What We Believe

We believe in the one true God of the Bible, the creator of the universe (Genesis 1:1) who exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 28:19).

We believe in the ultimate authority of the Bible in our lives. We believe that the Bible is God’s inspired Word and that it answers all of life’s most pressing questions (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We believe it can be fully trusted as God’s authoritative teaching in our lives (Psalm 119:138).

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Romans 1:3-4) ; that he was born to the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18), lived a sinless life (2 Corinthians 5:21), and that he performed miracles and wonders during his lifetime (Acts 2:22). Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2), was raised back to life on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4), and ascended to Heaven after his resurrection (Acts 1:9). It is this living savior that we serve today.

We believe that the Holy Spirit is alive and at work in the lives of all believers today (Romans 8:11). We affirm that the Holy Spirit has given spiritual gifts to every follower of Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:7-11), and that He guides, comforts, convicts and empowers us in our everyday lives (John 14:16-17, John 16:8; 2 Timothy 1:14).

We believe that every believer is also called to be a disciple (follower) of Jesus (Luke 9:23). We strive to follow Jesus’ teachings in our everyday lives. We encourage one another to be faithful to the Bible, to honor God in every aspect of our lives, and to regularly meet with one another to study God’s Word and learn to follow him more closely (Hebrews 10:24-25).

We believe that baptism is the means by which a believer experiences the Grace of God and receives the forgiveness of their sins. When a person is baptized (immersed), he or she is added to the Kingdom of God and they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism does not earn our salvation, but it is the means by which God allows his people to experience new life through Jesus. See Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:38, Acts 2:41, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12, and 1 Peter 3:21.

We believe that God’s church, including the family of believers at Westside Church of Christ, exists to proclaim the good news of Jesus in a lost and hurting world (Matthew 28:18-20). Members at Westside are expected to participate in the mission of the church through worship, prayer, community service, tithing, personal evangelism and a commitment to a small group community. As a family of believers we take pride in caring for one another and living out Jesus’ command to love one another (John 13:34-35). See Romans 12:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Hebrews 10:24, 1 Timothy 6:18, and Acts 2:42-47.

We believe that salvation is found only through a relationship with Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Salvation is God’s undeserved gift (grace) to those who put their faith in Jesus. Each believer receives the grace of God when they confesses their faith in Jesus (Romans 10:10), are baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38) and pledge to live as a disciple (follower) of Jesus (Luke 9:23).