The gospel is the good news of God’s grace invading the darkness of this world. It is the grand narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation ordained by God and orchestrated through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Christ’s crucifixion is the heart of the gospel. His resurrection is the power of the gospel. His ascension is the glory of the gospel.
Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins.
It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases His holy wrath. It also demonstrates His mysterious love and reveals His amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name by which men can be saved.
At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have in glorifying God because of what He has accomplished. Therefore, we want all that takes place in our hearts, churches, and ministries to proceed from and be related to the gospel.
These basic doctrines within The Sanctuary's Statement of Faith represent what we believe to be the core elements of Biblical Teaching.
We believe in one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each of whom is fully God, yet there is one God.
God has made Himself known to the world in Jesus Christ, the Scriptures, and creation.
We believe that God created the world from nothing and governs all things at all times in all places.
We believe that all humanity is created in the image of God and possesses intrinsic dignity and worth.
We believe that sin has fractured all things, leaving the world in desperate need of salvation.
We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
We believe that the Church is the body of Christ sent into the world to shine forth the glory of God.
We believe that Jesus Christ is returning to the world in the future to judge the living and the dead.
We Affirm:
The Forge is a church under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we are committed to contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). In unity with the historic Christian church, we believe and confess the Apostles’, Nicene and Chalcedonian Creeds as accurate representations of Scripture’s teaching. In addition to these historic formulations, we are situated within the evangelical, Pentecostal traditions.
The basic doctrines within The Sanctuary’s Statement of Faith represent what we believe to be core elements of biblical teaching. We expect all members of The Sanctuary to affirm these doctrines.
The theological distinctives within The Sanctuary’s Statement of Faith reflect what distinguishes The Sanctuary from other churches who would affirm the basic doctrines. These distinctives indelibly shape the way that The Sanctuary is led and the direction the church is headed. We do not expect all members to embrace all aspects of these distinctives, but members should expect that the distinctives will be maintained in all ministry environments at The Sanctuary, and members may not teach contrary to them.
We believe in one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, each of whom is fully God, yet there is one God.
We believe in one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each person is fully, equally and eternally God, yet there is one God. Each person has precisely the same nature and attributes and is worthy of precisely the same worship, honor and praise. The entire Christian faith is bound together with the confession of God’s Trinitarian nature (Matt. 28:18-20).
We believe in God the Father, the Creator of heaven and earth. We believe in the Son, God from God, eternally begotten but not made, who in history assumed to Himself a human nature for the sake of our salvation (John 1:14; Heb. 1:3). He is fully God and fully man. Through Him, all things came into being and were created. He was before all things, and in Him, all things hold together by the word of His power (Col.1:15-20). He suffered, died, was buried, resurrected, ascended and sits at the right hand of the Father until He returns for the final judgment and consummation of the Kingdom. We believe in the Holy Spirit who eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son and is sent by the Father and Son to give new life (John 15:26-27). The Holy Spirit unites believers to Jesus Christ in faith, brings about the new birth and dwells within the regenerate (Eph. 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Son who, in turn, came to glorify the Father. He will lead the Church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word. He is to be respected, honored and worshiped as God, the third person of the Trinity.
The triune God, Father, Son and Spirit, is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. As the immortal and eternal Creator, He sovereignly rules over all of His creation (Ps. 24:1).
God has made Himself known to the world in Jesus Christ, the Scriptures and creation.
We believe that God has made Himself known to His creation. He has revealed Himself to us in His Son, the incarnate Word (Heb.1:1-2), in Scripture, the inspired Word (2 Tim. 3:16), and in creation (Ps. 8; Rom. 1:20)
We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the perfect revelation of who God is. Jesus Christ is the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15), “the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3) and a perfect reflection of God the Father (John 5:19).
We believe the Scriptures, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired Word of God and are therefore without error in their original writings. These writings alone constitute the verbally inspired Word of God, which is utterly authoritative and free from error. The Scripture is sufficient for all that God requires for us to believe and do and is therefore to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it teaches; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; and trusted, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises (Is. 40:6-8). As God’s people hear, believe and obey the Word, they are equipped as disciples of Christ and witnesses to the gospel (Rom. 10:14-17).
We believe that God created the world from nothing and governs all things at all times in all places.
God created the whole world from nothing (Gen. 1:1-2; Ps. 24:1). God’s creative work is the overflow of the love present within the Trinitarian fellowship. Creation, according to the design of God, was good (Gen. 1:3-31).
