In spite of the fact that there have been a great variety of churches and denominations down through the centuries, there have been common truths held precious by every genuine follower of Jesus Christ, no matter what the church background. In fact, during the early part of the 1900’s, the various evangelical churches spent incredible energy identifying those key foundation stones of belief which are non-negotiable-which make Christianity, true Christianity.

Listed are the five non-negotiables that were agreed upon by evangelicals at the beginning of the 20th century who gave considerable thought and energy to this issue. We at Raintree Community Church hold securely to these historic truths of the Christian faith:

The Deity of Christ

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons-the Trinity. There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit-three distinct persons yet One God. We believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God. This is a mystery which we do not fully comprehend but why should we assume that there would not be mysteries with the awesome God of the universe?

Virgin Birth of Christ

The Son of God eternally existed with the Father and Holy Spirit but left heaven and entered the womb of Mary and became a human being but at the same time did not lose his deity. There was a mysterious work of the Holy Spirit, which caused the conception of Jesus as perfect man and perfect God united in one person.

Substitutionary Atonement & Salvation by Grace through Faith in Christ

We believe that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son as a substitute sacrifice for our sins. Christ died for sinners! The way to have eternal life is to believe in God’s Son, that He came to die in our place. We believe that we are saved (rescued from hell) by the grace-the unmerited favor of God through faith alone in Christ. None of our good works can gain any merit for salvation. It is the finished work of Christ upon the cross that is the basis of all forgiveness.

Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Scriptures

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error (inerrant) in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

The Physical Resurrection & Return of Christ

We believe that we will be physically resurrected from the grave just as our Lord Jesus physically arose. We also believe in the visible return of Jesus to this earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the eternal happiness of the true followers of Christ and a real hell that Jesus spoke often of for those who are outside of knowing Christ.