What We Believe
The Good News | Statement of Faith
The Good News
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Heaven Is A Free Gift "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23 We can't earn our way to heaven and none of us really deserves to go. It is a gift. |
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We Are All Sinners "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 Every person who has ever lived has missed God's standard of perfection. |
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He Loves Us "God is love." 1 John 4:8 While God loves us and doesn't want to punish us, we should also know that, as a just God, He must punish sin. "The soul who sins shall die." Ezekiel 18:4
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God Balanced Justice And Love Through His Son Jesus "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16 Jesus is the infinite God-man, God in the flesh. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and to purchase a place for us in heaven, which He offers as a free gift. |
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The Gift Of Eternal Life Is Received By Faith Saving faith is not merely intellectual assent. It is trusting in Jesus Christ alone and what He has done rather than what we can do to get us to heaven. "What must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." Acts 16:30b, 31 The Bible says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." You can do that now by simply praying:
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Statement of Faith
The Scriptures
We believe that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God." (II Timothy 3:16). We understand this to mean that the whole Bible is inspired in that holy men of God "were moved by the Holy Spirit," (II Peter 1:21) to write the very words of Scripture. We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of Scripture as it appeared in the original manuscripts. We believe that the whole Bible in the originals is therefore without error. We believe that all the Scriptures center about the Lord Jesus Christ in His person and work, in His first and second coming, and hence that no portion, even of the Old Testament, is properly read, or understood, until it leads to Him. We also believe that all Scripture was designed for our practical instruction. (Luke 24:27,44; John 5:39; Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:11; II Timothy 3:16)
The Triune Godhead
We believe in the one true and living God, the Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer and Ruler of all things. He is infinite, eternal, unchangeable, and is revealed to us as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
| God the Father | God, as Father, reigns over His entire universe with providential care. He is all-powerful, all loving, all knowing, and all wise. He is fatherly in attitude toward all men but is Father, indeed, to those who have become children of God through Jesus Christ, Who will deliver them into the Father's hands. (Genesis 1:1; I Chronicles 29:10; Jeremiah 10:10, Matthew 6:9; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14, 15; I Corinthians 8:6; I Corinthians 15:24; Ephesians 4:6) |
| God the Son | We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. This redemption He accomplished by voluntarily giving Himself as a sinless, substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, thereby satisfying God's righteous judgment against sin. After substantiating the accomplishment of that redemption/justification by His bodily resurrection from the grave, He ascended to the right hand of His Father where He intercedes on behalf of those who trust Him. (Luke 1:34; John 1:1,2,14,18; Romans 3:24-26, 8:34) |
| God the Holy Spirit | We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person who convicts each person of sin (righteousness and judgment), that He alone brings new life to those who are spiritually dead; that He baptizes (or places) all believers into the one true Church, which is the Body of Christ; that He indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of final redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon them, fills (controls) those who are yielding to Him. Every believer is called to live so in the power of the indwelling Spirit that he will not fulfill the lust of the flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God. (John 3:3-8, 14:16,17; 16:7-11; I Corinthians 12:7-11,13; Ephesians 4:30, 5:18) |
Creation
We believe that man was created directly by and in the image of God. We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, including all life, by direct act. (Genesis 1:1; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16,17)
The Devil - Satan
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the mason of the fall of man, and is destined to the judgement of an eternal punishment in the lake of fire. (Matthew 4:1-3; Acts 5:3; II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10)
Man
Although man was created in the image of God, he fell into sin and, is lost; this is true of all men, and except a man be born again by the Holy Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (Genesis 1:26, 27; John 3:3; Romans 3:10, 23)
Atonement for Sin
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe on Him are redeemed by His shed blood. We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body, of our Lord Jesus Christ and in His ascension into heaven; He is our High Priest and Advocate. (John 1:1-3,14; 3:1-7,16; Hebrews 10:4-14, I John 2:2)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God's grace. It cannot be gained or made more secure by meritorious works, but is freely bestowed upon all who put their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ at Calvary. All who so trust the Savior are forgiven of their sins and born into the family of God by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. (John 1:12; Acts 16:30-33; Romans 10:9,10; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8,9)
The Christian Walk
We believe that we are called with a holy calling, to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, and so to live in the power of the indwelling Spirit that we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. But the flesh is never eradicated in this life and the individual chooses to keep the flesh in subjection to Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit or it will surely manifest its presence in our lives to the dishonor of our Lord. (Romans 6:11-13; 8:2,4,12,13; Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 2:1-10; I Peter 1:14-16; I John 1:4-7; 3:5-9)
The Great Commission
Until the return of Christ, it is the Christian's duty and privilege to seek the fulfillment of Christ's Great Commission and to minister in His name to a needy world. We are to be instruments of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit ministers redemption and reconciliation in the world. (Matthew 25:31-46; 28:18-20)