God doesn’t let the world exist, He makes the world exist. He upholds the universe by the word of His power, and He holds the world together in himself (Col. 1:17).
We believe that all humanity is created in the image of God and possesses intrinsic dignity and worth.
God made humanity—male and female—in His own image (Gen. 1:27-30). Set apart as His image bearers, every human being is sacred. All men and all women, bearing the image of God, are meant to represent God in His creation (1 Cor. 10:31). God declares the created order to be very good, distinguishing men and women as His agents to care for, manage and govern over it. They enjoy equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are both called to move beyond passive self-indulgence to significant private and public engagement in family, church and civic life. Adam and Eve were made to complement each other in a one-flesh union in the covenant of marriage that establishes the only God-ordained pattern of sexual relations for men and women. In God’s wise purposes, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways.
We believe that sin has fractured all things, leaving the world in desperate need of salvation.
Through the temptation of Satan, humanity transgressed the command of God and fell from their original holiness and righteousness (Gen. 3). Now the entire human race inherits a corrupt nature that is opposed to God and His law (Rom. 3:9-20). Therefore, all humans are under condemnation. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to the mind, will, body and affections. Unregenerate humanity lives under the dominion of sin and Satan (Eph. 2:1-3). He is at enmity with God, hostile toward and hateful of God.
We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
We believe that, due to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again (John 3:5-8); that salvation is only by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ; and that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ through faith are declared righteous by God and become children of God (Heb.10:19-25).
We believe the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth, is that act of God by which the Holy Spirit imparts a new nature and a new spiritual life, not before possessed, and the person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus (Gal. 2:20). The mind is given a holy disposition and a new desire to serve God, the dominion of sin is broken, and the heart is transformed from a love of sin and self to a love of holiness and God.
The salvation of humanity is fundamentally the work of God. Before the foundation of the world, God elected His people, setting His affection and grace upon them (Rom. 8:29-30). In love God predestined His people for adoption (Eph. 1:4-6). Faith is a gift of grace that is given by the mercy and pleasure of God, so that no one may boast. Apart from the intervention of God, humanity cannot choose of his own accord to worship God and pursue righteousness (Rom. 3; Eph. 2:1-3). God’s sovereignty in salvation is comprehensive: from first to last, all of salvation is the work of God.
We believe that the Church is the body of Christ sent into the world to shine forth the glory of God.
God, by His Word and Spirit, creates the Church, calling sinful humanity into the fellowship of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:12-31). By the same Word and Spirit, He guides and preserves that newly redeemed humanity. The Church is made up of those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ and have personally appropriated the gospel. The Church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Church is an extension of the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Spirit.
The ultimate mission of the Church is to bring glory to God by making disciples (Matt. 28:18-20). The Church is called to make disciples through worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances, fellowship, the exercise of our gifts and talents, and the proclamation of the gospel both in our community and throughout the world.
We believe there are two ordinances of the Church. One is that of believer’s baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the other is the Lord’s Supper.
Water baptism is only intended for those who have received the saving benefits of Christ through the new birth of the Holy Spirit. In obedience to Christ’s command and as a testimony to God, the Church, oneself and the world, believers are baptized by water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Water baptism is a visual and symbolic demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. It signifies that a former way of life has been put to death and vividly depicts the release from the mastery of Satan, sin and death.
As with water baptism, the Lord’s Supper is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ. This ordinance symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of His blood on our behalf and is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death. As we come to the table with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls and signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit that we see on display in the New Testament are still active within the life of the church. These gifts did not end with the close of the New Testament or the death of the last apostle (1 Cor. 12:1-11).
The precedent we find in the New Testament is baptism following conversion by immersion into water. Baptism by immersion is meant to symbolically depict the believer’s real union to Christ in His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-14).
We believe that Jesus Christ is returning to the world in the future to judge the living and the dead.
The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the glorification of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. In the consummation, Satan, with his hosts and all those outside Christ, is finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment (Rev. 20:7-15), but the righteous, in glorious bodies, will live and reign with Him forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory. Then the eager expectation of creation will be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God, who makes all things new (Rev. 21:1-5).
Faith: We are committed to unwavering faith in Christ as our foundation.
Love: We strive to love God, one another, and our neighbors sacrificially.
Community: We foster a welcoming and inclusive church family.
Service: We actively engage in service to meet the needs of our community.
