About New Testament Christian Church of Bakersfield, California
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We follow Jesus by obeying his commands. He calls us to love our neighbour, and for At New Testament Christian Church of Bakersfield, California, that means the whole of Bakersfield. We are called to embody the love of Jesus in our neighbourhoods and networks. We encourage each other to love the city in the specific ways God is calling us to. This love takes a variety of forms: serving those in need, befriending the lonely, welcoming the immigrant, seeking justice for the oppressed, speaking the good news to those who have not heard, participating in culture-making, pursuing vocational calling with integrity. Through these acts of love, we seek the good of the city, recognizing the importance of the city in God's story of salvation. We seek to be a city on a hill, a place that cannot be hidden, whose good works bring glory to God.
We believe that sin, both what we have done and what we have failed to do - the Bible calls it "missing the mark" - describes the reality that things are not as they should be. We are self-obsessed, broken, fearful, and oppressive. We all see the problems in this world, and those of us who are humble enough to admit it realize that we've all played some role in contributing to the problems we see. Sin, its guilt, and its consequences are what Jesus came to save us from.
About Jesus Christ: We believe that in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus Christ accomplished salvation for sinners. In His life, He kept God's law on our behalf. In His death, He suffered as our substitute and satisfied the divine wrath we deserved. He took our guilt upon Himself and credited His righteousness to our account. In His resurrection, we receive newness of life now and eternal life to come. In His ascension, He poured out the Holy Spirit on His church and He continually intercedes for us. This entire salvation is the free and gracious work of God alone.
About The Scripture: The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. 2 Timothy 3:15-17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 1:21
