The E. R. Church Purpose Statement.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23, ESV).
"Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins" (Ecclesiastes 7:20, ESV).
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but so that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."
(John 3:16-18, ESV).
James 2:8-9,12 8 Yes, it is good to obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking the law.
12 So, whatever you say or do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
We all fall short of God's expectations due to our flesh. The danger of creating a hierarchy of sin is that people can begin to single out one sin over another and accept or ignore the others. The belief in sin hierarchy creates arrogance, which also divides the people of God. We declare that there is no hierarchy of sin. However, one unforgivable sin is in Matthew 12:31-32 and Mark 3:29, in which Jesus says, "whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin."
We believe John 3:16 - God gave his only begotten Son to save us from our sins and eternal death. Therefore we will be a church that welcomes all sinners who become believers who will strive to know more about God and become more pleasing to God. Our ministry will mirror Jesus's love, preach the Gospel without prejudice, to care for the outcast, forgotten, and poor in spirit.