Growth: We continuously pursue spiritual and personal growth.
A doctrinal distinctive of The Forge is continuationism; we believe that all spiritual gifts seen in the New Testament—including those of prophecy, healing, and speaking in tongues—did not cease with the death of the apostles but continue for consistent and well-ordered use in the Church for the purpose of upbuilding the body of Christ. Our practice is guided by and under the authority of the Word of God to be exercised in the manner of humility worthy of our calling as Christ followers.
1 Corinthians 12:8, 10, 28–29; 14:26; Romans 12:6; Ephesians 4:11
Succinctly, prophecy is receiving a revelatory message from the Lord and communicating
Romans 12:7
While Paul offers no specific examples, there are certainly many different kinds of service that are supernaturally empowered by the Spirit that make a way for people to hear and receive gospel ministry.
1 Corinthians 12:28–29; 14:26; Romans 12:7; Ephesians 4:11
The gift of teaching refers to communicating biblical truth and sound doctrine in a way that is comprehended and bears fruit in the lives of hearers. This seems to be one of the least-given gifts and carries with it weighty additional judgment according to James 3:1. Teaching is a supernatural empowerment to reveal the nature of God in the Trinity and His work in the world as seen in the Scriptures.
Romans 12:8
Exhortation is admonishing that leads people to become all they are meant to become in Christ. This is much more than mere compliments. Supernatural encouragement gives hope in God. People who have this gift are empowered by the Holy Spirit to fill people with hope. Like evangelism, encouragement is commanded. The writer of Hebrews twice commands believers to encourage one another (Heb. 3:13; 10:25). Those with this gift of exhortation most frequently give hope to others. Those with this gift may also walk in prophetic gifting, as they overlap quite often.
This gift was regular in Paul’s ministry (Acts 14:22; 16:40; 20:1–2; Col. 2:1–2; 1 Thess. 2:11–12), he wanted Timothy and Titus to pastor with this gift (2 Thess. 3:2; 2 Tim. 4:2; Titus 2:15), and he required church elders to encourage believers with sound instruction (Titus 1:9).
Romans 12:8
The gift of giving refers to sacrificially giving of time, talents, and money to build up the church. All believers are commanded to give, yet Christ considers money the least of our assets (Luke 16:10). Christians are to give cheerfully and without complaint (2 Cor. 9:7–15), but the gift of giving enables one to supernaturally go beyond normal contribution that loves and cares for people while asking nothing in return.
Romans 12:8
Leading is the ability to create unity, good decisions, and clarity of mission and direction. The New Testament uses the words elder, shepherd, pastor, overseer, and leader interchangeably and often in relation to the gift of leading (Acts 20:28; Heb. 13:7, 17; 1 Pet. 5:1–4). All elders are required to lead and shepherd as pastors, but not all leaders and shepherds may hold the office of elder. Those who have the gift of leading but are not elders may lead various ministries and equip the saints in varied ways within the church. Not all those with leading gifts have teaching gifts; this is an important distinction as many times the modern church equates teaching with leadership. They are quite distinctive gifts. Not all leaders will have a teaching gift, though some will.
Romans 12:8
The gift of mercy means showing supernatural compassion to the disenfranchised and marginalized. In this gift is a regular joy in feeding the poor, helping the homeless, and in visiting prisoners. There is in Matthew 25:34–40 a great inheritance for those who ask for, exercise, and practice this gift. It aligns often with the gifts of serving or helping. We want to facilitate the ministry of those with mercy gifts because they especially reflect the heart of Christ to an unbelieving world.
1 Corinthians 7:1–7
Celibacy is the pursuit of a more fulfilling life by staying unmarried. This seems to be one of the rarest of all spiritual gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:9
Those with the gift of faith labor in prayer for something that is not promised in Scripture and receive it. To put it another way, the gift of faith is supernatural empowerment to believe God when everything looks bleak and dark, to trust God that He will bring about what He has promised even though it seems unlikely by human standards. The gift of faith is supernatural confidence in God. It looks to the present circumstances and sees God’s action.
1 Corinthians 12:10
Those with the gift of discerning spirits have the ability to sense the deceptive work of the Enemy and his followers. This is a spiritual world. Every situation includes a conglomeration of spiritual power; the gift of discernment is supernatural insight to distinguish where the Spirit of God is working, where an evil spirit may be involved, and how the human spirit participates in the activity. It involves listening to God, listening to Scripture, listening to community, and listening to those entrusted to your care at that moment or over time. This is also a gift given in order to help evaluate prophecies. Jesus promises to give “the Spirit of truth” to the disciples in John 14:17. When God’s Spirit is involved, there is clarity of faith, hope, and love that testifies to Jesus’ lordship (John 15:26; 16:13–14).
