About Our Church
The Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ is part of a global fellowship of undenominational churches, each one independent and self-governing. We use the Bible only, as our rule of faith and practice and simply wish to be called, “Christians” (Acts 11:26). Our ongoing goal is to restore the Christianity found in the New Testament without adding to or taking from it. Our ultimate goal is to lead people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and bring glory to Him in everything.
What We Believe
This we believe to be a platform all believers can accept, for it is as broad as the New Testament and as narrow as the “faith once and for all delivered to the saints.”
We teach that the Bible is the Word of God, divinely inspired, so that it is without error in the original autographs and the resulting manuscripts preserved by God & confirmed by history & archaeology, are the authoritative standard for every age and every life (I Cor. 2:7-14; I Thess. 2:13; II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 2:20-21).
We teach that the first 11 Chapters are historical narrative, that creation consisted of 6 consecutive 24 hour days, that during this time the universe and all that is in it was thereby created out of nothing (Ex nihilo) (Genesis 1:1-2:25, Exodus 20:11)
We teach that God is the absolute and sole creator of the universe, and that creation was by divine decree, not through evolutionary process (Gen. 1:1-2:25).
We teach that the account of origins presented in Genesis is a simple but factual presentation of actual events and therefore provides a reliable framework for scientific research into the question of the origin and history of life, mankind, the earth, and the universe.
We teach that the various original life forms (kinds), including mankind, were made by direct creative acts of God. The living descendants of any of the original kinds (apart from man) may represent more than one species today, reflecting the genetic potential within the original kind. Only limited biological changes (including mutational deterioration) have occurred naturally within each kind since creation.
We teach that the great Flood of Genesis was an actual historic event, worldwide (global) in its extent and effect.
We teach that death (both physical and spiritual) and bloodshed entered into this world subsequent to and as a direct consequence of man’s sin.
We teach that the Godhead exists eternally in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and that these three are one God (Matt. 28:19; John 1:1-14; John 14:16, 26; Col. 2:9).
We teach that God, by His sovereign choice and out of love for all people, sent Christ into the world to save sinners (Matt. 1:21; John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; Eph. 1:3-6).
We teach that Jesus Christ in the flesh was fully God and fully man, that He was born of a virgin and that He lived a sinless life, in which He taught and wrought mighty works and wonders and signs exactly as revealed in the four gospels. He also was crucified, died as a penalty for our sins and was raised from the dead bodily on the third day. Later He ascended to the Father’s right hand where He is head of the church and intercedes for believers, and from whence He is coming again personally, bodily, visibly to this earth (Phil. 2:508; Luke 1:26-35; Heb. 4:14-15; I Pet. 2:21-24; I Cor 15:3-5; Acts 1:9-11; Eph. 1:18-23; 5:23; Rom. 8:31-34; I John 2:1-2; I Thess. 4:15-16; John 14:1-6).
We teach that His death, by His shed blood, the Lord Jesus Christ made a perfect atonement for sin. People are saved, justified, and sanctified on the simple and single ground of the shed blood (Heb. 9:11-14; 10-10-13; I Pet. 3:18; Gal. 3:13-14; I Cor. 6:9-11; Rom 8:31-34).
We teach that such salvation with its forgiveness of sins, its impartation of a new nature and its hope of eternal life is the pure grace of God (I John 1:8-10; 3:9; II Cor. 15, Eph. 2:8-9).
We teach that believers have the assurance of salvation as long as they continue to trust Christ. To leave Christ is to leave any hope of salvation (Luke 15:11-32; Gal. 5:4; Heb. 6:4-6).
We teach that all who receive Christ become joint heirs with Christ. At death their spirits depart to be with Christ in conscious joy. At the second coming of Christ, their bodies will be raised to the likeness of His glory and dwell forever in his divine presence (Rom 8:16-17; II Cor. 5:6-8; Luke 16:19-31; I Thess. 4:31-18; II Cor. 15; I John 3:1-2).
We teach that it is the goal of every Christian to grow in spiritual maturity through obedience to the Word of God and the indwelling Spirit (Eph. 4:11-16; II Cor. 3:17-18).
We teach that the Holy Spirit indwells all believers and seals all believers at the moment of their salvation (Acts 2:38: Eph. 1:13-14; Rom. 8:9).
We teach that all human life is sacred and begins at conception (defined as the moment of fertilization). The unborn child is a living human being, created in the image of God, and must be respected and protected both before and after birth. The abortion of an unborn child or the active taking of human life through euthanasia constitutes a violation of the sanctity of human life, and is a crime against God and man.
We teach that the only legitimate marriage sanctioned by God is the joining of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other, and has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Therefore, any Preacher, Elder, or Teacher, shall not perform any other type of marriage ceremony (on or off Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ campus) other than that sanctioned by God. Any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, or any attempt to change one’s gender, or disagreement with one’s biological gender, is sinful and offensive to God.
About Salvation
Receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the single most important decision one will ever make. To receive Christ:
I. One must acknowledge yourself to be a sinner in God’s sight (Rom. 3:23), unable to correct your condition
by yourself (Prov. 14:12; Eph. 2:1-3; I Cor. 2:14) and in need of a Savior (Rom. 3:24; 6:23).
II. The Bible outlines the following steps to receiving Christ once you acknowledge your need for Him as your
Savior:
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One must believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to be your Lord and Savior (I Pet. 3:18; Col. 1:19- 20; Eph. 2:4-7).
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Saving faith requires turning away from your sin. The Bible calls this act repentance (Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30-31).
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Repentance is followed by public acknowledgment of your faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible calls this act confession (Matt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:9).
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One must be baptized (immersed) in water in order to have the blood of Jesus wash away your sin and to receive the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is by grace, through faith, in baptism into Christ Jesus (Acts 2:37-38; Mark 16:16; Rom. 6:1-7; Acts 8:25-38; Gal. 3:27; I Pet. 3:18-21; Col. 2:9-12).
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Therefore, based upon submission to the Gospel commands listed above, the newly immersed believer is a new creature in Christ set apart unto good works. These good works are the necessary result and response in love to one’s salvation. These good works would be consistently evidenced by the manifest display of the fruit of the spirit. (2 Cor 5:17: Gal 5:16, 22-25: Eph 2:10, James 2:14-26: Mat 16:24-26: John 15:1-11; Rom 12:1-2)
About the Lord’s Supper
In memory of our Lord, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper each Lord’s Day, as did the New Testament Church (Acts 20:7) The unleavened bread represents Jesus’ body, which suffered on the cross, and the cup represents His Blood, which was shed for our sins. Every Christian is invited to join in this memorial feast as we remember together the greatest sacrifice ever made: Jesus’ death at Calvary (Matthew 26:26-29).
About the Offering
Those of us who have committed our lives to Christ give out of love to support God’s work here (2 Corinthians 9:7). If you’re visiting with us, please don’t feel an obligation to give. As our guest, we hope you receive something from being here.