About Newport Christian

History

Newport Christian is an independent congregation of Christians that identifies itself as part of the Restoration Movement, also known as the Stone-Campbell Movement. In the early 1800s, many believers saw the problem of Christians in America being so divided, so they started a unity movement. They had several slogans that have characterized the movement ever since.

Christians only, but not the only Christians

This means that we believe we are to follow Jesus as the Bible outlines it, to the best of our knowledge and ability, but that we are also very reluctant to label those we disagree with as something other than “true Christians.” In short, we try to paint with a broad brush and leave the true judgment up to God. Of course, we may disagree with others who call themselves Christians but we do so in a spirit of grace and tolerance.

Where the Bible speaks, we speak; Where the Bible is silent, we are silent

Of course, this cannot be followed in an absolute fashion, but the thought is that unless the Bible directly addresses a subject, or if there is not a clear biblical principle that applies to the subject, we’re not going to make a big deal about it.

In essentials, unity; In opinions, liberty; In all things love

The emphasis here is upon grace, upon cutting people some slack. We believe we are called upon, as followers of Christ, to make judgment calls, but not to judge the individual believer. The truth is that everything that is important is not a matter of eternal life or death. We may disagree, but we should both realize that we need not agree completely to both be earnest followers of Jesus.

The essentials we believe in are these:

 

The Nature of God

We believe in one God, who has revealed Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God is eternal, everywhere, unchanging, all-powerful, and all-knowing. (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 4:13)

We believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God, and that He walked the earth as fully man and fully God – God with us. We believe Jesus’ virgin birth and His sinless life. We believe that Jesus Christ died as a sacrifice for our sins and we believe in His resurrection from the grave on the third day. We believe that through Jesus is the only way we may be saved. (Matthew 16:16; Acts 4:12)

We believe that the Holy Spirit is equal with God the Father and Jesus. He is present on earth to make people aware of their sin and of their need for salvation through Jesus. He is also present in the life of believers and is present with His church as teacher, comforter, guide, and giver of spiritual gifts. (John 16:7-13; Matthew 28:19)

 

The Authority of Scripture

We believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired word of God. It was written by human authors, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is our supreme guide of who God is, what we believe about Him and how we are to live.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

 

Salvation

We believe that we are saved by God’s grace and restored to him through faith in Jesus. Our response to God includes repenting (turning from sin), confessing Jesus as our Lord, being baptized by immersion into Christ and living a life committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38)

 

The Nature of Man

We believe that man was created in God’s image, but that he sinned and brought on himself not only physical death, but also spiritual death and separation from God. We believe that all have sinned and need God’s grace and forgiveness. (Romans 3:23-24)