Our Statement of Faith
A concise statement of our beliefs: We acknowledge that the following statement in no way exhausts the content of our faith, which is the entire Word of God. As we read the Word of God we seek to discover the meaning intended by the author for the original readers and apply it to our lives. We believe that the following statement is representative of the essential truths taught in the Bible that form the foundation for our church.
1. SCRIPTURE – The entirety of the 66 books of the Bible is the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete written revelation of His will, and the final authority for all matters of life and faith. [Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Revelation 22:18-19]
2. THE TRINITY – The one true God, creator of all things, eternally exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are one in their essential nature, have the same attributes and perfections, and are worthy of the same worship, trust, and obedience. [Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-3, 18, 17:3-5; Acts 5:3-5]
3. JESUS CHRIST – Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son. He became human having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He is both fully God and fully human. He provided the only perfect sacrifice for our sin by living a sinless life and willingly dying on the cross as our substitute. By paying the penalty for our sin, he satisfies God’s justice. He physically rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God interceding for us. [Matthew 1:18-22; Luke 2:52, 24:36-47; John 1:14, 8:58, 10:30; Romans 5:17; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Philippians 2:6-11; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; Hebrews 1:3, 8, 4:14-15, 10:12]
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT – The person of the Holy Spirit moved men to write Scripture. He gives new life to us who were once separated from God. He glorifies Christ as he lives in every believer, guiding, instructing, and empowering them for godly living and service. He gives various gifts to believers, equipping them to strengthen each other’s faith and proclaim the message of Christ to the lost. [John 14:15-17, 26-27; Romans 8:11; Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Peter 1:20-21]
5. HUMANITY AND SIN – God created people in His own likeness (image) and free from sin. People were created to glorify God, enjoy His fellowship, and fulfill His will and purposes on Earth. Adam and Eve fell into sin by a voluntary act of personal disobedience to the revealed will of God. As their descendants, we are all sinners by nature and choice, alienating us from God. As corrupt beings, we are spiritually dead. Therefore, every one of us is in need of new life given by the Holy Spirit. [Romans 3:23, 5:12, 18, 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-5]
6. SALVATION – Salvation is totally by God’s grace through faith in Christ’s work on the cross and not by any personal work or goodness. We all must understand our need of a Savior, turn to Christ in repentance, and follow Him. All followers of Christ are called to rely on the power of Holy Spirit in order to grow in faith and glorify God in all that they are and do. Genuine followers of Christ will be kept by the power of the Holy Spirit and will persevere in the faith to the end. [Matthew 3:8; John 1:12, 3:16, 10:27-29; Acts 4:12; Romans 8:5-17; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 2:12-13; Hebrews 10:35-36; 2 Peter 3:9; Jude 24]
7. THE CHURCH – Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, which is made up of all those who have been joined to Christ through saving faith. The Church is expressed through local assemblies. As members of one body, we are responsible to keep the unity of the Spirit and love one another. The local church is committed to meeting together for regular worship, making disciples of all nations, and building up and serving one another. As a local church, we practice the ordinances of believers’ baptism and the memorial celebration of the Lord’s Supper. [Matthew 16:18, 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Ephesians 1:22, 4:3; Colossians 1:18, 24; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Peter 4:10]
8. THE END TIMES – Believers who die are taken into the presence of the Lord. Christ’s imminent return will be personal and visible. He will redeem creation and rule forever. Believers in Christ will be given glorified bodies, their work will be judged, and they will experience eternal joy in the presence of God. The unrepentant will experience the final judgment resulting in their endless suffering. We should live our lives in light of these truths, prepared to meet and live with our Savior forever. [John 14:1-4; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:19-25; 1 Corinthians 15:35-54; 2 Corinthians 5:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:1-8]