The Next Level Church’s Statement of Beliefs summarizes the beliefs of our church.  The statement does not contain revolutionary new thoughts. It contains the central thoughts of historic Christian doctrine.  Our beliefs summarize evangelical theology.  The word evangelical comes from the Greek word for Gospel.  In other words, we get our doctrine from the Bible, not from tradition or speculation.

The Next Level Church is not dogmatic on matters of belief which Bible-based Christians come to different conclusions.  Instead our core beliefs are centered on the “non-negotiables” of the Christian faith.  When Scripture is less clear and where Christians may disagree, we encourage individuals to prayerfully examine their thoughts with the appropriate use of Scripture.

From the time of the very early church, publicly confessing beliefs was a fundamental practice of followers of Christ.  The acts of confession and belief are the basis for salvation.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “That if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).  History also teaches us that it was the practice of the early church to have new believers confess their faith in the form of a creed before they were baptized.  The Apostles Creed, as it is known today, very likely came from the Apostles or their students as a confession of belief for new followers of Christ.  Below is the earliest recorded form of the creed:

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God almighty

And in Christ Jesus, his only son, our Lord
Who was born of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
Who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and was buried
And the third day rose from the dead
Who ascended into heaven
And sits on the right hand of the Father
From where he will come to judge the living and the dead

And in the Holy Ghost
The holy church
The remission of sins
The resurrection of flesh
The life everlasting

Just like the early church, The Next Level Church has taken what we believe Scripture clearly teaches about the Christian faith and condensed our beliefs into single statements. Our purpose is not to recite our Statement of Beliefs like we would recite a creed. Rather, our hope is to be a community that is unified in our beliefs regarding what the Bible teaches about doctrine.

TOPICS:

The Word of God

We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, complete as the revelation of God’s will for salvation, and the supreme and final authority in all matters to which they speak.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Peter 1:20-21

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things.  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

The Doctrine of Scripture

The 66 books of the Bible are the authoritative Word of God.  The Bible was written by humans who were moved by the Holy Spirit.  2 Peter 1:21 tells us that the prophecy of the Bible “never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”  The Holy Spirit superintended the writers of scripture so that they wrote what the Spirit wanted them to, conveying the truth the Spirit wanted revealed.  The writers wrote with their own interests, styles and ability, but the documents they wrote are inspired by God.

The Trinity

We believe in one God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that they are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.

Deuteronomy 6:4
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

2 Corinthians 13:14
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Matt 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…”

God the Father

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. He concerns himself mercifully in the affairs of men and women, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to him through Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:48
”Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

The Doctrine of God

There is one God who exists in three distinct persons coequally and coeternally.  This is a mystery but it is not contrary to reason.  For thousands of years, the primary distinction between the nation of Israel and other nations was their practice of monotheism.  Deuteronomy 6:4 says that God is one. 

The three persons of the Trinity are the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Father is the first person of the Trinity.  1 Corinthians 8:6 tells us “there is but one God, the Father.”  It is the Father who sustains life on earth to the point that he feeds the birds (Matthew 6:26).  The Son, Jesus Christ, is the second person of the Trinity.  John 1:1 tells us that the Word was with God and was God.  Since “the Word” is another title for Jesus we can see from this verse that Jesus Christ is with God.  But he is also said to be God.  The members of the Trinity are distinct as persons, but united as God.  John 1:2 says that Jesus was with God in the beginning.  This points to the eternal nature of the persons of the Trinity because by definition, nothing can come before the beginning.  Finally, the Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity.  In Matthew 28:18-19 Jesus tells his disciples to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  There is no distinction made between the three.  In 1 Corinthians 13:14 Paul closes the book with a benediction that mentions all three persons of the Trinity coequally.

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is God's eternal Son, and has precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He is not only true God, but true Man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We believe in his sinless life, his death on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, his bodily resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven, his priestly intercession on behalf of his people, and his personal, visible, return from heaven.

