Our beliefs describe how we view God, Jesus, the Bible, man, and many significant aspects of our faith. Based on Scripture, these beliefs guide who we are as Rotorua Elim Church and our lives

THE BIBLE / TE PAIPERA TAPU
We believe the Bible is God’s Word to all people. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because it was inspired by God, the Bible is truth without any mixture of error and is completely relevant to our daily lives.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Psalms 119:11, 89, 105; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 22:29; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 3:16


TRINITY / TE TOKOTORU TAPU
We believe God has existed in relationship with Himself for all eternity. He exists as one substance in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Although each member of the Trinity serves different functions, they each possess equal power and authority.

Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 1:35; John 5:21-23; 14:10, 16; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:8-10; James 2:19


THE FATHER / TE ATUA MATUA
We believe God is great: He is all powerful, all knowing, ever present, unchanging, completely worthy of our trust, and above all, Holy. It is in Him that we live, move and exist. God is good. He is our Father. He is loving, compassionate, and faithful to His people and His promises.

Exodus 3:14; Numbers 23:19; Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; Psalm 11:4-6; Malachi 3:6; John 3:16; 4:24; 5:26; 14:1; Acts 17:28; Romans 3:3-4


THE SON / TE TAMA TE ARIKI IHU KARAITI
We believe Jesus Christ is completely human but, at the same time, completely God. He is the only plan for bringing people who are far from God back into a right relationship with God. He lived a perfect life, so that He could be a substitution for us in satisfying God’s demands for perfection. He defeated death in His resurrection so that we can have life.

Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 14:33; 16:16; 28:5-6; Luke 22:70; 24:46-47; John 1:1, 14; 10:30; 11:25-27; 17:1-5; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 8:1-3; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Gal 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15; 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16


THE HOLY SPIRIT / TE WAIRUA TAPU
We believe the Holy Spirit’s presence assures us of our relationship with Christ. He guides believers into all truth and exalts Christ. He convicts people of their sin, God’s righteousness, and the coming judgment. He comforts us, gives us spiritual gifts, and makes us more like Christ.

Genesis 1:2; Psalm 51:11; 139:7 ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Mark 1:10; Lk 1:35; 4:1; 11:13; 12:12; John 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; 13:2; Romans 8:9-11, 14-16, 26-27; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Peter 1:21; Revelation 22:17


ETERNITY / TE MUTUNGA KORE
We believe man was created to exist forever. He will exist either eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is Heaven. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.

John 3:16, 36; Romans 6:23; 1 John 2:25; 5:11-13; Revelation 20:15


MAN / TE TANGATA
We believe man is made in the image of God and is the supreme object of His creation. Man was created to have fellowship with God but became separated in that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, man cannot attain a right relationship with God through his own effort. Every human personality is uniquely created, possesses dignity, and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:7, 18-22; 3; Psalms 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18, 23; 5:6; 6:6; 7:14-25; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19, 21-22; Ephesians 2; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11


SALVATION / TE WHAKAORA
We believe the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the only way of salvation through the forgiveness of sin. Salvation occurs when people place their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for their sin. Salvation is a gift from God, and it cannot be earned through our own efforts.

Isaiah 1:18; 53:5-6; 55:7; Matthew 1:21; 27:22-66, 28:1-6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:12; 3:16, 36; 5:24; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 16:30-31; Romans 1:16-18; 3:23-25; 5:8-10; 6; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:12-13; Hebrews 9:24-28; Revelation 3:20


THE CHURCH / TE HĀHI
We believe the Church is a local community, a whanau of believers unified through faith in Christ. It is committed to the teachings of Christ and obeying all of His commands, and it seeks to bring the Gospel to the world. The Church works together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.

Matthew 16:18-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-47; 5:11-14; 13:1-3; 14:23; 16:5; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:10-12; 5:22-32; Colossians 1:18; 3:15; 1 Timothy 4:14; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 21:2-3


BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT / TE IRIIRI I TE WAIRUA TAPU
We believe in the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
We believe that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is an essential part of every Christian’s ongoing relationship with God, designed to empower each Christian to be all that God has planned for them to be, to live life as a taonga - a precious gift, making the most of every opportunity to live a life 'sold out' for God.
 
Like other Pentecostal churches, as Elim we place great emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives today.
 
We believe that the baptism in the Holy Spirit equips believers for full involvement in the mission of the Church. We do not believe that God wants his Church to be weak and ineffective. We want to preach the Gospel and see signs and wonders from God that affirm that preaching, in the same way that the New Testament Christians did!
 
We believe the baptism in the Holy Spirit is intended for every believer and it brings us into a new realm of living – life in the Spirit, living an extraordinary life, living naturally supernatural. The Holy Spirit is ‘God’s empowering presence’ in the lives of his people and God wants us all to be continually filled with his presence and power.

Acts 1:8, Acts 2:4, Acts 2:44-46, Acts 19:6, Ephesians 5:18
 
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BAPTISM IN WATER / TE IRIIRI I TE WAI
We believe in the baptism by full immersion in Water.
The act of baptism in water is a thrilling moment in the life of a believer. Elim baptises people because we believe in following Bible teaching in all that we do. Jesus was baptised, because, as he said to John the Baptist, “we must do all that God wants us to do.”
We totally submerge the believer in water (only briefly!) because we believe that this is how Jesus was baptised. The original words used in the Bible for baptism mean to dip or to dye – both of which involve going under the water, being fully submerged, immersed in the water.
In the Bible, only people old enough to make their own decision to become a Christian were baptised – not babies or young children. At Rotorua Elim Church we do not do “christenings” with water. For babies, we have a dedication service instead, where we dedicate the child to God.

Matthew 28:19, Acts 10:47,48