STATEMENT OF FAITH

The Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is God's one-of-a-kind revelation to people. It is the inspired, Word of God, without error, and the final authority on all matters upon which it teaches. There are no other writings in existence with such divine authority.

There is only one God, creator of heaven and earth, who exists forever as three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each fully God yet each personally distinct from the other.

Everyone is created in God's image and matter deeply to Him. Central to the message of the Bible is that God loves people, and invites them to live in communion with Him and in community with each other.

Apart from Jesus Christ, all people are spiritually lost and, because of sin, deserve the judgment of God. However, God gives salvation and eternal life to anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ and in His sacrifice on his or her behalf. Salvation cannot be earned through personal goodness or human effort. It is a gift that must be received by humble repentance and faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross.

Jesus Christ, second Person of the Trinity, was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless human life, willingly took upon Himself all of our sins, died and rose again bodily, and is now at the right hand of the Father as our advocate and mediator. Some day, He will return to fulfill the eternal plan of God.

The Holy Spirit, third Person of the Trinity, convicts the world of sin and draws people to Christ. He also indwells all believers. He is available to empower them to lead Christ-like lives, and gives them spiritual gifts with which to serve the church and reach out to a lost and needy world.

Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. At the final judgment, unbelievers will be separated from God into condemnation. Believers will be received into God's loving presence and rewarded for their faithfulness to Him in this life.
All believers are members of the body of Christ, the Church, becoming the hands and feet doing God's work. Spiritual unity is to be expressed among Christians by acceptance and love of one another across ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, national, generational, gender, and denominational lines.

The local church is a congregation of believers who gather for worship, prayer, instruction, encouragement, mutual accountability, and community with each other. Through it, believers invest time, energy, and resources to fulfill the Great Commission — reaching lost people and growing them into fully devoted followers of Christ.

Other Terms
It's common, in Christian circles, to hear lots of big words concerning one's spiritual beliefs and view of the world. Many of these words can sound old-fashioned, archaic, or "stuffy". But when you boil it all down, they're just words - words that are used to express an idea or a system of belief. In an effort to de-mystify some of these big Christian words, we've listed and defined many of the more commonly used, and Oakbrook-applicable Christian terms below:

Judeo-Christian Ethic

It can be said that Jews and Christians worship the same God. For example the Old Testament in Christian Bibles, is identical to the Tanakh, the Jewish Bible. For this reason, may people cite a "Judeo-Christian Ethic", which simply refers to the fact that Jews and Christians share many values, traditions, and morals. The Ten Commandments is a prime example of Judeo-Christian ethic.

Protestant

There are two main divisions of Christians - Catholics and Protestants. While they share many things, there are also many areas of disagreement. The term "Protestant" was first used in the 1500's, during the time of the Reformation. A short version on the rift is explained by the "5 Onlys." Protestants believe (1) Christ Alone (2) Scripture Alone (3) Faith Alone (4) Grace Alone (5) Glory to God Alone. These five core beliefs are generally at odds with Catholic belief and tradition.

Evangelical
A form of Christianity which places an emphasis on evangelism, a personal experience of conversion, biblically oriented faith, and a belief that the Christian faith has relevance to modern life and culture.

Dispensationalist

A belief that God is working and dealing with man in a progressive way, as He chooses. It is obvious, even to casual Bible readers, that God does not deal with modern humans the same way he dealt with Adam & Eve, Abraham, Moses, or David. It should also be fairly evident that something MAJOR happened when Christ dies on the cross for the sins of mankind. The Bible speaks of the temple veil being torn in two, and of everyone now having an opportunity for relationship directly with God. The fact that God dealt with Adam & Eve one way (don't eat the fruit), but deals with us a different way (accept Jesus) is what is meant by the term, progressive. Dispensationalists generally subscribe to the literal interpretation of Scripture.

Non-Denominational
A term which simply means that Oakbrook is not affiliated with any church denominations, such as Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.

Born-Again
A term which originates in Scripture itself - from John chapter 3 as Jesus is talking to Nicodemus. Jesus said, "I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again." When asked to clarify, Jesus said to be "born of water and Spirit." This is a reference to becoming a Christian (accepting Christ and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit) and simple water Baptism.

Biblically Functioning Community
A phrase you're likely to hear around Oakbrook. It means that we are trying to become a church which operates much like the very first church did, as described in the Bible in the book of Acts chapter 2.

Fully Devoted Follower
The goal of what we are trying to become. A complete Christian is one who lives in full devotion to God's will. The path to becoming a Fully Devoted Follower is described in our Five page.