“What We Believe”

What We Believe:

The Bible – The 66 books of the Bible, which comprise the Old and New Testaments, are the perfect revelation of God to man.  We believe the Bible is the only source of absolute truth. “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16).  The Bible is inerrant and infallible in the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts, and these have been preserved to such a high degree by God’s providential care that our modern translations are trustworthy and infallible rule for belief in God and Christian living.

God – We believe that God is the eternal Creator of everything: the heavens, the earth, and all life on earth. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).  He rules over all in perfect wisdom and holiness. God has always existed as three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ – Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity, equal in eternity, power, and glory with the Father and the Spirit, having the same Divine Nature as them.  He took on human nature in His incarnation when He was born as a man of the virgin Mary.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning” (John 1:1-2).  “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14).  Jesus also died on a Roman cross and rose bodily from the dead three days later.  He was taken up into heaven where He still dwells, making intercession for His people.

The Holy Spirit – While Jesus was here on earth, He promised that when He returned to heaven He would leave behind a Counselor, and Comforter to be our constant companion.  God the Holy Spirit is this person who joins with us when we decide to commit our lives to follow Jesus.  The Holy Spirit has been poured out on all believers and applies the work of God the Father and God the Son for us so that our relationship with God will grow and bear fruit to the glory of God.

Salvation – We can have a right standing before God only because Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect, and sinless life on our behalf.  And out of His perfect love for us has paid the price for our sins on the cross.  Because we have this right standing before God, we receive God’s gift of redemption through faith, which is itself a gift from God.  He also gives us His Holy Spirit who works in us and leads us to grow and become more holy in our life here on earth.  And the good works and deeds that we perform are a result and proof of our right standing with God, not a means by which we earn God’s favor. Salvation is entirely by God’s grace alone, through faith alone by the finished work of Christ alone.  Even though faith and repentance are necessary for salvation, our salvation is not merited by any good works that we have done.

His Church – There is one Church composed of all true believers in Jesus Christ and His teachings.  True churches (local congregations, regional organizations, and denominations) are those who preach the Word of God faithfully, administer the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper) rightly, and provide training in Godly living and discipleship.  The Church administers the means of grace (the Word, the sacraments, prayer, and training) by which the lost are brought in and believers are built up and equipped for ministry.  All true churches are servants of the same Lord and are called to serve together in His cause.

Christian living – All believers are called to love God, love our neighbors, and spread the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are also called to make disciples in our families, congregation, and community by sharing the gospel.  We are expected to demonstrate a godly life to a lost world of people who desperately need God’s divine love.

Eternity – Those who belong to Christ by faith will go to Him immediately after physical death to live with Him eternally in heaven.  Jesus promised that He will one day return to earth.  And upon His return, their bodies will be raised from the dead in glory and all living believers will be glorified to live before Him in the new creation forever.  Those who refuse Christ and live in rebellion against God without repentance and faith in the gospel, upon physical death, are destined to eternal separation from God and, after their resurrection, will suffer, body and soul, in hell forever.  This coming judgment on the wicked spurs believers to share the good news of salvation and new life in Christ with everyone we can.

Come join us and help us grow and spread the Gospel message together.