who we are

essential beliefs

Heartland's statement of faith

All Scripture is self-attesting and, being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the 66 books of the old and new testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks.

On this sure foundation, we affirm these additional essentials of our faith:

  • We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory and praise forever!
  • Jesus Christ, the Living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one person forever. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into Heaven, where at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.
  • The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving works of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Dwelling in our hearts, He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into truth and seals us for the day of redemption.
  • Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is dependent wholly upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifying them in His sight. Only such who are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs to eternal life.
  • The true church is composed of all persons who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, are united together in the body of Christ. The church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.
  • Jesus Christ will come again to the earth—personally, visibly and bodily—to judge the living and the dead and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)
  • The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denial and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

These essentials are set forth in greater detail in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

The Essentials of the Faith

What do we believe at Heartland?

  1. WHO IS GOD?
    • Only one God – Deuteronomy 6:4, 32:36-39; I Chronicles 17:20; Isaiah 45:18; Matthew 19:17; Mark 12:32; I Corinthians 8:4; James 2:19
    • The supreme Ruler – Psalms 50:1, 66:7, 93:1; Isaiah 40:15 & 17; I Timothy 6:15; Revelation 11:17
    • The Creator of all things – Genesis 1; Psalms 104:24; Proverbs 3:19-20, 16:4; Isaiah 45:18; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11
    • The Keeper of all things – Psalms 18:35-36, 55:22, 63:7-8
    • Infinitely Holy – Exodus 15:11; Isaiah 63:3; Revelation 15:4
    • Has always existed and always will – Deuteronomy 33:27; I Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 13:8
    • Is three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – Matthew 11:25; Romans 15:6; I Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; I John 5:20; Psalms 139:7-10; Luke 1:35; John 14:26, 16:13; Hebrews 9:14; Romans 8:2, 15:30

  2. WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
    • God expressed visibly – Colossians 1:15
    • All that God is and desires to communicate to man – John 1:1-5 & 14
    • Conceived miraculously by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary – Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:30-35, 2:7 & 11
    • Totally God and totally man – Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 2:17-18
    • His death was the willing and loving substitute for us individually, and so by dying He took our deserved death penalty because of our sins – Isaiah 53:5; I John 1:29; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:24, 3:18
    • Three days after He died and had been put into the grave, He was brought back to life miraculously by God and appeared to many people – Matthew 28; Mark 16:1-13; Luke 24:1-49; John 20-21; Acts 1:1-18; I Corinthians 15:3-7 & 17
    • After approximately 40 days of appearing to and teaching people, He ascended to heaven where today He resides and is our access to God the Father – Luke 24:50-53; mark 16:19-20; Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 4:14-16

  3. WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
    • He is God – John 16:13-15
    • He comes to exalt Christ and all that He taught and did
    • He shows our own sin
    • KA
    • He reminds us of Christ, His life and work – John 16:8-10
    • He comes and dwells or lives within each of us when we receive Christ – John 14:17; I Corinthians 6:19
    • He causes each of us to have a new life, one that God originally intended – John 3:6, 14:19; Titus 3:5-6; II Corinthians 5:17
    • He gives us power to live the kind of life God desires us to live – Ephesians 3:14-20; II Timothy 1:7; I Thessalonians 5:24
    • He gives us security and confidence in our relationship and standing before God – Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30

  4. WHO IS MAN?
    • Everyone is a sinner—that is, we cannot please God enough to be able to live with Him forever – Romans 3:23, 5:10; Colossians 1:21
    • Our sin separates us from God, causing spiritual death – Romans 6:23, 8:3, Ephesians 4:18-19
    • The only way we can have spiritual life and a relationship with God is by God giving to humans something we do not deserve – graceKA

  5. HOW CAN WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?
    • The only way to have relationship with God is through the work and initiation of the Holy Spirit – John 3:3-6; Titus 3:5

    • We must respond by believing in Jesus and asking Him to be our Savior and Lord – John 10:10, 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:23-25
    • If we believe in Jesus, we:
      • Become children of God – John 1:12, 5:24; Romans 8:12-16
      • Receive eternal life – John 3:15, 17:3; Romans 8:17; I John 2:25, 5:11-13
      • Have a right relationship with God – II Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:8-9
      • No longer are guilty – Romans 3:24 & 28, 5:1

  6. WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
    • The true church is made up of a group of people who have believed Jesus is their Savior and have become children of God – John 1:12, 5:24; Romans 8:12-16
    • They are a group in the process of having their attitudes and very lives changed to be more like God wants them to be through the power of the Holy Spirit – John 17:17; I Corinthians 6:11; I Thessalonians 5:23-24
    • All of these people together are called the Body of Christ – Romans 12:5; I Corinthians 12:12-20; Ephesians 4:4-6

  7. WHAT IS OUR FUTURE?
    • At some point in the future, Jesus Christ will return to the earth, visible to all men, personally and in the same resurrection body in which He left – Matthew 24:31-46, 42-44; Acts 1:10-11; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19:11-16
    • Jesus will judge both those who are alive and those who have died – Matthew 25:31-46; Acts 17:30-31; II Timothy 4:1; Revelation 20:11-15
    • Jesus will bring an end to history as we know it, and establish the eternal plan of God – Revelation 21 8.

  8. WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE FOR LIVING?
    • Jesus commands all who have become God’s children to go into the world (that is – our homes, neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, cities and countries) and tell others about the Good News concerning Jesus Christ – Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians 5:20; I Peter 3:15
    • We have responsibility to instruct them in their growth – Matthew 28:18-20; II Timothy 2:2
    • In order to accomplish this task, we must be obedient and faithful to Christ, to be living the type of life which others could identify as people belonging to God – Romans 6:4; I Corinthians 7:17; II Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 4:17-5:21; Colossians 2:6-7; I Thessalonians 2:12; I John 2:6; II John 6