroevolution, which states that nonliving substances gave rise to the first living material, which then reproduced and diversified to produce all living creatures. We teach all people are descendants of Adam and Eve, whom God created as complete human beings. (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7, 2:21-22; 1 Corinthians 11:8-9) The fall of Adam and Eve infected all people with sin and death, but the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ gives the opportunity to receive God’s gift of eternal life. (Romans 5:18-19, 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22) God rules over His creation, cares about it, and is actively involved in the lives of individuals.
(Job 12:10; Acts 17:25, 25:28; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:13; Ephesians 4:6)
Click below to see our Full Doctrinal Statement.
