What We Believe

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life to the glory of God the Father. Because of His love for us He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin by dying on a cross. Christ’s death on the cross paid the penalty for our sins and removed from us the wrath of God against our sin. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

(See Matthew 1:22,23, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1-5; John 14:10-30; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 4:14-15; I Corinthians 15:3-4 Romans 1:3-4 Acts 1:9-11; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Revelation 1:7; 22:20)

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian giving power and guidance for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and making intercession for us before God the Father.  He gives every believer a spiritual gift(s) when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to daily live under His control.

(See II Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13; 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:18; Romans 8:26-28; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25)

The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error.  The Bible, God’s personal revelation to us, is complete, and we are not to add to nor take away from it.  The Bible contains all the words of God that He intended for His people to have at each stage in redemptive history. It contains everything that we need God to tell us for salvation, for trusting him perfectly and for obeying him perfectly.

(See II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; II Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160; 12:6; Proverbs 30:5; Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:19)

People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Although God created man good, man has fallen and all of us are marred by our attitude and actions of disobedience toward God called “sin.” Following the first man’s (Adam’s) sin all men are sinners by nature, stand guilty before God, and are justly under the judgment of God. Man is, by nature, an enemy of God.  Man, left to himself, apart from a savior, is entirely lost and without hope in this world. Man is completely unable to save himself from his own sinful condition.

(See Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; 51:3-5; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; 5:8, 12; Isaiah 59:1,2)

Salvation is God’s free gift to us by his grace. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by repenting of our sins and placing our faith in Jesus Christ can anyone receive forgiveness and be saved by God from sin’s penalty. When we turn away from our self-serving, self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his or her life by faith.

(See Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:9; John 14:6, 1:12; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1)

Baptism is a public profession of a Christian’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Baptism is symbolic; it signifies that the Christian’s old self has died and been buried with Christ and that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father we too have been raised through faith in Christ to walk in a new way of life.  Baptism is an act of obedience to the command of Christ and follows His example.  Baptism by immersion is the biblical example and model of baptism, and, in fact, the word translated as baptism in the Bible means “to dip; to immerse under water.”

(See Matthew 3:13-17; Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:12; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:36-39)

The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience ordained by God through Jesus Christ.  Through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine the members of the Church memorialize the death of Christ our Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

(See Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:17-20; I Corinthians 11:23-34)

Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” your salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.

(See John 10:29; II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10, 14; I Peter 1:3-5)

People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation through Christ. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.

(See John 3:16; I John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15)

We believe that the Bible defines marriage as the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime.  Scripture teaches that sexual intimacy should only occur between a man and woman who are married to each other and that a man and woman should not engage in intimate sexual activity outside of marriage.  We believe that Scripture also teaches that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, incest, any attempt to change one’s sex, disagreement with one’s biological sex, or pornography is sinful and offensive to God.

(Gen. 1:26-28; Heb. 13:4; Prov. 5:15-19; 1 Cor. 7:2-3, 9; Lev. 20:13; Rom. 1:18-32; Mk. 10:9; Mal. 3:9)