Beliefs
THE BIBLE
The Bible is a collection of God’s words to us. It was written by men over the course of thousands of years through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because God inspired every word, the Bible is truth without flaw and it is completely relevant and applicable to our daily life. (Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Psalms 119:11, 89, 105; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 22:29; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 3:16)
THE TRINITY
God has existed in three persons for all eternity. These persons are God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. While possessing equal authority and power, each person of the Trinity carries out a different role in the life of a believer. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 1:35; John 5:21-23, 14:10; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:8-10; James 2:19)
THE FATHER
God is all powerful, all knowing, always the same, perfectly holy, and completely worthy of our trust and devotion. It is through Him alone that we live, move, breathe, or do anything for that matter. He is sovereign and powerful yet loving, compassionate, and fully faithful to all of His people and all of His promises. He is our Heavenly Father. (Exodus 3:14; Leviticus 11:44-45; Psalm 11:4-6; Malachi 3:6; John 3:16, 4:24, 5:26, 14:1; Acts 17:28; Romans 3:3-4)
THE SON
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was also the Son of Man. Jesus is completely human but, at the same time, completely God. He is the only plan for bringing people who are far from God back into a right relationship with God himself. Jesus lived a sinless life in order that he could be the substitution for us in satisfying God’s demand for perfection found only in Jesus. This satisfaction was made through his death payment of sin at the cross. He ultimately defeated death in His resurrection so that we could have life eternal. (Matthew 1:19-23, 3:17, 8:29, 14:33, 16:1, 28:5-6; John 1:1,14, 10:30, 11:25-27, 17:1-5; Romans 1:3-4, 3:23-26, 8:1-3, 10:4; Galatians 4:4-5; Phillipians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 2:5-6, 3:16)
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is God still here with us. We know we have a relationship with Christ because we have the Holy Spirit in us. He guides all believers into the path of holiness and truth. He convicts people of their sin, God’s righteousness, and the judgment to come. He comforts us, shapes us into the likeness of Christ, and gives us spiritual gifts to be used for the glory of God. (Gen. 1:2; Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 61:1-3; Mark 1:10; Luke 1:35, 4:1, 11:13, 12:12; John 15:26, 16:7-14; Acts 1:8, 2:1-4; Romans 8:9-11; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Peter 2:21; Revelation 22:17)
MAN
Man is made in the image of God and as such, should be treated with dignity, respect, and love. Man is the treasure of God’s creation and was created to have fellowship and relationship with God. This relationship was ruined by the sinful disobedience of man. As a result, man cannot have a right relationship with God on his own. (Genesis 1:26-30, 2:7, 18:22; Psalms 8:3-6, 32:1-5; Isaiah 6:5; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32, 3:10-18, 7:14-25; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31, 15:19, 21-22; Ephesians 2)
SALVATION
The only way to have a relationship with God is through forgiveness of sin. Forgiveness of sin is found only in the shed blood of Jesus Christ upon the cross. Salvation happens when sinners place their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for their sin. Salvation is a gift of God and it cannot be earned or achieved through our good works or efforts. (Matthew 1:21, 27; Luke 1:68-69, 2:28-32; John 1:12, 3:16, 36, 5:24; Acts 2:21, 4:12, 16:30-31; Romans 1: 16-18, 3:23-25, 5:8-10; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Ephesians 2:8-10; Phillipians 2:12-13; Hebrews 9: 24-28; Revelation 3:20 )
ETERNITY
Being made in God’s image, man was created to exist forever. He will live forever either separated from God for all eternity in a place called hell or he will exist forever connected with God in a place called heaven. Heaven and hell are both places of eternal existence and man will spend forever there. (John 3:16, 36; Romans 6:23; 1 John 2:25, 5;11-13; Revelation 20:15)
THE CHURCH
The Church is the community of God’s people who are baptized believers in Jesus Christ. The Church is committed to love people, obey the commands of God, and deliver the life-changing Gospel to the entire world. The Church works and serves together in love and unity with the ultimate goal of reflecting the love of Christ and bringing glory to God. (Matthew 16:18-19, 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-47, 5:11-14, 13:1-3, 14:23, 16:5, 20:28; 1 Corinthians 9:13-14; Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:19-23, 3;10-12; Colossians 1:18, 3:15; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 21:2-3)