John 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

The Doctrine of Christ

Jesus Christ is the Word (Logos), the Son of God and second person of the Trinity, who became a man to reveal the Father to humanity and save the world from sin.  The incarnation refers to the becoming flesh that was spoken of in John 1:14.  Before becoming incarnate, Jesus was preexistent with the Father. He proclaimed that God was his Father and he made himself equal with God (John 5:18).  Jesus told the crowd in John 8:58 that “before Abraham was, I am!” In this statement he related God’s eternal existence as his own and identified with the name of God in the Old Testament (Yahweh- “I am who I am”).

Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, in his work of regeneration of lost people, and sanctification and preservation of followers of Christ. His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and implement Christ's work of redeeming lost people and empowering followers of Christ for godly living and service.

Ephesians 5:18
“…be filled with the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 3:17
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity.  He is the personal replacement of Jesus Christ’s physical presence on earth.  Before returning to heaven Jesus promised to send the Spirit and told the disciples that the Spirit’s presence among them would be even better than his own (John 16:7). 

Humanity

We believe humanity was created, male and female, in the image of God and free from sin; yet they fell into sin.  We believe all persons are sinners by nature and choice and are spiritually dead and lost. We also believe that the Holy Spirit regenerates those who repent of sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior.

Genesis 2:7

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Romans 5:12

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.”

The Doctrine of Humanity and Sin

God created the universe and it was good (Genesis 1:31).  Creation was a purposeful act of God’s free will.  He created ex nihilo, out of nothing.  God is the source of everything that was created.  The Bible teaches that God specially created the first two human beings, Adam and Eve (Genesis 2).  Humans were created in God’s image which means that humans possess the ability to rule and have dominion (Genesis 2).    God’s image also distinguishes humans from other parts of creation because, like God, we are personal, intelligent, and moral/spiritual.

Salvation

We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, was purchased by Christ on the cross, and is received through faith apart from any human merit, works or ritual. We believe salvation results in righteous living, good works and proper social concern.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 10:9-11

“That if you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

The Doctrine of Salvation

Salvation takes place when a sinner believes that the gospel message is true, repents from their sinful ways, and trusts in God’s saving grace. At that point their hearts are converted and regenerated. 

The Church

We believe that the one, holy, universal Church is the body of Christ and is composed of local assemblies of followers of Christ. The task of the Church in this world is to be God's redeemed community by proclaiming the gospel of God's redemptive love through our Lord Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth by word and deed, by embodying His love in worship of God, by equipping God's people, and by caring for all of God's creation and actively seeking the good of everyone, especially the poor and needy.

Matthew 28:19-20
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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

1 Corinthians 12:27-28
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

The Doctrine of the Church

The Church is the body of Christ.  The primary responsibility of the church is to glorify God by carrying out the mission Jesus Christ gave to his disciples: Evangelize people outside of a relationship with him and equip those in a relationship with him.  Because each partner of the church is an equal part of the body each has an equal responsibility to see that both pieces of the mission are carried out. 

A second responsibility of the church is to be a blessing to the nations.  Certainly Israel, as Abraham’s descendants, was commanded to be a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12), but we as the church are also to be a blessing.  When Jesus began his ministry he spoke in the Nazareth synagogue and declared that his prime directive was “to preach good news to the poor…proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19).  The church is still responsible for the poor, prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed both in this country and around the world.

We believe in the personal and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved and lost, and the eternal existence of all people in either heaven or hell.

Matthew 24:42-43
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

1 Peter 4:5
"But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead."

The Doctrine of End Times

Christ will one day return at the end of our present age and when he comes, the dead will be resurrected and the world will be judged.

