Our Beliefs
God
We believe in one God. God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. (Genesis 1:1, 26-27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; I Peter 1:2; II Corinthians 13:14)
God the Father
We believe in God the Father Almighty, the fully divine Sovereign King and Creator of heaven and earth. He is the source of all life and worthy of all praise, glory, love, and allegiance. God the Father loved the world enough to send the Son, Jesus Christ, as the Savior of the world. Anyone who knows the Father also knows the Son. Through a personal relationship with Christ, we come to know God as our Father and can say, “Abba Father.” (John 3:16; Galatians 3:26; 2 Corinthians 1:3; Ephesians 4:6-7)
God the Son: Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5 & 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13)
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make humanity aware of their need for Jesus Christ and to convict the world of sin. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth and guidance in doing what is right. The Christ-follower seeks to live under His control daily. (II Corinthians 3:17; John 14:16-17 & 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12 & 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18)
Man
Man is made in the spiritual image of God to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God’s creation. Although created in the likeness of God, man is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin. Sin is what separates man from God. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2)
The Bible
We believe that God is graciously self-revealing and has made Himself known through the sixty-six books of the Holy Bible, both Old and New Testaments, which He authored by divinely inspiring men to write as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (1). We affirm that the Bible is entirely sufficient and trustworthy, completely free from error in the original manuscripts, and wholly reveals the principles by which God will righteously judge us (2). The Bible faithfully testifies to the only way of salvation, and has as its ultimate fulfillment the perfect revelation of God—Jesus Christ (3). And as God’s word to His people, the Bible will remain to the end of the world the supreme standard and final authority by which all matters of life and doctrine should be tested (4). We believe the Bible’s central message of salvation is made plain to all who read it with a desire to trust and obey God. (Psalm 119; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 1:1-2, 2 Peter 1:19-21; Proverbs 30:5-6; Romans 2:12; Philippians 3:16; Hebrews 4:12-13; Luke 24:25–47; John 5:39; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-4; Isaiah 40:8; 1 John 4:1; Revelation 22:18-19; 2 Timothy 1:12-14; Hebrews 13:17)
Salvation
Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his or her life by faith. (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:12 & 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1)
Eternity
Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is to spend eternity in Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life in Heaven. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. (John 3:16; I John 2:25 & 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15)
The Local Church
We believe in the local church as a part of the universal Body of Christ. It is to be a witness in its local community and extend to the whole world. The local church provides an avenue for the proper use of spiritual gifts and the observance of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. (Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 12-14; I Corinthians 11:27-29; Ephesians 4:11-16)
Believers Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
The Word of God places on the church two perpetual ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first, believer’s baptism, is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual’s life and is a testimony to all that the person now belongs to Jesus Christ. It is identification with Jesus and is affected in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The second, the Lord’s Supper, is a commemoration of the death of the Lord and is done in remembrance of Him until He comes again; it is a sign of our loving participation in Him. Both institutions are restricted to those who are believers. (1 Cor. 11:17-34; Matthew 3:6; Acts 8:26-40)
Marriage, Gender, Sexuality, and Divorce
We believe God created marriage to display the gospel, to provide a secure foundation for raising children, and to encourage the joy and holiness of mankind. Throughout Scripture, the husband-wife relationship illustrates the covenant relationship between Jesus Christ and His church, the “Bride of Christ” (1). People are wonderfully and immutably created as male and female, and these distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (2). God ordained marriage as the union of one man and one woman in an intimate covenant relationship lasting until death (3). Therefore, no sexual activity should take place outside of biblical marriage (4). Furthermore, divorce should be rigorously avoided because reconciliation is central to the Christian life (5). However, due to the hardness of the human heart and brokenness of our world, divorce is a reality and in rare cases may be legitimate (6). Regardless of circumstances, following the example of our Lord Jesus, Christians ought to display forgiveness, restoration, and love toward one another. (Genesis 1:28; 2:24-25; Song of Solomon; Ephesians 5:22-33; Genesis 1:26-27; Mark 10:6; Leviticus 18:1-30; Matthew 19:4-5; Romans 1:26-27; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 19:6; 2 Corinthians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 7:15; Matthew 19:8-9; Ephesians 4:25-32; Colossians 3:12-13)
The World to Come
We believe that on the last day Christ will descend from heaven in all power and glory, and will raise the dead from the grave to final judgment (1). At that time, there will be a separation in which the wicked will be judged and sentenced to endless punishment under God’s just wrath, and the righteous rewarded with endless joy in the presence of God (2). This judgment will be pronounced by Jesus Christ, and will be an expression both of God’s unyielding justice and His unfathomable grace and wisdom (3). Thus we eagerly hope that we who belong to Jesus will be eternally satisfied in God as we eternally glorify Him in the new heavens and the new earth.
(Acts 1:11; 10:42; 1 Thess. 4:13-5:11; John 5:21-29; Daniel 12:2; Matt. 13:36-50; 24:31-46; John 4:36, 5:28-29, 6:40; Romans 1:18; 2 Thess. 1:5-12; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 14:14; Acts 17:31; Psalm 16:11; John 3:36, 11:23-27; Revelation 20:1- 22:21)
