creeds and affirmations
Komstad belongs to the Evangelical Covenant Church and affirms the following...
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into Hades; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Our Place in the Worldwide Church
We are an apostolic church.
We are a 'catholic' church ('catholic' means worldwide)
We are a reformation church
We are an evangelical church
Covenant Affirmations
We affirm the centrality of the word of God
We affirm the necessity of the new birth
We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the Church
We affirm the Church as a fellowship of believers
We affirm a conscious dependence upon the Holy Spirit
We affirm the reality of freedom in Christ
Komstad's Articulated Beliefs
About God - The God we worship is the Holy Trinity. We believe in God the Father, the creator of all things (Gen. 1:1). We believe in God the Son, through whom all things were created and redeemed (Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16-17; Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7). We believe in God the Spirit, the author and giver of life (Jn. 6:63; 2 Cor. 3:6), by whom God's work is completed.
About Jesus - We believe that Jesus is fully divine and fully human (Jn. 1:1-2, 14; Phil. 2:5-7; Heb. 2:14). We believe that Jesus is Immanuel, which literally means God with us. In him the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, took on flesh and became completely human in every way. We believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of all God's promises (Matt. 5:17). We believe that he lived in perfect obedience without sin, even to the point of death (Heb. 4:15; Phil. 2:8). We believe that Jesus gave his life for us to cleanse us from sin (Mk. 10:45; Col. 1:22), and that on the third day he was raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:4). We believe that he is the full revelation of God (a.k.a. - by looking at Jesus we see what God is like, since Jesus is God) (Jn. 10:30, 14:9). We believe that salvation comes from no one else but Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12).
About the Holy Spirit - We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life (2 Cor. 3:6, 17). We believe that the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the words of the prophets and through the testimony of Jesus' followers as recorded in Scripture (Mk. 12:36; Eph. 3:5; 2 Tim. 3:16). We believe that the Holy Spirit does nothing to contradict what has been revealed in Jesus.
About Sin - We believe that all have fallen short of God's intention for us and as a result all people are sinful (Rom. 3:9-10, 23). Every aspect of our lives is tainted by sin and we were all slaves to sin (Rom. 6:17, 20). We believe that as a result of our sin we do not currently experience the fullness of life as God intended it (Rom. 8:8). In fact, sin does not only ruin life in the present, but it ultimately leads to death (Rom. 6:23). Our sin stained lives separate us from God and one another (Col. 1:21; 1 Jn. 1:11). We can do nothing on our own to repair or restore ourselves to God (Eph. 2:8-9).
About Salvation - We believe that although humanity can do nothing to change its sinful condition and make itself right before God by its own power, God has provided a way to heal and save humanity! (Rom. 5:8). All three persons of the Trinity are active in saving us. God the Father loved the world and initiates the sending of the Son (John 3:16). Through the Son's perfect life of obedience, through his death, and through his resurrection, God lives a perfect life for us (Heb. 9:14), puts our sin to death on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21), and gives us new life in the present world and in the next (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 6:14). Since salvation is something accomplished by God and not by us, it cannot be earned by good works, but only received as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 6:23). We believe that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Jn. 4:16; Acts 4:12). As we accept Jesus' life, death, and resurrection on our behalf, our broken relationship with God is restored and reconciled (2 Cor. 5:18). When we accept by faith Jesus Christ, we receive a new identity; that is, we become children of God (1 Cor. 3:2). For the rest of our Christian life, the Spirit empowers us to grow and transform into that new identity. Salvation begins with faith and grows toward completion by the Spirit transforming us into the likeness of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). In summary, we are not saved by our own works, but our works flow out of our new identity as children of God, which only is received by faith in what God has done for us through Christ.
About the Church - We believe that the Church is not a building, a club of like-minded people, or just an hour long service. It is a group of people empowered and united in Christ by the power of God's Spirit. The Church is not simply an option for the Christian, but is an essential part of God's plan for creation. God's very nature is communal - three persons sharing one nature. When God creates humanity, God desires for humanity to reflect that communal nature. In the beginning, God created humanity, and when God saw that Adam was alone, God said that it is not good (Gen. 2:18). Isolation is not God's intention for humanity and so God creates community by creating another person, Eve. God intends for humanity to live in community with God and with one another, but sin ruins community and relationships. So God sends his Son to reconcile and rebuild community between humanity and God, as well as among humans (2 Cor. 5:18). God's intention for his creation and his plan of salvation is not only about restoring a private relationship with God, but is about each person being restored with both God and other people (1 Jn. 4:20). Therefore, in order to experience the fullness of God's will and God's restored community, it is important that we come together with other Christians (Heb. 10:25). We believe that the Church is God's people and is called to worship God, build up one another, and reach out to the world together.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into Hades; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Our Place in the Worldwide Church
We are an apostolic church.
