We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, and that these two distinct, complementary genders reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image for the purpose of joyful fellowship with Him. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. Psalm 139:13,16, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb… Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
We believe that all Christians should repent of all known sin for God hates sin, walk in holiness —dead to his or her former way of life and alive to Christ, and live for the glory of God, according to the truths of Scripture. The believer should honor Christ as Lord of all, including every aspect of his or her life. We should honor God with our time, talents, and possessions and strive to be conformed to the image of Christ, both individually and as a church. Depending on one’s age and marital status, Scripture places different demands on the believer. Children should honor and obey their parents. Parents should raise their children in the fear and instruction of the Lord. Those who are single should walk in holiness, abstaining from sexual relations until marriage. Those who would marry should marry a believer. The married should walk in holiness, striving to love and honor their spouse and to obey the commands of Scripture pertaining to husbands and wives. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe marriage is ordained by God and is a reflection of the relationship between Christ and the Church. We believe marriage is to be a lifelong commitment. We believe divorce is caused by sin and is a distortion of God’s original intent for marriage. We believe that all sexual relations outside of heterosexual marriage are sin and are wholly incompatible with Christian teaching. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. Gen 2:18-25; Lev 18:22, 20:13; Matt 15:18-20; John 14:15, 23-24; Rom 1:26-28, 12:1-3; 1 Cor 6:9-11, 10:31-33; 2 Cor 9:6-9, Eph 5:1-6:4; Heb 12:1-2, 13:4; 1 John 2:3-6 Because God has ordained marriage and defined it as the covenant relationship between a man, a woman, and Himself, Turning Point Church will only recognize marriages between a biological man and a biological woman. Further, the pastors, elders, and staff of Turning Point Church shall only participate in weddings and solemnize marriages between one man and one woman. Finally, the facilities and property of Turning Point Church shall only host weddings between one man and one woman. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Turning Point Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the members of Turning Point Church and to the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Turning Point Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this statement on “The Christian Lifestyle”. (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thes 5:22.) We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Turning Point Church.
The church is both universal (worldwide) and local, and is a living spiritual body of which Jesus is the head and all believers are members. The local church consists of a group of believers in Jesus Christ who have each been baptized on a credible profession of faith, and are committed to worship, work, and fellowship together. God has entrusted the members of the local church the three great calls: (a) To love God with all our hearts. (b) To love our neighbor as our self. (c) To make disciples of all nations. Ephesians 2:22, “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by the Spirit.” See also Eph 2:19-21; Acts 1:8; Eph 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Heb 10:23-25. We believe that it is the duty of all believers to be faithful and fruitful within the local congregation in which they have been planted by the Lord but, insofar as it depends on them, they are to seek to live in peace and brotherhood with all true believers in Christ. We believe that the Father has children in all Christian denominations in all places and that we are to be gatherers rather than scatterers, and in that respect to live in the light of Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17. John 17:20-21., “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God. We believe that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are under condemnation because they are sinners by choice. They are thereby separated from God, and are incapable of returning to God apart from the grace revealed through the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that those who repent and turn from sin to follow Jesus Christ as Savior are “born again” spiritually, delivered from condemnation and receive new and eternal life. We believe that salvation is a gift from God, at his initiative, which is provided solely on the basis of grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – it is by grace you have been saved.” See also Gen 1:26, 5:2; Gen 3; Gen 2:17; 3:19; Eccl 2:11; John 3:14; 5:24; 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; Rom 5:12; 9:22; 2 Thes 1:9; Rev 19:3, 20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:18; Ps 51:7; Jer 17:9; Jam 1:14; Rom 3:19; Prov 28:13; 1 John 1:9; John 3:16; John 1:13; 2 Cor 5:17; Rom 8:1
We believe the local church is enjoined to practice the ordinances of baptism (Matt 28:19) and the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19-20). Baptism signifies repentance and the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16), identifies the believer with Christ (Rom 6:3-8), and publicly initiates one into the Church (1 Cor 12:13). We believe baptism should normally be conducted by immersion (Mark 1:9) as a public profession of one’s faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper is an occasion for reflection and celebration of Christ’s life and loving sacrifice (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26). Participation in the Lord’s Supper involves thanksgiving (1 Cor 10:16) and sober self-examination, with the confession of sins (1 Cor 11:20-22, 27-29). Doing so is intended to emphasize the importance of Jesus’ death for us on a regular basis, “until He comes” (1 Cor 11:26). Though Christ is not physically or supernaturally a part of the bread and wine, as some would teach, He is spiritually present in the celebration.
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of his kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal blessing of the redeemed and the endless suffering of the wicked. Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” See also Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil 3:20; 1 Thess. 4:15; 2 Tim 4:1; Titus 2:13; 1 Cor. 4:5, 15; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; Rev 20:4-6, 11-15
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, are equal in every divine perfection and they execute distinct yet harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”‘. We believe that God the Father is an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that he concerns himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that he hears and answers prayer, and that he saves from sin and death all those who come to him through Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians I:3, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” See also Gen 1:1,26; Matt 28:19; John 1:1-3; John 4:24; Rom 1:19-20; Eph 4:5-6. We believe that Jesus Christ is God the Father’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, fully God and fully man. We believe in his virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in his substitutionary and atoning death, his bodily resurrection, his ascension into heaven and his continuing high priestly ministry for his people. We believe in his headship over his earthly body, the church and his dominion over all the powers of hell. We believe that he will personally and visibly return to earth in glory at the consummation of the age. Colossians 1:15, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” See also Matt 1:18-25; Matt 20:28; Luke 1:26-28; John 1:1, 20:28, 20:30-31; Acts 1:11; Rom 5:6-8, 6:9-10, 8:46, 9:5; 2 Cor 5:21; Eph 1:4; Heb 7:25; 1 Pet 2:21-23. We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit indwells all believers in Christ and is a constantly abiding teacher, helper and guide. We believe in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit through the distribution of his gifts, as he wills, to every believer for the building of the body of Christ. John 14: 16, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.” See also John 14:17, 26, 15:26-27, 16:9-14; Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 3:16, 6:19, 12:4-11, 28-29; Gal 5:22-26.
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error 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. II Timothy 3:16, “AII Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” See also Mark 13:31; John 8:31-32; John 10:35; John 20:31; Acts 20:32; 2 Peter 1:20-21.