our beliefs

The Bible is the Holy Word of God.  It is a collection of 66 books written by divinely inspired authors and it is the standard of instruction on all matters of life, faith, and godliness.  The Bible is the supreme authority on all teachings and its original manuscripts are inerrant (without error) and infallible (never fails).  

[2 Tim. 3:16-17, Matt. 5:18-19, 2 Jn 1:9]   

There is only one God, creator and ruler over all, existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  All members of the Trinity are equal and are of the same essence and nature.  God is omnipotent, eternal, sovereign, omniscient, holy and loving. [Gen. 1:1; Matt. 28:19; Jn. 14:16-17]       

1. God the Father is the cause and initiator of all things.  The Son submits to the Father and the Spirit proceeds from the Father.  [1 Cor. 8:6, Jn 5:19, 14:16-17, 26]  
2. God the Son is Jesus Christ, the begotten Son of God, the Word become flesh, born of the virgin Mary, and thus has both a sinless divine nature and a human nature (Jn 1:1).  Jesus is the Lord and Savior of the world.  [Jn 1:1-3, 3:16; Phi. 2, Matt. 25:31] 
3. God the Spirit is the Holy Spirit, the comforter and the Spirit of truth that lives inside every person when they come to faith in Jesus.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to live godly lives by growing our character as fruits of the Spirit, giving us spiritual gifts to serve the church, and guiding us to make disciples of all nations [Jn. 14:26, 15:26, 16:12; Eph. 1:13; Gal. 5:22-23; Acts 1:8]   

Humans were created by God and in God’s image to be like God, both male and female.  Therefore, each person is of equal dignity and value, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, or ability.  Humans were given stewardship over the Earth and all living things by God.  [Gen. 1-2]

Sin is rebellion and disobedience to God.  The first sins of the first humans, Adam and Eve, caused separation between God and humanity, and so all humanity and the world is in a fallen state of sin, corruption, and facing the consequences of sin, which is death and eternal condemnation. 

[Gen 3, Rom. 5:12-19]

The Gospel is the Good News of the person, work, and gift of Jesus Christ.  According to God the Father’s redemptive plan Jesus lived a sinless life, was rejected, humiliated, and crucified on a cross to suffer and die to pay the price of our sins in our place.  Through Jesus’ sacrifice, our sins have been atoned, and His resurrection on the third day demonstrated His victory over sin and death.  We receive salvation from the slavery and the consequences of sin when we put our faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross.  Salvation through Jesus Christ is a gracious gift from God of a new and eternal life with God, and although it can never be earned it must be received by faith.  

All who put their faith in Jesus have assurance that their salvation can never be taken away because our salvation is not based on our own human merit, but based on the finished work of Jesus.  Just as salvation cannot be earned by good works, neither does it need to be maintained, although good works and a changed life are the direct results of salvation from a genuine faith. [Jn 1:1-13, 3:16, 1 Cor. 5:21, 15:1-7; Col. 2:13-15; James 2]

The Church is the Body of Christ and it is the assembly of God’s people who were called out by God when they put their faith in Jesus Christ.  The Church has three primary commands.  

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  
2. Love your neighbor (others) as yourself.  
3. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything commanded by Christ.    

Jesus is the Head of the Church and the True Shepherd, and all Christians follow Him and are growing to become more like Him.  The Church is led by Pastors (Latin for “shepherd”) who are charged to guide, teach and care for God’s people.  The Church is also guided by Deacons (servants) who serve, administrate, and care for the church to free up others to teach and evangelize.  

[Acts 2:42-47; Eph. 4:4-6; Matt. 22:37-39; Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; Acts 6:1-7, 1 Tim. 3:1-13]

Jesus gave two ordinances for the Church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Communion).

Baptism is a holy rite of passage when a person publicly confesses to have put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and to be welcomed and supported by their church family.  To “baptize” means to “dip or immerse” in water, therefore baptisms should be done by immersion as Jesus was baptized.      

The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a holy ceremony in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to atone for our sins and establish a new covenant between God and humans through faith in Christ.  The church observes the Lord’s Supper by examining ourselves before partaking of the bread, symbolizing Jesus’ body broken for us, and partaking of the cup, symbolizing the blood of Jesus’ blood shed for us.   [Rom. 6:3-4; Acts 2:38, 18:8; Lk 22:15-20; 1 Cor. 11:17-34]

Every person has an eternal soul.  Those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ will be with God for eternity in Heaven.  Those who have not put their faith in Jesus Christ will be eternally separated from God in Hell.  Jesus will return to earth to establish His Kingdom and all humans will be resurrected to receive judgment and repayment – either to be rewarded and share in eternal glory with Christ in the new Heavens and earth, or to be cast in the Lake of Fire.  [Matt. 25:31-46; Rev. 20-22]