What We Believe

About God

God is the Creator of all things. He is the ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed and He is without end. We believe He is all-knowing, all-seeing and all-powerful. God is in control of the events and happenings of this world. Out of God come three personalities and expressions of being: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three personalities are separate and distinct, yet they have perfect harmony and are united in the trinity.

The Father

The Father is considered to be the prime mover. He willed creation into existence. He sent the Son to Earth to redeem fallen man. The Father is most revealed in the Old Testament.

The son

The Son has eternally existed. He came to Earth in the form of the man Jesus. The Son provides salvation for humankind. He is most revealed in the gospels.

The holy spirit

The Son promised the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s chief purpose is to convince the world of their need for Christ Jesus. The Spirit also acts as counselor, encourager, coach and guide to all followers of Christ. The Spirit is present in all believers today. The Holy Spirit is most revealed in the book of Acts and the letters from the apostles.

Verses to study

Genesis 1:1, 26-27 Exodus 3:14 Job 9:32-35; 8:1-11 Psalm 90:2 John 1:1-5 John 15; 16:5-16 1 Timothy 1:16-17 Romans 1:3-4 Acts 1:8; 2:1-13 Ephesians 5-18

About humankind

Man and woman are the pinnacle of God’s creation. We are fashioned in the image of God. This means we are spiritual, and we can make moral judgments. God created us to be creators as well. This can be seen in childbirth as well as in art, society, and other facets of life. Although we are created in God’s image, we also have inherited an attitude of disobedience from the first man and woman. This attitude of disobedience (known as a sinful nature in the Bible) has destroyed our relationship with our personal commitment to Jesus Christ; His teaching, His life, and His way.

Verses to study

Genesis 1: 26-30 Psalm 1; 32:1-5 Romans 1:19-32 Ephesians 2:1-22 Colossians 1:21-22

About life

This life is but a brief journey. With that in mind, every journey has a beginning, it has a destination, and it has a purpose. While on this journey the path is ideally filled with love, friends, and good things. Sometimes this life journey is very hard and difficult. God never promised this life would be easy during all seasons. He never promised to make it easier for the believer than it is for the person who does not know God. Our chief purpose during this journey is to honor God, to enjoy Him, and to prepare for eternity.

This life is also a training ground. As we go through this training together, we will undergo tests, trials, and be entrusted with gifts and talents. We can deal with the tests and trials because we know God has equipped us to overcome. We also know we have a community of believers who surround us and support us during those times. We understand that God has uniquely equipped each of us to make a difference in our community. Therefore, we are responsible to make a positive impact in our world. The chief end of this training is for us to become growing followers of Jesus Christ.

Verses To Study

Genesis 1:28 2 Chronicles 32:31 Psalm 39:4 Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Matthew 25:14-30 1 Corinthians 10:31 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 Hebrews 11:11-16 James 1:12

About Salvation

Salvation is a gift from God to humanity. Our disobedient nature has separated us from our Creator. No matter how hard we try, we can never be good enough to make up for our disobedience. This disobedience is called sin. We cannot pay the penalty our personal sin has earned. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can we be saved from sin’s penalty. Once a person makes this decision to trust in Christ, he or she enters into a relationship with God and is saved from sin, death, and our spiritual enemies. This salvation is maintained by God’s work and His grace, not by our self-effort. We did nothing to earn God’s salvation; therefore, we cannot do anything to lose our salvation.

Verses to study

Genesis 3:15 John 3:3-21 Romans 6:23 Galatians 3:26 Ephesians 2:8-9 2 Timothy 1:12 Hebrews 10:10-14 1 Peter 1:3-5

About the afterlife

Humans are created as eternal creatures. We last forever. That is why we try to cheat death. However, one day we will all die and transition into a new reality or new dimension of existence. We will either exist separated from God forever because of our sin, or we will be in relationship with God forever because we chose to experience His forgiveness and salvation. To be separated from God is Hell, and to be with Him in relationship is Heaven. Both of these places are real and exist for eternity. Once a person enters into this dimension, he cannot change his position. A person’s existence in Heaven or Hell is totally dependent upon his or her relationship with Jesus Christ.

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised, and Christ will judge all men in righteousness.

Verses to study

Isaiah 2:4 Mark 8:38 John 14:1-3 Acts 1:11 Romans 6:23 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 2 Timothy 4:1 Titus 2:13
Revelation 3:11; 20:1-22:13

About the church and her ordinances

The church is the community of all true followers of Christ throughout all history. There are two expressions of this church: the universal church and the local church. The universal church is made up of all believers who have ever existed. The local church is an individual group of believers in a specific community. The ultimate purpose of the church is to honor God. When believers come together we enter into Christian community through experiences like worship, teaching, prayers, and the ordinances of believer’s baptism and communion (the Lord’s Supper). We build each other up in love and hold each other accountable to live out the faith as a follower of Christ.

The church is to engage in ministry to those outside of the body of believers as well. Ministry to our neighbors must take place through both large and small acts of kindness and love. As we direct these efforts to our community, we are not to neglect those who are often neglected: the children, the poor, and the homeless.

The Bible teaches us several metaphors for the church. It is a living body, with Christ as the head. We are a city on a hill. We are salt and light. We are the Bride of Christ. We are a branch from the vine of Christ.

Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord for those who have repented and through faith wish to express their union with Christ in His death and resurrection, by being immersed in water. This is an outward expression of an inward reality of the believer’s heart. Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper, is the activity in which we gather to eat bread, which signifies the Lord’s body, and drink the juice of the vine signifying the Lord’s blood. This is done in remembrance of the sacrifice that Christ made for us. It is a holy act of worship in which we commemorate and thank Christ for his actions.

verses to study

Matthew 16:18 John 15 Acts 2:47 Romans 6:1-11 1 Corinthians 3:6-8; 11:17-32; 12:12-27 Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:14; 5:25
Colossians 2:11-12 1 John 3:14-18 Hebrews 9:25-28

About the bible

The Bible is God’s letter to all of humanity and is the final authority in every issue it communicates. It is God’s word to all people. It was written by human hands under the direct supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter. This is the foundation of all philosophy, guidance and wisdom we will offer to our society. It forms the bedrock for how we function as a church.

Verses to study

Deuteronomy 4:1-2 Psalm 119 Proverbs 30:5 2 Timothy 3:16 2 Peter 1:20-21