The Bible
We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God. To summarize the Bible, it is a special revelation of the character of God and His plan to redeem the world through Jesus Christ. The original writings were inerrant, infallible, and God breathed. God has purposed the Bible to be the final authority for faith and life, and He has overseen the events of history to piece together the canon (the 66 books) as we have it today. The revelation of the Bible is complete and no other teachings are to share in the same authority.
2Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13; Psalms 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 14:37
The Triune God
We believe in one God who has revealed Himself in three eternally existing persons-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit co-eternal in being and in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections.
Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; John 1:1-4; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19
God the Father
We believe God the Father is uncreated, eternal in nature, unchanging, and the Creator of all things, both seen and unseen. He is omnipotent (He has all power and authority), omnipresent (fully present everywhere), and omniscient (all knowing). God is Holy (all good) and He is over all creation as well as involved personally in the lives of every person and all events. God reveals himself to every person through His creation and peoples’ consciences, and He has specially revealed Himself through His Word and His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus and the Holy Spirit share equally in these attributes, and are both in submission to God the Father.
Romans 1:20; Isaiah 6:3; Psalms 19:1-4; 90:2; 139:7-10; Revelation 1:8; Deuteronomy 10:14
Jesus ChristWe believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, uncreated, eternal and co-equal with the Father. Being obedient to the Father, Jesus temporarily set aside His divine glory and fully took on human flesh, while at the same time remaining fully God. Jesus did this with the purpose of sacrificing his life as an act of final atonement for the sins of man, making forgiveness and citizenship into God’s Kingdom possible through belief and submission unto his Lordship.
Jesus was born of Mary, a virgin birth, conceived by the Holy Spirit. He spent his life ministering to people, preaching the Kingdom of God, fulfilling the Old Testament prophesies regarding the Jewish Messiah, and discipeling the believers who would make up His church.
He was crucified on a cross after being condemned by the Jewish and Roman authorities. After three days he rose bodily from the dead, appeared to his disciples and ascended into heaven where he is now exalted at the right hand of God.
Jesus currently ministers as our high priest before God as our representative, intercessor, and advocate.
Luke 1:35; Romans 3:22-26; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 7:25-26; Luke 24
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is a person of the God-head and as such, is co-equal with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that he is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption.
The Holy Spirit ministers to the church today, continuing the ministry of Jesus Christ. He empowers believers to minister the Gospel, and bestows spiritual gifts to the church for the purpose of edification and evangelism. These supernatural giftings and the personal experiences a believer has with the Holy Spirit are always consistent with the testimony of Scripture.
John 3:5-18; 16:5-15; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 14:12, 26; Acts 1:5; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18;
The Church
We believe the church is universal (made up of all believers from every age), and local. The church is established by Jesus and he relates to the church similar to how a loving husband relates to his wife. Jesus is the head of the church, and as such He is actively involved in the churches ministry, including the establishment of a leadership structure with the offices prescribed in the New Testament, and discipline within the church; also, as the body of Christ, the church is to be Jesus’ representative on Earth until his physical return, this includes the responsibility of making Christ known.
The church is composed of those who believe in Christ, and offers believers a community for discipleship, prayer, worship, evangelism, and fellowship. Specific ministries to be administered by the church, which are prescribed by the Bible, are the Lord’s supper and water baptism. Participation in, and submission to a local church is an essential component of a believers faith.
Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:11-13; 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Acts 2:42-47; Matthew 18:15-20
Sin
We believe mankind and all of creation were originally created by God as good, man was made special in the likeness and image of God. Due to Adams sin, and because we are all descendants of Adam, every person is born with a sinful nature that separates them from God, who is holy and perfect in nature. This sin nature makes it impossible for a person to relate to God on a one’s own strength, will, and merits. The original sin was so severe that is also affected all of creation.
Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-19; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12, 18-19; 8:8; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12; James 2:10-11
Salvation
We believe salvation is a gift from God, made available to every person, “whosever believes.” Each member of the Godhead has a part in a persons salvation. The Father predestined those who would be saved and sent Jesus his only Son, Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross to pay the price of salvation and intercedes to the Father on the believers behalf, and the Holy Spirit convicts a sinners heart of the truth and regenerates and baptizes them into the body of Christ upon belief in Jesus’ Lordship. Salvation is possible because the atonement sacrifice of Jesus’ blood satisfies the wrath of God, which is the penalty of sin from a Holy God. Receiving salvation justifies a believer before God, because now a person stands before God taking on the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Repentance of one’s own sins must take place before a person receives salvation. A persons decision to repent and believe, and God’s role of predestination, work miraculously and mysteriously together for salvation to take place.
Ephesians 1:4-7; John 1:12-13; 3:16-18; 1 Peter 1:18-21; Galatians 2:20; Acts 20:21; 2 Corinthians 7:10
Christian Living
We believe that after the event of salvation, the redeemed believer is kept by God’s power through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and thus the new believer has security and assurance in their salvation. This assurance stems from a persons new spiritual position found in Christ Jesus. A believer’s new standing before God should become ones new life identity and should therefore effect every attitude and decision one makes. This new identity should produce a life that looks completely different from a believer’s old life, as if one was born again. God is actively involved in the life of a believer, making salvation out to be a process. This process is called sanctification: where the Holy Spirit continually works in a persons life to shape them more and more into the image of Christ, up until the point of death where they will be free from the influences of sin.
A believer will still battle with sin and the flesh, and therefore must live a life of repentance, and submission to God. Concerning the hardships and struggles of life, God has promised to keep and never leave or forsake his children, and therefore a believer with authentic faith can endure all trials and temptations with God’s help. The believers responsibility therefore, is not to analyze the authenticity of everyone's salvation, but to instead live out their own faith by trusting God.
Christian living means always living in tension. This tension is found between the command to be called out from the world and live holy lives, and the command to go out and be a witness to the world in which one lives. Living out either extreme can produce a life of legalism, or a life that is subject to the desires of the flesh, both of these ways are contrary to the Gospel. Guidance on living out the tension of the Christian life within culture can be found in the church, in relationships with others who are also living the same tension, and the Bible.
Romans 8:1; 1 John 3:2; 1 Peter 1:22-23; John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1,38-39; James 4:4
The ReturnWe believe Jesus has promised to physically return to earth to establish His kingdom, and His return is immanent. When Christ returns, He will come in great power and authority along with all of Heaven, and the believers will be physically transformed to take part in this new Kingdom. A universal resurrection of all people will take place, where people will stand judgment before Jesus, which will result in “every knee bowing” before the Lord; and sin, evil, and Satan will be eliminated, making possible a new creation with a new heaven and a new earth where Jesus will reign as King.
Psalms 72:8-14; Matthew 24:27-51; 1 Corinthians 15:23-28; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:4; Revelation 21-22
