Beliefs

Beliefs

Scripture

We believe that God wrote the Bible through men and without error.

The Old and New Testaments, in their entirety, constitute the written Word of God and are without error in the original manuscripts. They were written by men, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and are therefore fully authoritative, clear, sufficient, and necessary in all matters for the followers of Christ.

The Trinity

We believe that God exists eternally in Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

There is one God, infinite and unchangeable in His being, knowledge, wisdom, sovereignty, power, holiness, love, justice, goodness, truthfulness, and faithfulness, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of these three persons is fully and equally God, but they are distinct in terms of their eternal relationships and roles. God desires that we should know Him intimately and live a life of fulfillment through the pursuit of His will and glory.

Jesus

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became a man, lived a sinless life, died on a cross, was buried, rose bodily from the grave, and ascended into heaven to redeem sinful people.

He is the second person of the Trinity, fully God, eternally begotten of the Father, not created. He became fully human, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and made His dwelling among his people, living a full life without sin. His perfect life and death on the cross provide the only atonement that satisfies the righteous requirements of God for sinful people. The death of Jesus Christ fully and finally paid for sin, and is redemptive, substitutionary, and effective. The historic fact of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead testifies powerfully to His deity, and is itself humanity’s ultimate hope. Jesus Christ will make a personal return to the earth; this imminent return is a sanctifying hope having vital bearing on the life of all Christians.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the supernatural agent who applies salvation to sinful people, regenerating, indwelling, sanctifying, and sealing them until the day of Christ’s return.

He is the third person of the Trinity, fully God, eternally proceeding from both the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit bears persuasive testimony to the realities of Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of sin and its consequences. He regenerates and brings repentance and faith to sinful people. He indwells believers, gives them assurance of salvation, and sanctifies them. Christ baptizes all Christians with the Holy Spirit, thus incorporating them into the body of Christ, and the Spirit gives gifts to them and unites them for mutual service within the church. The Spirit bears the fruit of Christian character in the lives of believers, and He guides, instructs, and empowers them for godly living and service.

Man

We believe that God creates all people in his image as uniquely female and male.

Because of creation in God’s image, every human life is sacred, full of dignity and significance. In creating people as male and female, God communicated his image in harmonious interpersonal relationships, equality of personhood and importance, with a distinction in role and authority. Gender is a fundamental given of human existence, with maleness and femaleness being congruent with human embodiment and being an unchangeable, stable, and consistent characteristic of each image bearer established by God’s creational intent. To his image bearers, God gave the mandate to build society through procreation and vocation (Gen. 1:28). This means that most people will be married, though God also calls some to singleness (without loss or diminution of personhood, dignity, or contributive capability). Heterosexual monogamous marriage is God’s design for men and women called to covenant together in matrimony. Homosexual behavior and same-sex attraction are a result of the fall to be redeemed through the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. Gender identity confusion and expressions such as transgenderism, unigenderism, and pangenderism are a result of the fall to be redeemed through the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sin & Salvation

We believe that all people are sinful and in need of salvation. Salvation is the gift of God brought to sinful people by grace alone, and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. True Christians will be kept by God’s power forever.

Though created in the image of God, all people have fallen into sin and are therefore lost, alienated from God and facing his judgment. Only through justification in Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit can sinful people obtain salvation and spiritual life. The only ground of justification is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the only way to receive salvation is through faith in him and repentance from sin. Justification delivers sinful people from the wrath of God due to sin and grants them the perfect righteousness of Christ. The Spirit’s work of regeneration removes the old nature and creates a new nature that loves to please God. Salvation also includes adoption as sons and daughters into the family of God, union with Christ that brings to his co-heirs all spiritual blessings, and the promise of sanctification. All genuine believers will remain Christians throughout their entire life, being protected by the power of God through faith for the experience of the fullness of their salvation. Such perseverance, a mighty work of God, brings the assurance of salvation.

The Church

We believe that the Church is both universal and local.

The universal church, or Body of Christ, consists of all Christians in all times and in all places. The local church is an autonomous congregation that bands together for worship, instruction, service, fellowship, mission, and celebration of the ordinances. As a local church, Sojourn embraces the rich and vibrant traditions of the universal church. Only people who are members of the universal church shall be eligible for membership in the local church. Baptism of believers by immersion and the Lord’s Supper are the only two ordinances to be observed by the local church in the present age. These ordinances are not to be regarded as means of salvation.

Jesus' Return

We believe that Jesus will return to earth to judge all people and to rule and reign with his saints forever.

At Christ’s return, all people will be resurrected to give account of their lives before God. Believers in Christ will be resurrected to everlasting blessedness and joy in the presence of God. Unbelievers will be resurrected to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment. The ultimate hope of all creation, and the final state of all that now exists, is the new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells.

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About Us

Sojourn Midtown is a part of the Sojourn family of churches. Our mission is to reach people with the gospel, build them up as the church, and send them into the world.



Email Us

Sojourn Midtown  1207 S Shelby St Louisville, KY 40203 · hello@sojournmidtown.com · 502 237 1122