OUR BELIEFS

Guiding Principles

In essential beliefs – we have unity.

“The one Body and one Spirit…there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all…”

Ephesians 4:4-6

In non-essential beliefs – we have freedom.

“Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters…Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls…So then each of us will give an account of himself to God…So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.”

Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22

In all our beliefs – we show love.

“…If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and I have the faith that can move mountains – but have no love, I amount to nothing at all.”

1 Corinthians 13:2

 The Bible

The Bible is God’s Word to man.

The Bible is God’s Inspired Word to us, infallible as originally given by God through human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, and is absolutely true and trustworthy. It is our only standard of faith and practice.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Hebrews 4:12 | 2 Peter 1:20-21 | Matthew 5:18 | Psalm 119  

God

 There is one true and living God.

There is one true and living God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He is infinite, eternal, unchangeable, and is revealed to us as the Godhead existent in three co-equal, co-eternal, and Co-substantial persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

“…one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all...”

Ephesians 4:6

“…in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

Matthew 28:19

Genesis 1:1, 26, 27 | Genesis 3:22 | Ephesians 1:3-6, 13-14 | Matthew 28:19 | Philippians 2:5-6 | John 1:1, 3, 14, 18 | Isaiah 9:6

The Father

The first person of the Trinity who orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace, and who continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and events for His own glory. Fatherhood denotes spiritual relationship, first within the Trinity, second within mankind, creatively in relation to all men, but spiritually only in relation to those who have been saved by His grace from their sin and come to Him through Jesus Christ.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

James 1:17

The Son

Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross, rose from the dead to provide justification for every believer, ascended to the right hand of God where He presently intercedes for all believers, and will again, in the fullness of the Father’s time, return in visible, triumphant, personal form to overthrow sin, judge the world, and establish His kingdom on earth.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 14:16-17

John 16:8, 13

The Spirit

The Holy Spirit is sent from God to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement, and to regenerate, cleanse, and secure from sin. He 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. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily.

“And He will give you another Helper…even the Spirit of truth…He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement…He will guide you into all truth.”

John 14:16-17

John 16:8, 13

Man, Sin, and Satan

Man’s condition is one of sin and separation from God.

Man was created in innocence directly and immediately by God, in His spiritual image, for the purpose of fellowship with God and glory for God. Man was tempted by Satan and sinned, and because of this all men have been born in sin since that time. Every person has tremendous potential for good, but all are marred by a nature of rebellion and disobedience toward God which the Bible calls sin. Sin separates us from God, others, and all good things, ultimately and eternally in hell. All persons need to be saved from their sin.

“So God created man in His own image…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 1:26, 2:17

“For the wages of sin is death…”

Romans 6:23

Genesis 1:26-28, 3:1-19 | Romans 5:12, 6:23 | Revelation 20:10 | Isaiah 14:12-17

Salvation

God has acted in Jesus Christ to save us from sin.

Jesus Christ is the only Savior from sin. He provided forgiveness and atonement for our sins on the cross, and rose again to provide life and justification. Apart from Christ, there is no salvation. All men are under condemnation through personal sin, and deliverance from condemnation comes only by the righteousness of Christ and not human merit. This righteousness is credited to the believer by grace through faith. The Spirit regenerates or gives new life to the one who makes this life commitment to Jesus, and he is kept by God’s power  forever, never to be lost.

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all…”

1 Timothy 2:5

“…he who hears My Word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgement, but has passed from death into life…And I give them eternal life, and they never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand…”

John 5:24; 10:28

Acts 4:12 | Ephesians 2:8-9 | John 3:16-19, 5:24, 6:47, 10:28-30 | 1 John 3:2-3

 The Church

Jesus established the Church to continue His mission on earth.

A New Testament church is a voluntary association of baptized believers in Christ who have covenanted together to follow the teachings of the New Testament in doctrine, worship, and practice. We believe that a church is a self-governed organization served by two types of officers—pastors and elders.

“…on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

Matthew 16:18

“…Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it…”

Ephesians 5:45

Colossians 1:18 | Matthew 28:19-20 | 1 Corinthians 11:23-38; 15 | Hebrews 13:7, 17 | Ephesians 4:7-12

 Last Things

Jesus Christ will return to earth and God’s plan for eternity will be carried out.

We believe in the imminent and bodily return of Jesus Christ to the earth. The dead will be raised and Christ will judge all men according to their works. Unbelievers will be cast into eternal punishment and outer darkness prepared for the devil and his angels who preceded them, and the saved will enter into the eternal state of glory with God and will in their  resurrected and glorified bodies spend eternity.

“…This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go…”

Acts 1:11

“…looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…”

Titus 2:13

Matthew 16:27 | Luke 17:21-37 | 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 | 2 Peter 3:7-14 | Revelation 20, 21, 22

 Death and Resurrection

Everyone will face judgement before God; Some to eternal life, others to eternal condemnation.

Death involves no loss of consciousness but the soul of the redeemed passes immediately into the presence of Christ and there is separation of soul and body until the first resurrection when the spirit, soul, and resurrected body will be reunited in glorified form in heaven forever. All men will be bodily resurrected, the saved to everlasting life, but the lost into eternal condemnation.

“…it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement…”

Hebrews 9:27

“…to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:8

“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God… and they were judged, each according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.”

Revelation 20:12, 13, 14

Revelation 6:9-11; 20:6, 13-15 | Philippians 1:23 | 1 Corinthians 15 | 2 Corinthians 5:8