We are a 'catholic' church ('catholic' means worldwide)
We are a reformation church
We are an evangelical church
Covenant Affirmations
We affirm the centrality of the word of God
We affirm the necessity of the new birth
We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the Church
We affirm the Church as a fellowship of believers
We affirm a conscious dependence upon the Holy Spirit
We affirm the reality of freedom in Christ
Komstad's Articulated Beliefs
About God - The God we worship is the Holy Trinity. We believe in God the Father, the creator of all things (Gen. 1:1). We believe in God the Son, through whom all things were created and redeemed (Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16-17; Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7). We believe in God the Spirit, the author and giver of life (Jn. 6:63; 2 Cor. 3:6), by whom God's work is completed.
About Jesus - We believe that Jesus is fully divine and fully human (Jn. 1:1-2, 14; Phil. 2:5-7; Heb. 2:14). We believe that Jesus is Immanuel, which literally means God with us. In him the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, took on flesh and became completely human in every way. We believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of all God's promises (Matt. 5:17). We believe that he lived in perfect obedience without sin, even to the point of death (Heb. 4:15; Phil. 2:8). We believe that Jesus gave his life for us to cleanse us from sin (Mk. 10:45; Col. 1:22), and that on the third day he was raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:4). We believe that he is the full revelation of God (a.k.a. - by looking at Jesus we see what God is like, since Jesus is God) (Jn. 10:30, 14:9). We believe that salvation comes from no one else but Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12).
About the Holy Spirit - We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life (2 Cor. 3:6, 17). We believe that the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the words of the prophets and through the testimony of Jesus' followers as recorded in Scripture (Mk. 12:36; Eph. 3:5; 2 Tim. 3:16). We believe that the Holy Spirit does nothing to contradict what has been revealed in Jesus.
About Sin - We believe that all have fallen short of God's intention for us and as a result all people are sinful (Rom. 3:9-10, 23). Every aspect of our lives is tainted by sin and we were all slaves to sin (Rom. 6:17, 20). We believe that as a result of our sin we do not currently experience the fullness of life as God intended it (Rom. 8:8). In fact, sin does not only ruin life in the present, but it ultimately leads to death (Rom. 6:23). Our sin stained lives separate us from God and one another (Col. 1:21; 1 Jn. 1:11). We can do nothing on our own to repair or restore ourselves to God (Eph. 2:8-9).
About Salvation - We believe that although humanity can do nothing to change its sinful condition and make itself right before God by its own power, God has provided a way to heal and save humanity! (Rom. 5:8). All three persons of the Trinity are active in saving us. God the Father loved the world and initiates the sending of the Son (John 3:16). Through the Son's perfect life of obedience, through his death, and through his resurrection, God lives a perfect life for us (Heb. 9:14), puts our sin to death on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21), and gives us new life in the present world and in the next (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 6:14). Since salvation is something accomplished by God and not by us, it cannot be earned by good works, but only received as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 6:23). We believe that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Jn. 4:16; Acts 4:12). As we accept Jesus' life, death, and resurrection on our behalf, our broken relationship with God is restored and reconciled (2 Cor. 5:18). When we accept by faith Jesus Christ, we receive a new identity; that is, we become children of God (1 Cor. 3:2). For the rest of our Christian life, the Spirit empowers us to grow and transform into that new identity. Salvation begins with faith and grows toward completion by the Spirit transforming us into the likeness of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). In summary, we are not saved by our own works, but our works flow out of our new identity as children of God, which only is received by faith in what God has done for us through Christ.
About the Church - We believe that the Church is not a building, a club of like-minded people, or just an hour long service. It is a group of people empowered and united in Christ by the power of God's Spirit. The Church is not simply an option for the Christian, but is an essential part of God's plan for creation. God's very nature is communal - three persons sharing one nature. When God creates humanity, God desires for humanity to reflect that communal nature. In the beginning, God created humanity, and when God saw that Adam was alone, God said that it is not good (Gen. 2:18). Isolation is not God's intention for humanity and so God creates community by creating another person, Eve. God intends for humanity to live in community with God and with one another, but sin ruins community and relationships. So God sends his Son to reconcile and rebuild community between humanity and God, as well as among humans (2 Cor. 5:18). God's intention for his creation and his plan of salvation is not only about restoring a private relationship with God, but is about each person being restored with both God and other people (1 Jn. 4:20). Therefore, in order to experience the fullness of God's will and God's restored community, it is important that we come together with other Christians (Heb. 10:25). We believe that the Church is God's people and is called to worship God, build up one another, and reach out to the world together.
| Covenant Affirmations Booklet (Longer Form) |
| Covenant Affirmations (Brief Form) |