Jesus Christ is the eternal second Person of the Trinity who was united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. He ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of  the Father, where He, the only Mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own. He shall come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
(Acts 2:22-36; 1 Timothy 2:5-6)

The essential accompaniment of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, evidenced in believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. He was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to mankind the saving work of Christ. He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them a recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them. At the point of salvation He permanently indwells every believer to become the source of life, assurance, strength and wisdom, and uniquely endows each believer with gifts for the up-building of the body. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scripture. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father. (Acts 1:4-8; Galatians 5:22-23)

The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have fellowship with God, man defied God, choosing to go his independent way, and was thus alienated from God and suffered the corruption of his nature, rendering him unable to please God. The fall took place at the beginning of human history, and all individuals since have suffered these consequences and are thus in need of the saving grace of God. The salvation of mankind is, then, wholly a work of God’s free grace, not the result, in whole or in part of human works or goodness, but is a gift freely given by God through an individual’s personal repentance and faith. When God has begun a saving work in the heart of any person, He gives assurance in His Word that He will continue performing it until the day of its full consummation (Ephesians 2:8- 10; Philippians 1:6)

Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. For all mankind, there will be a resurrection of the body into the spiritual world, and a judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. Unbelievers will be separated from God into condemnation. God’s judgment will reveal his justice in consigning them to perpetuate in eternal retribution their own rejection of God. Believers will be received into eternal communion with God and will be rewarded for works done in this life.
(Hebrews 9:27; John 14:1-6) (Hebrews 9:27; John 14:1-6)

There is one true Church universal, comprised of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Forgiver and Leader. The Scripture commands believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of baptism and communion as the ordinance established by Jesus Christ, fellowship, service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world. The members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.   (Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:23-25 )

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. We believe that God our Creator established marriage as a sacred institution between one biological man and one biological woman, and the idea that marriage is a covenant between one man and one woman, is conveyed in the Scriptures. Sexuality and the divinely prescribed boundaries for the expression of sexuality is also covered clearly in the Holy Scriptures, which limit sexual expression to the marriage covenant between one biological man and one biological woman. Sexual expression outside the marriage covenant as prescribed by God, including adultery, homosexual acts, cohabitation, bestiality, rejection of one’s biological sex, and all forms of fornication are not condoned in the Scriptures.  (Genesis 1:24-27, Matthew 5:27, Matthew 15:19-20, Romans 1:26-27,1 Corinthians 6:9-20; 1 Thes 4:3; Lev 20:10-21)

Baptism is symbolic of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It is an outward sign of an inward change of a life that has been surrendered to the lordship of Christ. It is a public proclamation of a person’s decision to be a Christ-follower. Baptism is an act of obedience in following the example of Jesus, who submitted himself to baptism. We believe that baptism does not save you. Only your faith in Christ saves you. However, baptism is a powerful symbol and witness to the new life one has in Jesus. At Live Oak we believe baptism is a next step for any one who becomes a Christ follower.
(Matthew 3:16-17, 28:18-20, Acts 2:41, 8:12, Romans 6:4, Ephesians 2:1,Col 2:12)

We believe God is the maker and giver of all things. Anything we have, including our time, talents, and treasure, should be held with open hands. When we “re-gift” the many things God has entrusted to us,
we take a powerful step of growth with Jesus.
A Christ-follower will have the posture of generosity when it comes to:
-Giving of his or her time.
-Using his or her talents and giftings to further God’s kingdom.
-Giving of his or her financial resources through tithes and offerings to the local church. (We believe that returning 10% of my income to the local church is a starting place for Biblical generosity.)
This posture of whole-life generosity is a mirror of the extravagant generosity of our God, who has given so much, including his only Son. (Leviticus 27:30, Malachi 3:10, Matthew 6:21)

We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Ps. 139.)