We believe in God the Father and in Jesus Christ His only Son. We believe in the virgin birth. We believe that Christ was crucified, buried, and on the third day He rose from the dead. We believe He ascended into heaven and sits at God's right hand and from this position He shall come to judge all people. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection of the body. We believe in His Word, that it is both perfect and without error, the final authority on all matters of faith and practice.
1. We Believe in the Bible
The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of 66 books of the Old and New Testament. We believe that Scripture in its entirety originated with God and reflects the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts. They have the unique, full and final authority on all matters of faith and practice and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
Proverbs 30:56; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 4:12; Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17
2. God
We believe that there is one true, Holy God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality. In the beginning God created out of nothing the world and all the things therein; thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness. By His sovereign rule, He is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive plan.
Genesis 1:1; Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 139:7-8; Isaiah 45:3-7; Matthew 28:19; Acts 17:24; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Mark 1:9-11; John 1:1
3. Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who took the very nature of a servant and was made in human likeness by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of the human race by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing justification for all who trust in Him alone. Rising to life after three days, He conquered death and appeared over a period of 40 days to his followers. He ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father where He continually makes intercession for His own. He shall come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
John 1:13, 18, 29; Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; 1 John 1:3; Hebrews 1:8-9; Philippians 2:7-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6
4. The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, was sent into our world on the Day of Pentecost following the Ascension of Jesus. He is always present and active, enlightening the minds of sinners to understand their need of a Savior and regenerating those who repent and believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives assurance, strength and wisdom to every believer and uniquely endows each one with gifts for ministry. By faith and a fully surrendered life, the Holy Spirit fills the life of the believer with power over sin and in witness, evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit.
Genesis 1:2; Matthew 1:18; John 3:5-7; 2 Peter 1:20-27; Ephesians 5:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13
5. Salvation
The central purpose of God's revelation in Scripture is to call 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 because of sin and suffered the corruption of his nature. The salvation of mankind is wholly a work of God's free grace, not the result in whole or in part of human works of goodness and must be personally appropriated by repentance and faith in the finished work of Christ. 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 as that heart submits to Him.
Jonah 2:9; Isaiah 53:6,10,11; John 10:27-29; Romans 3:24; Romans 5:8-9; Romans 8:38-39; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, 21; Galatians 2:16; 2 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 1:4-7; 1 John 4:10; Philippians 1:6
6. The Church
The result of union with Jesus Christ is that all believers become members of His body, the church, the Family of God. There is one true church universal, comprised of all those who are trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Scripture commands believers to gather together and devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of Baptism and Communion as the sacramental ordinances established by Jesus Christ. Under the leadership of pastors, who are given the responsibility to equip God's people for ministry, all believers are called and gifted to fulfill Jesus' Great Commission. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 18:18; 28:18-20, Acts 1:4-5; Acts 2:46-47; Acts 11:15; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:22-23; Luke 22:19
7. The Christian Life
The essential accompaniment of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scripture in all areas of daily life. He makes it possible for believers to lead a life of Christ-like character and bear fruit to the glory of the Father. It is God's will for us to live godly lives, positive and prosperous. Success is being the best I can be for the Glory of God. The greatest pursuit of life is to love the one true God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
3 John 1:2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 5:17-20; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 3:16, 24; 2 Peter 1:4-11; Matthew 22:34-40
8. Eternal Destiny
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 given by Jesus Christ that will determine the fate of each individual. Unbelievers will be separated from God eternally in hell. Believers will be received into eternal communion with God in heaven and will be rewarded for works done in this life.
Matthew 25:21; Mark 9:43; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10; Revelations 20:15; Hebrews 9:27