Beliefs

The following articles are not meant to be a full and complete doctrinal statements. Rather, they declare essential truths on which we need to agree and be united. There are other issues such as the relationship between man's responsibility and God's sovereignty, the timing of the second coming of Jesus Christ, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are interpreted in a variety of ways and we choose to show liberty in these matters.

We believe that the Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is God's inspired and inerrant Word. It tells us how to know God in a personal way, how to live a life pleasing to Him, and how to treat our fellow man. The Bible is our final authority in all matters relating to what we believe and how we are to live, both in the church and in our personal lives (John 17:17; II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21).

We believe there is but one living and true God who has revealed Himself in three persons (The Trinity): The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is perfect in all His attributes which include His being holy, loving, just, all powerful, all wise, omnipresent and unchanging. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience (Genesis 1:26-27, 18:25; Exodus 3:14; Leviticus 19:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 2:20-23; Malachi 3:6; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:37; John 8:58, 10:22-30, 14:15-21; II Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 13:8; I John 4:8; Revelation 1:8, 21:6, 22:13).

• God the Father, the first person of the Trinity, is the source of all good and perfect things and the sender of the Son. He draws near all who come to Him through Jesus Christ and relates Himself to them as their Heavenly Father (John 14:6, 20:21; I Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; James 1:17; I John 4:10).
• God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ, eternally existed with the Father. Jesus is fully God, but also became fully man in the incarnation. At the Father's appointed time, He sent Christ Jesus to be born of a virgin, both to reveal the Father and to save mankind from sin. Living a sinless life, Jesus perfectly revealed the love of God through His miraculous ministry. He died on a cross as a perfect and complete sacrifice, making atonement for the sins of the world, was buried and rose bodily from the grave, and, prior to His return to the Father, appeared to as many as 500 people over a period of 40 days. Jesus, presently at the right hand of the Father, intercedes on our behalf for our unity, joy, and perseverance (Isaiah 7:14, 53:1-12; Matthew 1:18-21, 11:27; Luke 1:26-37; John 1:12, 14, 8:58, 17:1-26, 20:24-31; Acts 1:9-11, 7:55-56; Romans 5:8; I Corinthians 15:3-8; II Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 4:15, 10:12; I Peter 2:22-24, 3:18).
• God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, was involved in creation, the birth of Christ and the inspiration of the Bible. At Pentecost, He was sent from the Father and the Son to bring glory to Christ and to make Him known. Today, the Holy Spirit convinces the world of its sin and of God's righteousness and for the coming judgment, drawing them to salvation through Jesus Christ. Additionally, He indwells the believer at salvation, baptizing them into the Body of Christ. He becomes our helper, teacher, intercessor, and empowers us to be witnesses for Christ. He bestows spiritual gifts and produces Christian character in the lives of believers so that Christ is glorified through them (Genesis 1:2; Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-15; Acts 1:8, 2:1-4; Romans 8:26-27; I Corinthians 3:16, 12:13; II Corinthians 5:5; II Peter 1:20-21).

We believe the Genesis account of the creation of the world as a literal, historical account of the direct creative acts of the Trinity who created ex nihilo (out of nothing) the heavens and the earth and all life, each after its own kind, and is actively involved in its existence (Genesis 1:1-2:25; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:3, 11:3

We believe that mankind (male and female) was created in the image of God in order to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. In the beginning, man was innocent of sin and in fellowship and communication with God. Sin entered the world when Adam chose to disobey God, suffering the penalty of broken fellowship and resulting in sin and death passing to all mankind. Thus, all mankind by nature and by choice are sinners and unable of their own selves to reestablish fellowship with God (Genesis 1:26-30, 2:7, 2:15-23, 3:1-24; Isaiah 43:7; Romans 3:10-12, 5:8-19, 6:23).

We believe that salvation is a gift wholly of God given by grace as He draws people to repentance and personal faith in His only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus willingly paid the price for our sins, once for all, through His shed blood and death on Calvary's cross. Every individual needs to experience a personal conversion in order to establish a relationship with God and receive forgiveness of sins, and eternal life (John 1:12, 3:16; Romans 10:9-10, 8:30; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; I Peter 1:18-19).

• Justification is the act of God in declaring righteous all who believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection for sin, making us alive in Christ (Romans 3:21-26, 4:4-5; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Ephesians 2:1-6).
• Sanctification is the on-going work of God the Holy Spirit in the believer who, having been "set apart" (sanctified) through faith in Christ, gradually is transformed into the image of Christ (John 17:17, 19; Acts 20:32; II Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:22-24; I Thessalonians 4:3-4, 5:23).
• Preservation is the working of God, keeping all true believers in Jesus Christ secure in their eternal salvation. This is not a license to sin, but the assurance of our salvation sealed by the Holy Spirit (John 5:24, 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 6:15-22, 8:1, 31-39; Ephesians 1:13-14; I Peter 1:5; I John 5:11-13; Jude 24).
• Glorification is the final perfecting by God of the redeemed, and will be completed in Heaven, where there will be no sin, pain, or tears. (1 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 2:10; Revelation 21:1-4).