About ICC

Our Faith

Our Staff

Our Ministries

Our Faith
Here boiled down as concisely as we know how is the basic statement of what we believe at ICC:

ABOUT GOD
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. God has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. (Genesis 1:1,26-27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again someday to claim His church. (Matthew 16:16; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-74; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13).

ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. The Spirit also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation and provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily. (2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 2:38; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18).

ABOUT THE BIBLE
The Bible is God's Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5).

ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God's creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin". This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2).

ABOUT SALVATION
Salvation is God's free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ's sacrifice can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. Jesus calls each of us to respond to His offer by believing in Him as Savior, repenting of our sins, and identifying with His death, burial, and resurrection through baptism (see Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:38; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1; Romans 6:3-4).

Baptism at ICC

At ICC, we take great joy in practicing the beautiful ancient ritual of water baptism. The reason is simple: Jesus commanded it! After His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus walked with His closest friends for forty days giving them His final instructions before returning to Heaven. His parting words have been preserved for us in both Matthew and Mark:

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a).

“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).

Those friends did just as He directed. For example, the very first time they preached the good news (gospel) about Jesus, they were asked: “what shall we do?” Their response? “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38a). In fact, that day 3,000 people were baptized! Each time Jesus’ followers presented the good news about Jesus, people were urged to be baptized (see Acts 8:12,13,16; 36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 18:24-26; 19:3-6; 22:15-17).

What is baptism?
It is the act of immersing a person in water and lifting them up out of the water as a symbolic representation of his or her dying to sin, being buried, and being raised back to life. This is exactly how the Bible describes it: “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4).

Baptism is a powerful, symbolic act that serves to mark the new beginning that one receives when he or she becomes a Christian. If you are a believer in Jesus, and yet haven’t been baptized, we wish to encourage you to take this important step of obedience. Contact the church office via phone or email immediately and we will schedule a brief, informative preparation study and arrange for your baptism. Church Office: 425.392.5848 (see contact page).