Our Beliefs

Please click on a topic below.

Before you come to Immanuel for the first time, you might want to know what we believe. If you have questions about what any of these things mean, we'd love to speak to you more so that we can clarify them for you. You can email questions to ibc@ibcridgecrest.org or speak with any of our pastors during weekend services.

The Word of God

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and having supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

The Trinity

We believe that there is one living and true God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are equal in every divine perfection and execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.

God the Father

We believe in God the Father, an infinite personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in Jesus Christ's substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and Son, to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.

Regeneration

We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

The Church

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head, and that all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church consisting of family members joined to each other and Jesus Christ by faith, through the public declaration of their faith in baptism, and assembled for worship, fellowship, growth, ministry, and proclamation of the Good News of God’s salvation.

Christian Conduct

We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others. Their conduct should model Christ’s character. They should be faithful stewards of their possessions, and they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.

The Ordinances

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper, instituted by Christ, was for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Religious Liberties

We believe that every human being has direct relations with God and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that, therefore, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.