Our Beliefs
The Bible
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and are our only infallible rule of faith and practice.
God
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that each person of the Triune Godhead is equal, eternal, and self-existent as God.
Jesus Christ
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His substitutionary death, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
Human Sinfulness
Man was created innocent, but by disobedience fell into a state of sin and condemnation. All people, therefore, inherit a fallen nature of such tendencies that all who come to years of accountability, sin and become guilty before God.
Salvation
We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. We further believe that salvation is a totally free gift from God and cannot be earned by any amount of good deeds or religious activity.
The Terms of Salvation
The conditions of salvation are: (1) Repentance of sin or sincere sorrow for sin and hearty renunciation of it. (2) Faith or the unreserved committal of one’s self to Christ as Savior and Lord with purpose to love and obey Him in all things. Repentance and faith are not to be viewed as two separate actions, but two ways of stating the same decision. In the exercise of saving faith, the soul is renewed by the Holy Spirit, freed from the dominion of sin, and becomes a child of God. (3) Continuance in faith unto death.
Free Will
Under the work and influence of the Holy Spirit, the human will is freed and enabled to choose, having power to yield to the influence of the truth and the Spirit, or to resist them and perish.
Salvation Free
We believe that God desires the salvation of all, the Gospel invites all, the Holy Spirit strives with all, and whosoever will may come and take of the water of life freely.
Perseverance
We believe that all disciples of Christ, who through grace persevere in faith to the end of life, have promise of eternal salvation.
Eternal Future
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of punishment.
The Church
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. Northwest recognizes that we are one gathering of believers who make up just one part of the universal body of Christ, the Church. We share Christian fellowship with all who hold Jesus as their one and only Savior.
Gospel Ordiances
We believe that the New Testament teaches the following perpetual practices in the church: Baptism, or the immersion of believers in water and the Lord’s Supper. Feet Washing, an ordinance teaching humility, is of universal obligation, and is to be ministered to all true believers.
Tithing
We believe that God commanded tithes and offerings in the Old Testament; Jesus endorsed it in the Gospels, and the apostle Paul said, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him” (1 Cor. 16:2a).
The Christian Sabbath
We believe that Divine law teaches that one day in seven be set apart from secular employments and amusements for rest, worship, holy works and activities, and for personal communion with God. In the Christian era this is Sunday in celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection on that day.