About us

Core Beliefs

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GOD

There is one God, Creator and Sovereign Lord of the Universe, who is self-existent, eternal, infinite, perfect, and glorious, and who exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three persons are equal in power, glory, and divine perfection, and are worthy of worship and obedience.

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The Bible

The Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments alone, is the inspired, revealed, inerrant Word of God, and is our full and final authority, sufficient in all matters of faith and practice.

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The Human Race

All men and women are created in the image of God with equal and inherent value and dignity. God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Marriage is the unity of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime, and this marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. All people were created to worship God and enjoy him forever, yet through the disobedience of Adam and Eve our first parents, and through our own personal choice, we are all sinners alienated from God, under his condemnation and wrath, and so in need of salvation.

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The Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and died in the place of sinners on the cross, accomplishing redemption by bearing the punishment and the wrath of God for all who believe. He rose bodily from the dead and ascended to heaven where—as the only mediator between God and man—he intercedes for his people, and from where he will return in power and glory.

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Salvation

Salvation is by grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Salvation has been accomplished by Christ and is proclaimed and offered to all in the gospel. All who repent and believe are forgiven, pardoned, justified, and accepted by God for the sake of Christ’s righteousness, which is imputed to them. They are made new creatures in Christ, receiving the gift of eternal life and adoption into God’s family.

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The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply his work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life, and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, distributes spiritual gifts, brings assurance of salvation, and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for worship, service, and mission.

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The Church

The Church is one holy and universal body, the bride of Christ. The church is composed of all who are redeemed through the work of Christ, and is called to worship God and to witness concerning Jesus Christ. The local church proclaims, values, and submits to the whole counsel of God, administers baptism and communion, which were appointed by Christ as signs of the new covenant, and exercises spiritual authority to care for her members and fulfill her mission of making disciples of all nations. Unity is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care, and encouragement. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel.

 

The Return of Christ and the Future

Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to raise the dead and bring salvation and judgment to completion. Those joined to Christ by faith will be brought into fullness of eternal life and joy in Christ, while those alienated from Christ will be separated eternally from God. God will establish His kingdom fully with a new heaven and a new earth, in which He will be glorified forever, having triumphed over all evil, suffering, and death.

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Secondary Issues

In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity. As we speak truth in love regarding the core beliefs above, which are essential to Christian faith and practice, we also offer grace to our brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we disagree on matters that are secondary. As some of these matters have implications for church practice and so require each body to take a particular stance, we offer the following guidance regarding how ICC Madrid addresses certain secondary issues:

 

Church polity

We acknowledge that Bible-believing Christians may disagree on how to organize church leadership. We are committed to leadership in our ministry by designated groups of leaders who share responsibility for the ministry and hold each other accountable. Ideally, along with lay ministry leaders, the church should appoint elders, responsible for the spiritual shepherding of the church and its members, and deacons, responsible for physical needs within the church and among its members.

 

Roles in the church

We acknowledge that Bible-believing Christians may disagree on the appropriate roles of men and women in the context of the church and church leadership. We reserve a limited set of leadership offices (specifically, pastor and elder) to men called to these roles. All other leadership roles and participation are open to women and men called to them.

 

Baptism

We acknowledge that a biblical case can be made for both covenantal infant baptism and believer baptism. We allow for both covenantal infant baptism and believer baptism. Because there is one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, we generally discourage re-baptism, although we recognize that there may be cases in which re-baptism is warranted.

Spiritual Gifts

Every Christian receives at least one spiritual gift when she or he accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. These gifts are given by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the church. We acknowledge that Bible-believing Christians may disagree on the full list of potential gifts and on which gifts are currently operational in the church.  We do not practice speaking in tongues in connection with corporate worship.