What we believe on…

Women in Leadership

Women’s ability to take positions of leadership in the church is a constantly debated subject throughout the world today. There are several controversial passages in the New Testament that speak about women’s roles in church leadership. These passages are some of the most difficult passages to interpret in the entire New Testament. This essay examines what the Bible clearly says about men and women. It looks at the roles that were held by men and women in the early church, and examines the most important New Testament passages on the subject. Finally, it explains The Next Level Church’s application of our interpretation of these passages. A key passage in the New Testament on women and men is Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Some Bible scholars have called this verse the Magna Carta of Christianity. It clearly and explicitly explains that the freedoms of Christianity are to be experienced by everyone without discrimination. This verse is universal in its application to salvation through faith in Christ’s death and application for ministry among God’s people. God does not discriminate among people for salvation or for giftedness for ministry. That is not to say that there are no longer uniquenesses among men and women which may be expressed in the operation of the church; but is to say that limitation of roles and responsibilities among Christians should be the exception and not the rule. God gives the spiritual gifts of leadership, teaching, and shepherding (pastoring people) to both men and women. There is no prohibition on any of the spiritual gifts based on gender (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4). Because of this, women can be seen throughout the New Testament in important positions of leadership and teaching.

• Acts 21:8-9 tells us that Philips four daughters were prophets.
• 1 Corinthians 11:4-5 tells us that men and women prayed and prophesied in public.
• Acts 18:24-26 tells us that Apollos (a church leader) was instructed by Pricilla and Aquilla. It is interesting to note that 5 out of 7 times in the Bible, Pricilla is listed before her husband, even though that would have never been done in the patriarchal Roman world.
• Romans 16:7 lists the woman Junia as an apostle/missionary.
• Romans 16:1-2 lists Phoebe as a deaconess and benefactor of the church.
• There are also female church leaders mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:11, Acts 16:40, Colossians 4:15 and Philippians 4:2-3. The term used in Philippians 4:2-3 is interesting because it is the term "coworkers" that Paul used to describe Timothy, Titus, Epaphroditus, Pricilla, Aquilla, John Mark, and Luke.

Clearly women in the New Testament occupied roles of teaching and leading. With this in mind, we will now examine the passage in the New Testament that seems to prohibit women from leading and teaching. 1 Timothy 2:11-15 says: “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing-- if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” The second sentence in this passage seems to explicitly prohibit women from teaching or having authority. However, we know that women were early missionaries and apostles, that they did teach other people, and that they did hold positions of leadership and authority. How do we reconcile these two seemingly opposite ideas? Throughout 1 Timothy chapter 2, the Apostle Paul refers to single ideas in couplets or triplets. When he gets to verses 11 and following, he says, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man.” Paul is combining these two ideas into one: authority and teaching. Therefore, he is not suggesting a universal prohibition of female teaching and leading. Instead, he is suggesting that women should not hold the role of authoritative-teacher. The 1st century church did not meet in large auditoriums like the 21st century American church does. They met in people’s homes throughout the Roman Empire. Each of these homes normally had a single house church leader who was the authoritative-teacher of their church. These were the leaders who met with the apostles when they came to town and were the ones who held the final burden of responsibility for the instruction and care of their churches. Obviously, other people taught and led in the churches, but these authoritative-teachers had the greatest responsibility of these two tasks. In this passage, Paul is prohibiting women from holding this role. Today the church looks remarkably different than it did in Paul’s day. We do not have authoritative-teachers leading small house churches. We have much larger churches with varying levels of leadership. However, in most churches there is a final level of responsibility placed on an individual or a small group of individuals for the instruction and care of the church. In some churches a senior pastor fills this role. At The Next Level Church, the Core Pastors share that role in the final level of responsibility. Within the Next Level Church the Core Pastors are joined by other mature Christ-followers in the executive levels of leadership of the church. These elders provide mutual accountability for each other, and oversight and care for the people who call The Next Level Church their home. Although there is equality among the elders, there is a recognition of the unique calling and the burden of responsibility upon the Core Pastors. It is this final responsibility for the care and instruction of the church that makes the Core Pastor position most closely resemble the first-century authoritative-teacher. It is because of the close resemblance to that position that the Core Pastor position is the only position not open for women within the Next Level Church. A paper this size cannot possibly cover all of the issues and passages related to this topic. If you would like to ask questions about this topic or dialogue about other passages related to it, please feel free to discuss it further with a pastor or another elder.

