OUR THEOLOGICAL CONVICTIONS
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Faith becomes visible in love.
The Catacombs: Underground Jesus Fellowship is defined every bit as much by what we DO believe as what we DO NOT believe. Our convictions are rooted in the life and teachings of Jesus.
WE DO BELIEVE
01_The Way of Jesus
We believe we must follow The Way of Jesus to find and experience the Truth of who He is.
John 14:6 states “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” We believe the order here is very important: first follow The Way of Jesus, then learn The Truth of this world, so that only afterwards can we discover a New Life with God.
In Matthew 7:24–27 Jesus teaches that those who “hear these words of mine and act on them will be like a wise man,” whereas those “who hear these words of mine and do not act on them will be like a foolish man.” It is foolish to say we believe who Jesus is and yet fail to follow His teachings.
02_A Kingdom for All
We believe Jesus proclaimed God’s Kingdom for all, not for some at the expense of others.
Jesus announces that God’s Kingdom belongs to those pushed to the edges of society, rather than functioning as a reward system for those who secure power at the expense of others. Jesus comes “to set free those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:16–21): the poor, marginalized, and excluded.
Jesus further teaches that God’s Kingdom is not earned by status, ethnicity, or moral superiority, but is opened to all who respond to God’s call to join it. He teaches that those long excluded will be welcomed into God’s Kingdom: “the first will be last, and the last will be first” (Matthew 19:30).
03_The Joy of Personal Change
We believe Jesus calls us from a life of judging others to find instead the joy of personal change.
Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:1–5, “the judgment you give will be the judgment you get,” explicitly warning against judging others while remaining blind to our own need for transformation. Judgment of others prevents us from doing the work of self-examination and repentance.
Instead, Jesus invites his followers to focus on their own conversion of heart, promising that humility and honesty before God lead to mercy and renewal (Luke 18:9–14). To Jesus, true righteousness begins not with condemning others, but by allowing God to change us from within.
04_Growing in Love
We believe Jesus calls us to a lifelong process of growing in love, both for God and for neighbor.
When asked to name the greatest commandment, Jesus refuses to separate love of God from love of neighbor, declaring that the whole of faithful life depends on holding both loves together (Matthew 22:37–40). Love is not optional or occasional; it is the central orientation of discipleship.
Jesus further teaches that love is demonstrated not through words alone, but by continuously showing mercy, forgiveness, and compassion as a way of life (John 13:34–35). Following Jesus means committing ourselves to ongoing growth in love that shapes every relationship.
05_Wholeness Rooted in Divine Love
We believe Jesus calls us towards spiritual perfection by trying to love others as God does.
Jesus calls us to a radical standard of love that mirrors God’s own character, urging us to love not only our friends but our enemies as well (Matthew 5:44–45). Inclusive love reflects God’s generosity toward all people, as expressed in The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:33–37).
Jesus calls us to a form of spiritual perfection described not as flawlessness, but as wholeness rooted in divine love (Matthew 5:48). To grow toward this perfection is to continually love as God loves: freely, generously, and without condition, especially “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40).
WE DO NOT BELIEVE
06_Faith Is Not Complete Without Action
We do NOT believe faith is complete without action or that salvation is only for personal gain.
Jesus repeatedly warns us that calling him “Lord” or professing belief is insufficient if it is not accompanied by obedience and embodied practice in daily life (Matthew 7:21–23). Faith, in Jesus’ teaching, is proven not by words or claims, but by following the will of God.
Jesus also teaches that those who hear his teachings but fail to put them into practice build their lives on an unstable foundation (Matthew 7:24–27). Salvation, therefore, is not an earned transactional reward, but a lived response to God’s call, provided us in Jesus’ way of life.
07_Discipleship Is Not Escape from the World
We do NOT believe Jesus calls us to wait for Heaven after death, or to escape life in the world.
Jesus calls his followers to active participation in God’s work in the world, describing them as salt and light whose purpose is to shape, preserve, and illuminate life around them (Matthew 5:13–16). Discipleship is not withdrawal from the world, but faithful engagement within it (John 17:15–18).
Jesus further teaches that following him requires daily, costly commitment—not passive belief or future escape, but a willingness to take up responsibility in the present (Luke 9:23–25). To follow Jesus is to live now as citizens of God’s Kingdom, not to wait for Heaven later (Luke 17:20–21).
08_Mercy and Justice Are Not Optional
We do NOT believe that moral inactivity is acceptable, or that social justice is optional.
Jesus consistently links faithfulness to concrete acts of mercy, teaching that care for the hungry, the stranger, the sick, and the imprisoned is inseparable from devotion to God (Matthew 25:31–46). Grace, in Jesus’ teaching, does not remove responsibility; instead, it reveals it (Matthew 18:23–35).
Jesus rebukes religious practices that ignore justice and compassion, insisting that outward piety is empty when it neglects love of neighbor (Matthew 23:23). For Jesus, mercy and justice are not optional expressions of faith; they are essential signs of life within God's Kingdom (John 8:1–11).
FROM CONVICTION TO PRACTICE
FAITH BECOMES VISIBLE IN LOVE.
These convictions aren't simply statements about what we believe. They describe the kind of people we're trying to become.
Our twelve spiritual practices help us put them into action.