1 Corinthians 12:9–10, 28
Gifts of healings refer to the restoration of physical injury or disease, such as sight, the lame, hearing—divine interventions which are inexplicable if left to natural causes. Jesus sent out His 12 disciples with the authority to proclaim the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, and drive out demons (Matt. 10:1, 7–8). He did the same with the 72. There are further examples in “great signs and miracles” in Acts. It is a gift always referred to in the plural (1 Cor. 12:9, 28, 30). It seems that some in the Church are gifted to heal specific physical maladies or emotional traumas. This may be reflected in the consistent plural use by Paul. It may also reflect that some healings vary in strength. The Bible often classifies driving out demons as healing or miraculous (Matt. 15:21–28; Mark 8:38–39; Acts 8:7). Gifts of miracles are indeed often related to gifts of healings, and miracles too are used in the plural sense as God gives grace to do certain miracles to certain believers. It may also be that some believers have faith for specific miracles. There is an important relationship between gifts of healings and miracles and the gift of faith. Miracles are a clear display of God’s power but must be discerned, like all the gifts, by their effectiveness, validity, and the spiritual fruit they produce.
Tongues Speech 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28, 30; 14:2, 4–6, 13–14; Acts 2:4; 8:17–18; 10:46; 19:6
Tongues speech is for praise, prayer to God, or communication via an interpreter—either in languages never studied by the speaker in order to declare the gospel (Acts 2:11) or in coded messages that speak to God or reveal mysteries by the Spirit (1 Cor. 14:2). Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 12:10 that there are “different kinds of tongues.” In any gathering, there must be an interpreter.
1 Corinthians 12:10, 30
Interpreters in the gathering are enabled by the Spirit to decode the message given through a tongue or tongues speech. These believers are empowered to understand what is being spoken in a tongue, be it in a human language never studied by them or in a coded heavenly language no one could understand apart from interpretation.`
1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11
The original 12 disciples (minus Judas, plus Mathias) who were part of the initial church were apostles. An apostle was “with him” (Mark 3:14–15), that is, they were in the presence of the bodily Jesus and must have “seen Jesus our Lord” (Acts 9:1–9). Suffering is a mark of apostolic ministry, as is the presence of signs and miracles as they proclaim the gospel of Jesus. “We simply cannot think of apostleship apart from the historical apostles. In the New Testament, an apostle is not a spiritual gift but a person who had a divinely given commission and ministry.”¹ We have the testimony in Revelation 14:1–5 and 7:1–18 that prior to the Lord’s return, He will appoint leaders with apostolic power to lead in the last days.
1 Corinthians 12:28
The gift of helps refers to coming alongside people in the mundane aspects and errands of life. Often the first to volunteer, those with gifts of helps are empowered to be happier giving in effective service rather than receiving.
1 Corinthians 12:28
The gift of administration involves guidance and bringing order. This gift operates supernaturally to organize and make some sense out of guiding ministries of the church and allowing those with helping, healing, prophetic, and other gifts to find a way and a place to use them with greater effectiveness.
Ephesians 4:11
The spiritual gift of evangelism is the ability to proclaim the gospel and lead more people to Christ than is normal. All believers are called to desire the gifts and all believers are called to share the gospel with unbelievers. Those who regularly lead people to the Lord have the gift of evangelism.
Ephesians 4:11
Pastor-shepherd leaders protect the flock, guide, provide a stellar example of Christlikeness, and exhort the flock by communicating sound biblical truth in action. The synonymous convergence of pastoral, shepherding, and leadership gifts is a fixed understanding in the minds of the Old Testament and New Testament writers. All pastor-shepherds lead in some capacity, as their task can often feel comprehensive in scope and daily changing due to the needs of the flock under their care. Spirit-empowered pastor-shepherd leaders are generalists who tend to desire and excel supernaturally in varied tasks required of the role. The picture of Ezekiel 34:4 shows clearly that faithful pastor shepherd leaders strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured, bring back strays, and search for the lost as healers and counselors in the church. Not all pastor-shepherds have a distinct teaching gift, though some will.