Who We Are
&
What we Believe
“We exist to make an impact on our community, the surrounding areas and the regions beyond with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
 

The head of River Oaks Community Church is Jesus Christ. We seek to reflect His priorities in all we do, and how we do it. No decision is ever made that would knowingly contradict any of Jesus’ teachings.

The Bible

 

We believe the Bible to be the verbally inspired Word of God without error in the original writings, and the supreme and final authority in doctrine and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Hebrews 1:1- 2; Romans 10:17).

 The Godhead

 
We believe that there is one true God that exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each person is completely God and yet unique and distinct in characteristics and roles.
 

God the Father is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, infinite, immutable, sovereign and good. (Psalm 147:4-5; Jeremiah 32:27; Psalm 139:7-10; Psalm 90:2; James 1:17; Psalm 46:9-10; Psalm 100:5)

 
 
God the Son is Jesus Christ the Living Word, the God-man, the Mediator between God and man, the Creator of the Universe and all that is in it, the promised Messiah, who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, willingly died on the Cross, rose again the third day and is returning one day for his bride: the Church. (John 1:1,14; John 10:30; 1 Timothy 5:15; Colossians 1:15-18; Hebrews 4:14-16; Philippians 2:5- 11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
 
 

God the Holy Spirit is intelligent, personal, emotional, giver of spiritual gifts and the minister of the will of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10-11; Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Corinthians 12:11; John 14:26; Romans 8:14; John 16:5-15)

  Creation and the Fall

 

We believe all things in heaven and earth were created by God and exist by His power (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16-17).

We believe that man was created innocent in the image and likeness of God with a specific gender but that he sinned bringing both physical and spiritual death to himself and his posterity. We believe that man has inherited a sinful nature, is alienated from God, and is in need of salvation (Genesis 1:27; 2:17; 3:19; Ephesians 2:1-3).

Sin and Salvation

 

We believe that salvation is a free gift of God and is received by man through personal faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for sin. We believe that man is justified by grace through faith apart from works (Acts 13:38-39, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-10).

We believe that all true believers, once saved, are kept secure in Christ forever (Romans 8:1, 38-39; John 10:27-30).

The Church

 

We believe in the local church which is the “called out” assembly of believers for the purpose of exalting God, edifying the saints and evangelizing the lost (Revelation 2:4; Hebrews 10:24-25; Ephesians 4:11-16; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15,16).

Everyone, living or dead, who has ever put their faith in Jesus Christ from the day of Pentecost till now, is a member of the universal church, Christ’s body, of which He is the head (Ephesians 1:22).

 Ordinances

 

An Ordinance is an outward rite prescribed by the Lord Jesus Christ to be performed by the church and are commonly known as sacraments. We practice Baptism and Communion as the primary ordinances of the Church.

We believe Baptism is to be by immersion (from the Greek baptizo) and that every believer should be baptized as soon as he realizes that Christ has commanded it as an act of obedience and as a public testimony of identification as a follower of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3,4).

Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist, is the act of remembering the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the Cross and celebrating all the redemption provided for all believers through that act. Communion should be observed regularly, reverently, orderly, and by all believers in right relationship with God and man.           (1 Corinthians 11:23-32)