At TableChurch Malibu, we believe the Bible—the Old and New Testaments—is the inspired, true, and authoritative Word of God. We believe God spoke through human authors by the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth and make His ways known to us. (2 Timothy 3:15–17; 2 Peter 1:21)
We also believe God is present and active today, speaking and leading by His Spirit. Because God does not contradict Himself, anything we believe we hear from Him must remain consistent with Scripture. The Bible is therefore both a source of truth and a trustworthy guardrail, helping us know God’s character, discern His will, and test what we believe He is saying.
The Apostles’ Creed is the foundational creed of Christian churches. It has received this title because of its great antiquity; most of the creed dates from the early 2nd century. The creed was used as a summary of Christian doctrine for baptismal candidates in the churches of Rome. Though many churches and flavors of Christianity throughout the ages have different interpretations of the Bible, and embrace various doctrinal nuances, the essence of what the Scriptures teach is found in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.
Therefore, we have fellowship with other members of the Body of Christ who profess their faith as follows:
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic (universal) church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Similarly, the Nicene Creed was developed in the 3rd Century as a foundational statement of belief for early Christian churches across the Greco-Roman world:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of the Father before all worlds;
God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God;
begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary,
and was made man;and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried;and the third day He rose again,
according to the Scriptures;and ascended into heaven,
and sits on the right hand of the Father;and He shall come again,
with glory, to judge the quick and the dead;whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life;
who proceeds from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified;
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy catholic (universal) and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
No one theology can contain the enormity of this word. We find it most useful to articulate the Gospel as a statement and a story.
The Gospel StatementThe Gospel is the good news that God himself, the Creator, has come to rescue us from sin, and renew all things, in and through the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, to establish his Kingdom, through his people, in the power of the Holy Spirit.This good news is initiated by God, in grace.This good news is substitutionary: Christ has come, lived, died, and risen on our behalf.This good news is participatory: we are involved in declaring and joining the work of God in redemptive history as his faithful, fruitful people.This good news is news of a Kingdom, not just individual hearts. It is the Lordship of Jesus tangibly worked out across all of creation.This good news is powerful. It wakes people from death to life, promises the presence and power of God in us, and enables us to be a preview community of the work God will do in all creation.
The Gospel Story
The Gospel story, which spans the full biblical narrative, can be most succinctly summarized in 4 major episodes: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal.
Creation
God’s creation was an uncorrupted place of human flourishing through union with God and one another.
Fall
Humanity rebelled against God, attempting to be our own gods, resulting in the corruption of creation.
Redemption
Beginning with Abraham and Sarah, God began a long story of redemption. Israel is a family line leading to Jesus, who fulfilled the promise of blessing all nations by making a way for all people to be redeemed through his death and resurrection.
Renewal
God’s plan is for the renewal of all creation, and the Scripture ends with heaven and earth restored as one.Scripture summarizes the Gospel story in Colossians 1v15–20, The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.We believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our Messiah, is the only hope for humankind. Solely by God’s grace are people redeemed from sin and death and made righteous and alive in Christ. The message of the Gospel is that Christ has done what is necessary to bring us into relationship with God. We believe that the Gospel speaks to the whole person, and can transform anyone anywhere, bringing the healing and restoration needed to advance God’s Kingdom of heaven on earth.
Salvation
Throughout the scriptures we read that salvation is experienced as a past, present and future reality. In reading God’s Word we understand that salvation is something that has happened, is happening and will happen to those who believe.
Salvation (Past Tense)
In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul writes, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast (Eph 2v8–9). In this sense, salvation is something that has already been accomplished for us by God in the past. Past tense salvation is bound up with Jesus’ sacrificial work on the cross. It is a finished work and the gift of God to us.
Salvation (Present Tense)
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Cor 1v18). Notice the phrase, to us who are being saved. In this scripture salvation is revealed as something that is presently taking place. If past salvation has to do with the cross, present salvation is bound up with the risen Jesus and therefore the work of the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches us that God has not abandoned us now that Jesus has returned to the Father. Quite the opposite; the Holy Spirit is God with us by his Spirit; cleansing and transforming us into Christ’s likeness.
Salvation (Future Tense)
Jesus' words recorded in the Gospel of Matthew reveal a final way the individual experiences salvation. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 24v12–13). The past, present and future tense of salvation is one of the great mysteries of the gospel. Our salvation is assured the moment we enter into a genuine relationship with God through faith in Christ. Yet, despite this guarantee, we must go about allowing the Holy Spirit to make us in reality what we know by faith we are — daughters and sons of God. Even as our bodies slowly deteriorate over time, even to the point of death, God’s saving work is being completed within us.Again, according to the Apostle Paul, Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day (2 Cor 4v16). Death has no hold nor victory over us in the end because of the saving work of the Father through the death and resurrection of the Son in the past and the present work of the Holy Spirit within us today.