Christian faith is not a list of moral statements, a philosophical declaration, or a set of claims laid out in bullet points. Christian faith is a relationship with the One True and Living God expressed most clearly in Jesus. What we believe about Jesus, as individuals and as a church, is of great importance. What we believe affects how we understand God and how we live with others and with ourselves. Yakima Grace is a church that welcomes every person, no matter where they are in their journey with God. What the church believes does not have to be what you believe in order for you to be a part of the life of Grace of Christ. We believe God cares for each of us individually and as we honestly seek God He will graciously speak to us and help us understand Truth about Him. We exist, individually and as a church community, to: offer our thanks and praise to the One who created us and loves us, and to love and serve those in the Yakima Valley, and those around the world. Having said all of that, you may want to know some of our important beliefs (passages from the Bible are provided to connect what we believe with where that belief is found in the Bible):
we believe
We believe God created each one of us, and had each one of us in mind even before we were born. (Genesis 1:26-31, Psalm 136:13-16, Ephesians 1:3-6)
We believe that God loves us and had demonstrated that love clearly in Jesus. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8, John 3:16-17, 1 John 4:19)
We believe that Jesus is God Himself stepping into human history. He fully identified with us, communicated the heart of God to us, and offered His life to provide forgiveness for our sins. Jesus died, was buried, and then, by the power of God, defeated death and rose alive from the grave. (Isaiah 53:1-9, Matthew 1:18-23, Luke 1:26-38, Galatians 4:1-7)
We believe the Bible has been given to us by God to help us understand God, life, and our place in the world. The Bible is our main authority for both what we believe and how we live. (Psalm 19:7-11, Psalm 119:105-112, Matthew 5:17-20, 2 Timothy 3:14-17)
We believe that our hope and future is found only in Jesus. (Psalm 62:1-2, John 6:67-69, John 14:6, Acts 4:7-12, Romans 10:9-13, Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 12:1-3)
We believe Forgiveness and Eternal Life are gifts of God received by faith. (Psalm 103:1-5, Luke 11:1-13, Romans 5:1-8, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Colossians 2:13-14)
We believe we were created to love and serve God, and love and serve others. (Deuteronomy 6:4-6, Leviticus 19:17-18, Matthew 25:21-40, Mark 10:35-45, Mark 12:28-34, James 2:14-17, 1 John 3:16-18)
Grace is a place to discover what Christians believe, what the Bible is all about, who Jesus is. We are always open for conversation and dialog about the important beliefs of Christian faith.
We are a part of the ECO (Evangelical Covenant Order) Presbyterian Denomination. For general information about ECO, click here. For the Essential Beliefs of ECO churches click here. If you're wanting some more in-depth reading, click here.