God

Wellspring Church believes in the triune God who is one in essence and three in person. The three persons that define who He is are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three persons are equal in nature, power, knowledge, glory, and equally worthy of worship. All three persons are involved in every action that God takes, particularly His works of creation, redemption, and judgment. He is the God revealed in the words and acts of the Old and New Testaments.

Revelation

Wellspring Church believes that the God written about in the Old and New Testaments is a God who reveals Himself to humanity. He does this by communicating with both words and acts. One source of revelation is the Old and New testaments, which were both inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by humans. The Scriptures are the chronicle of God’s relationship with humanity and a divine testimony to His own character. In the Scriptures, you can find out everything that is necessary for salvation and godliness.

The supreme revelation given to humanity of who God is is found in His Son, Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit. The New Testament speaks to the reality of the Godhood and personhood of these two members of the trinity. It is through these two persons that we can today come to know God as He is.

Humanity

Wellspring Church believes that God created humanity in His image and likeness. Humanity was created to rule over and care for God’s creation. But because of humanity’s choices, both Adam’s fall and personal choices, every human is now broken and sinful. Human relationships with God, with each other, with nature, and even with themselves have been broken. Each human’s heart seeks to self-define what is good and evil without considering God’s definition of what is good and evil. In addition to this, humanity is now under the influence and dominion of Satan, who is the ruler of this present world. Satan is the originator of evil and rebels against everything that God does. Despite all this, each human retains the image of God without exception.

Even with the image of God, in this broken, sinful and oppressed state, humanity is hopelessly separated from God and can look forward only to eternal judgment and damnation.

Jesus Christ

Wellspring Church believes that the eternal Son took on human form and nature and was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit as the man Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a sinless human life, doing good works, miracles, teaching, and healing those under the oppression of the devil. He was crucified, died and was buried, and after three days in the tomb was resurrected by God and then appeared to many witnesses. He was exalted to the right hand of the Father, made by God to be Lord, Messiah and Judge of the living and the dead and poured out the Holy Spirit to enact salvation.

Holy Spirit

Wellspring Church believes that the Holy Spirit has always been at work, in the period of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and in the current age. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was at work in the lives of specific leaders, anointed kings, and prophets. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit was involved in every aspect of Jesus’ life and ministry, and was poured out on the apostles and disciples after Jesus’ exaltation. In the current age, the Holy Spirit enables those who believe in Jesus to be saved and empowers them to do the work of God.

Salvation

Wellspring Church believes that the death of Jesus Christ was an atoning sacrifice that paid for sin, His resurrection offers new life, and His pouring out of the Holy Spirit enables salvation. Salvation is the offer of God made by His grace and secured through faith. If anyone repents of their sinfulness and believes that Jesus’ death paid for their sin, believes His resurrection offers them new life and accepts Jesus as both Lord and Messiah, they will be saved. The response of faith to the message of salvation should be water baptism.

If someone believes the message of salvation, they receive the promised Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells them, so that the very presence of God is both in and with them. The believer is freed from the dominion of Satan and is brought into the Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit gives them a new heart so that their desires seek after God. He gives them empowerment so that they can live a godly life and do the work that God has set out for them. The Holy Spirit restores the believer’s relationships with God, with other people, with nature, and with themselves and brings them into a new community called the Church.

Church

Wellspring Church believes that the Church is the community in which God dwells. The essence of the Church is explained in various biblical names for the community including the people of God, the body of Christ, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The Church’s role on Earth is to testify about the message of salvation and how it changes lives, to disciple believers, to worship the triune God, and to do good works for both the people of the Church and the wider world beyond it.

While the Church is made up of every believer in Jesus Christ, there are also local churches that embody all the realities of the Church in a specific area with specific members who live in community together. A local church practices water baptism, which is the entrance rite of the Church. Baptism is the act in which believers identify themselves with Christ and are brought into the community of God. A local church practices Communion, which is the continuing rite of the Church. Communion is the act which looks to the past in remembering Christ’s death, looks to the present in discerning the body, and looks to the future awaiting Christ’s return.

Last Things

Wellspring Church believes that when the believer in Jesus Christ dies, they go immediately to be with God as they await the resurrection to life and the consummation of all things. For the unbeliever, they enter death and must wait for the eternal judgment and damnation to come for them at the resurrection.

Jesus will return to the Earth a final time to rid it of evil, restore it to God’s intention, and to act as the Judge of all the living and the dead. He will defeat Satan and cast him into Hell. All of humanity who have died will be resurrected and together with all the living will face the judgment seat of Christ. Those who have believed in the message of salvation will be resurrected to life and live eternally in the presence of the triune God. All those who have not believed in the message of salvation will be cast into Hell and face eternal judgment and damnation with Satan and the powers of evil. The Church, together with all believers throughout human history will then live forever with the Lord as their God, being His people, and with Him dwelling among them.