Our Beliefs
At Hillsdale UB, we believe in the adage:
"In essentials, unity, in nonessentials, liberty (tolerance) and in all things, charity (love)."
The essentials: Who is considered a Christian
The main theme of the Bible (our final authority) is God's love for all people. This love was shown when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was born of a virgin, came into the world as a human being, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. Because Jesus died, our sins can be forgiven. Because He rose from the dead, we can have eternal life. We can know for sure what will become of us after we die.
This gift of forgiveness and eternal life can be ours if we willingly accept it. God requires an individual response from us. The following verses from the Bible show us how:
It starts with God's Love
God loves us. He wants to bless our lives and make us complete. He also wants to give us a life that will last forever, even after death.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
We must recognize we are sinful
You may have heard someone say, "I'm only human" or "Nobody's perfect". Yes, we all sin and do things that we know are wrong. That is why we feel estranged from God, empty inside, because God is holy and good, and we are not.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Sin has a penalty
Just as a criminal must pay the penalty for his crime, we must pay the penalty for our sins. We pay the penalty of physical and spiritual death. Because of our sin, we are separated from our holy God for all eternity.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus has paid our penalty
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, has paid the penalty for all our sins. We may think we have to lead a good life and do good deeds before God will love us, but the Bible says that Christ loved us enough to die for us, even when we had sinned against Him.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Salvation is a gift
The word grace means "undeserved favor". It means God is offering us something we can not provide for ourselves: forgiveness of sins and eternal life. God's gift to us is free. All we have to do is joyfully receive it, turn from our sin, and believe with all our hearts that Jesus Christ died for us! Ephesians 2:8-9 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.
Jesus awaits our response
Jesus wants to have a relationship with you. Picture Him standing at the door of your heart (the door of your emotions, intellect and will). Invite Him in. He is waiting for you to receive Him into your heart and life.
Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
We must receive Him
When we invite Christ into our heart, we become a child of God. We can talk to Him in prayer at any time about anything. The Christian life is a personal relationship with God through Jesus. John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
Another way to look at this...
God loves us and wants us to have an abundant life! John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
"In essentials, unity, in nonessentials, liberty (tolerance) and in all things, charity (love)."
The essentials: Who is considered a Christian
The main theme of the Bible (our final authority) is God's love for all people. This love was shown when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was born of a virgin, came into the world as a human being, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. Because Jesus died, our sins can be forgiven. Because He rose from the dead, we can have eternal life. We can know for sure what will become of us after we die.
This gift of forgiveness and eternal life can be ours if we willingly accept it. God requires an individual response from us. The following verses from the Bible show us how:
It starts with God's Love
God loves us. He wants to bless our lives and make us complete. He also wants to give us a life that will last forever, even after death.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
We must recognize we are sinful
You may have heard someone say, "I'm only human" or "Nobody's perfect". Yes, we all sin and do things that we know are wrong. That is why we feel estranged from God, empty inside, because God is holy and good, and we are not.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Sin has a penalty
Just as a criminal must pay the penalty for his crime, we must pay the penalty for our sins. We pay the penalty of physical and spiritual death. Because of our sin, we are separated from our holy God for all eternity.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus has paid our penalty
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, has paid the penalty for all our sins. We may think we have to lead a good life and do good deeds before God will love us, but the Bible says that Christ loved us enough to die for us, even when we had sinned against Him.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Salvation is a gift
The word grace means "undeserved favor". It means God is offering us something we can not provide for ourselves: forgiveness of sins and eternal life. God's gift to us is free. All we have to do is joyfully receive it, turn from our sin, and believe with all our hearts that Jesus Christ died for us! Ephesians 2:8-9 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.
Jesus awaits our response
Jesus wants to have a relationship with you. Picture Him standing at the door of your heart (the door of your emotions, intellect and will). Invite Him in. He is waiting for you to receive Him into your heart and life.
Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
We must receive Him
When we invite Christ into our heart, we become a child of God. We can talk to Him in prayer at any time about anything. The Christian life is a personal relationship with God through Jesus. John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
Another way to look at this...
God loves us and wants us to have an abundant life! John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.