Baptism
Once a person has placed their faith in Jesus Christ’s work on the cross as the only means of salvation, they should be baptized. Baptism is not necessary for salvation, but instead it is a celebration and proclamation of that salvation. In our Statement of Beliefs we state: “We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, was purchased by Christ on the cross, and is received through faith apart from any human merit, works, or ritual.” Baptism doesn’t save anyone; it simply identifies believers to the Church and the watching world. If you have come to this point in your spiritual journey, then you are ready to be baptized. Just as a bride and groom tell of their love for one another through the symbol of rings, you should also want to show the world, through baptism, of your union with Christ.

The Ethiopian asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the Ethiopian said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?”...Then they went into the water and Philip baptized him. — Acts 8:34-38.

Biblical Passages
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands his followers to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…” Baptism is an act of obedience to the commands of Christ and the means by which followers of Christ are identified.

In passages such as Acts 2:41, 8:12 and 10:47-48, it is evident that baptism follows an individual’s decision to trust Christ alone for salvation. The New Testament only records baptisms of individuals who first make a profession of faith. Baptism was never intended to provide salvation for an individual, but rather to publicly identify a person with Christ. In Romans 6:1-11, the apostle Paul explains how baptism identifies the believer with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Going under the water represents Christ's death and burial, and coming out of the water illustrates His resurrection.

At TNLC we reinforce this idea during baptism by placing someone under the water with the words, “We are buried with Christ through baptism…” Then we lift them out of the water with the words, “…and raised to walk a new life.”

TNLC’s Statement on Baptism
Scriptural teaching on baptism may be summarized as follows:

1.       Baptism is an act of obedience to the command of Christ, fulfilled by individuals who have submitted themselves to His sovereignty (Matthew 28:19-20)

2.       Baptism symbolizes the spiritual cleansing through divine forgiveness and the newness of life experience by believers by virtue of their identification with Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4).

3.       Baptism provides an opportunity for believers to make a formal profession of their faith before the Church (Acts 2:38, 8:34-38).

4.       As a biblical rite of initiation into the body of Christ, baptism of believers may be considered a prerequisite for partnering with the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

A Word Concerning Infant Baptism
If the purpose of baptism is to publicly identify a believer in Jesus Christ, you may well be asking yourself, “What was the significance of my baptism as a baby?” In the Bible, we find parents bringing their children to Jesus. He held them and prayed for them and told us to welcome them. But He did not baptize them, and He did not tell anyone else to baptize them. Baptism is for those who have made a personal decision to trust Christ alone for their salvation. If you were baptized as a child, it was the intent of your parents that you would one day be a follower of Christ. Your baptism as an adult can be viewed as the fulfillment of your parents' wishes. It in no way repudiates the baptism you received as a child.

Why Now: A Baptism Story by Cole Sletten

"I grew up in a Christian home, learned about Jesus early and went to church nearly every Sunday up until high school. I was dedicated as an infant, had prayed the prayer on an otherwise nondescript night at my bedside as a youth, but had never made the choice to get baptized.

During a time of church transition for my family during high school, I began to attend the church that many of my friends attended. During this time, my faith began to take its first steps towards becoming really my basis for life. By the time I had graduated high school, I knew God’s way was the way for me, and in the halting and inconsistent way of an 18 year old, I had begun to seek him out in my life. It was then that I decided that I wanted to get baptized, but because of the church turmoil, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to do it. I ended up deciding to wait for two things, knowing that when I found those things I would know it was time for me to go for it. The first was a church community that I respected and cared about, people that I knew my public proclamation would mean something to because they would be the people helping me and holding me to my commitment in the days, weeks and years that followed. The second was a cool place to do it, on a beach somewhere or in a mountain stream, surrounded by maybe a handful of close friends. I had always envisioned it looking like that.

Through college, my church situation was unsettled at best, but despite that, by the time I graduated, my faith had been galvanized through the highs and lows of the previous four years. Shortly after college graduation I moved to Denver, and shortly after that I began attending TNL. Around the beginning of 2004, I had been a part of TNL long enough to feel like it had become my home, and I began to consider being baptized there. When the August 2004 baptism service was announced I felt like it was finally the right time for me. Here, finally, was a group of people that lived together in the way I had always thought the church should, and I was proud to be a part of it.