What we believe
The Bible
The sole basis for our belief is the Bible – the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. It is God’s word to all people in all times. The Bible is the inerrant, infallible, and inspired Word of God and shall be our only authority and guide in the matters of faith and practice. It reveals God’s nature, God’s standard, and God’s salvation, and therefore is and will remain to the end of the world. It is the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.
God
There is one and only one living and true God. God is the creator of the universe. He reigns with providential care over His creation. All powerful and all knowing, He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
Jesus
Our only Lord, Jesus Christ, is God in the flesh – the Good News revealed to man on earth. He is the eternal Son of God who became man while remaining fully God. He was before all things and through Him all creation came into being. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, He was the only person to have lived a sinless life. He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for all mankind, shedding His blood and dying on the cross to atone for everyone’s sin. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of God the Father, and will return to reign as King of Kings in glory.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination, He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ and convicts men of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration, He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which believers serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption, and His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Salvation
From the moment humanity was created, God established accountability and choice. The rebellion of Adam and Eve left all of humanity spiritually dead and separated from God, without hope and destined to spend eternity in a lake of fire. Anyone who is spiritually dead cannot change their own condition- they can’t do enough good to make things right with God. So, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to redeem humanity through His death, burial and resurrection. Accordingly, all of the wrath of God that we should have experienced was leveled upon Jesus. This single act of grace and mercy created a means by which all of humanity may be spiritually born again. The scriptures refer to this opportunity as a “Free Gift”. This gift is received by recognizing your spiritual condition, believing what Christ did to redeem you, asking for forgiveness, and completely surrendering your life to Jesus. This new life is completely sustained by Christ and is evidenced by a changed life. People exist forever and will be resurrected in the body, either to live eternally separated from God in hell or eternally in union with Him in heaven.
Eternity
Heaven is a literal place where those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ will live forever in God’s presence. Heaven is described in the Bible as a place where God will wipe away every tear and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. Hell is also a literal place where those who do not come to the Father through Jesus Christ will experience eternal separation from God. Hell is described in the Bible as a place of physical and spiritual torment where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Church
The Church is the body of Christ created by His Word and Spirit and uniting all who believe into fellowship with Christ. The Church is not a religious institution or denomination, but rather is made up of all people everywhere and in every time who are born of the Spirit. The Church exists to worship and glorify God and to serve Him by faithfully doing His will on earth. All members of the Church are called to ministry and service. The Church expresses itself through local congregations of believers coming together to celebrate the risen Christ, encouraging one another in fellowship, and serving others as they seek to be the expression of Christ to the community around them.
Marriage and Family
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. God’s design for Marriage is the uniting of one biological man and one biological woman in covenant relationship for a lifetime. Marriage is God’s unique gift to provide the means for intimate companionship, for sexual expression according to biblical standards, and for procreation. Marriage reveals to us the mystical union which exists between Christ and His church.
Children, from the moment of conception, are a gift from the Lord. Children are to be taught to honor and obey their parents. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage and to model what it means to have a personal relationship with Him. Through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values to lead them to make wise choices based on Biblical truth.
The Lord's Supper and Baptism
The Church on earth observes two sacraments given by Jesus Himself, Baptism and the Communion. Through Baptism the believer identifies with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. While not required for salvation, Baptism is an outward demonstration of having accepted Christ’s saving grace at the beginning of a believer’s journey with God. Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of His blood on behalf of humanity. It is a reminder of our union with Christ and our dependence on Him. It is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life in remembrance of Christ and to signify unity with other members of Christ’s Body.
The Christian Life
The Christian life should be a life of sanctification and holiness. Such a life cannot be lived out through a person’s own effort but is a gift from God, and a by-product of a genuine relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit. The overflow of that relationship empowers every Christian to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and to seek and to make growing disciples.
The church recognizes that there are many issues not covered by the above statement of faith. As much as is reasonably possible, each person shall seek to allow others the freedom to seek God’s will on matters not specifically addressed in our statement of faith.