Oasis Church exists to serve the Asheville-Buncombe area by
Pointing up, Reaching out, and Diving in.

The church will serve as a witness that points up to Jesus Christ as the ultimate Oasis for the lost
souls of humanity, and as a human congregation that reaches out to provide a source of spiritual
oasis in a sinful world- to the glory of God alone by diving in to study his Word as faithful

disciples.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

Oasis Church is a proud member of the Southern Baptist Convention, and cooperative with both the Buncombe Baptist Association and the North Carolina Baptist Association. Therefore, the church adheres to the basic beliefs of Southern Baptist theology and practice as outlined in the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message document. However, the church also believes in displaying mutual love to all genuine believers in Jesus Christ and therefore extends love, brotherhood and cooperation to all denominations and ministries which adhere to the gospel of Jesus Christ as outlined in orthodox historical Christianity.

The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message can be found online elsewhere, but for now here is a summary of what we hold most dear as a church. The summary below is split into four basic categories: God, the Bible, Humans, Salvation, and the Church.

God

We believe that there is one God, who is the Creator of all things, and has made himself known as the three Persons of the Trinity- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is only one God, but these three Persons are separate personalities. This is a mystery to human minds, but it is revealed to be true by Scripture. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, it is like a flat 2D box trying to understand a 3D cube. Each of the three share the same “substance” (Godhood) with each other. God is all-powerful (omnipotent), all-knowing (omniscient), and he is present everywhere (omnipresent). He is the One from whom all living things come, and to whom all living things go in the end. At the end of human life, and at the end of history itself, all human beings will stand in God’s presence as the perfect Judge. He is a God of both love and wrath- he is goodness incarnate, and yet his anger burns against all forms of evil precisely because he’s good. He has revealed himself through Scripture and through his Son, the second Person of the Godhead known to history as Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus is God Almighty in the flesh; God become human. He lived a perfect life on earth before dying on a cross to pay the price for human sin. He physically, literally rose again on the third day and is now alive forevermore in the Father’s presence. Someday in God’s own timing, Jesus will physically return to earth and establish a new heaven and a new earth- which will last for all eternity. God’s people will enjoy his presence forever on this new earth.

The Bible

We believe that the Bible (the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) are the inspired Word of God. God himself has used human authors to make his will known on earth by what has been written, so that the Holy Spirit has been said to have “breathed into” the writings. They reveal God’s work on behalf of humans throughout history- his creation of heaven and earth, his establishment of the nation of Israel, and his slow working towards the birth of one individual who would rescue humans from their lostness in sin. Everything in the Bible can be made clear within the larger context of what Jesus has done to rescue human beings, and it is meant to point to him as the Savior of the world. It is his story, a love story between human creation and its Maker. It now stands as the ultimate authority on human salvation, the existence of the church, and the life of the individual Christian.

Humans

We believe that humans are unique in creation, having been made in the very image of God. This is not an excuse for human arrogance or self-centeredness but rather is a truth which should lead us to acknowledge the fact that all human life is precious. This applies to the most powerful, and the most marginalized. To all colors, all cultures, and all languages. All human beings were created by God and are therefore meant to enjoy and savor God as a friend. That being said, humans have all been separated from God due to “sin”- the reality that humans make decisions in opposition to God’s original design. The “sin” that causes this is not the individual sins that a person commits, but rather it is the very nature of sinfulness inside of a person from birth. This sin has ruined our relationship with God; it is ultimately the source of all suffering, pain, loneliness, wickedness and existential dread. It is the reason for the sad reality of Hell. The world we live in is therefore “beautiful but broken”, like an old watch with a rusty spring. Humans are capable of the greatest feats, and yet also capable of the most heinous crimes. Humans are in desperate need of a Savior (i.e. a Healer, a Rescuer from their predicament). God provided one…

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the event in which a person is set free from the divine penalty of their sin by embracing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in faith. Jesus paid the penalty for human sin, suffering the “hell” that humans deserve. He took our place, paying our spiritual “debt”, so that we could be reconciled again to a God we were separated from. We are all sinful, yet through Jesus we are judged by God to be perfect- as if we ourselves were Jesus. Meanwhile, God’s wrath against all sin was placed on Jesus as he suffered crucifixion, so that he suffered the penalty- as if he were you and me. And now all we must do is put our faith in him to receive this promised forgiveness. It is a gift that cannot be earned by doing enough good, and it cannot be lost by doing too much bad. Christians never “do good” in the hope of making God happy enough to let them into Heaven; rather, Christians do good because they’ve already been forgiven and are thankful to the One who loved them. All of this is only possible through Jesus, as he himself made clear during his earthly lifetime. In the end, every person who has ever lived will either spend eternity with God in his glorious presence- what has been traditionally referred to as “Heaven”- or cut off forever from God’s presence in what has been traditionally referred to as “Hell”. Belief in Heaven and Hell has been abused in several ways since the very beginning. It should not cultivate an attitude of superiority, a suffocating culture of legalism, or an unhealthy sense of anxiety and fear. Rather- though the reality of God’s wrath against human sin must be recognized and confronted honestly- such belief should inspire the pursuit of holiness in loving worship of a holy God, and an urgent (but joyful) desire to see others come to embrace Christ for themselves.

Church

We believe that the church is the collected family of God’s people, all of those who have embraced Christ as Savior throughout the entire world. As such, Jesus has called each local church- a small local portion of the global whole- to represent him well in how they love one another and function together. They are meant to encourage one another, to worship the Creator together, to pursue genuine discipleship amongst themselves, to chase after holiness as prescribed in his Word, and to testify to the world that Jesus is the King of kings with the power to save. 

If you have any further questions about our beliefs; if any part of this worldview seems ridiculous; even if you’d simply like to know more- feel free to contact us! We would love to start a conversation!