Bible - We believe the Holy Bible, to
be the inspired Word of God, without error, the revelation of His
will for the salvation of mankind, the ultimate source for knowledge
about God and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith
and life.
God - We believe in one
God existing in three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God has always been and will always be the only God. There are no
other gods before Him and shall be none after him. This God is
self-existent, eternal, unchanging, omnipotent, omnipresent,
omniscient, holy, righteous, and loving. God created the universe
from nothing and His sovereignty rules over all His creation
including both human and angelic beings.
The Father - We believe that God the
Father, through His Son, created all things in heaven and on earth
– all that is seen and unseen. He created human beings out of His
love for us, and His desire to have a personal relationship with
each one of us.
The Son - We believe that God the Son,
Jesus Christ, is fully God and fully man, having been conceived by
God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, and born
of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life and died on the cross as
the substitute sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures.
Furthermore, He physically rose from the dead and ascended into
heaven and will one day return to judge the world, and deliver His
people–the Church.
The Holy Spirit - We believe that the
ministry of God the Holy Spirit is to convict mankind, making them
aware of their sin and the salvation available through Jesus Christ
our Lord. He regenerates the soul, guides us back into
Christ-likeness, instructs us through the Scriptures and enables us
to understand God’s inspired Word–the Holy Bible. He leads us
into all truth, and empowers the believer for godly living and
service.
Man - We believe that mankind was
created in the image of God and sinless, but as the result of the
first man's sin (Adam’s disobedience to God), all mankind became
sinful, lost in their trespasses against God and are subject to His
judgment. The extent of man’s sin is so great that its effects
continue to this very day in the form of cruelty, suffering, and
death. There is nothing mankind can do to save himself from the
judgment of God, but anyone can allow the death of Jesus to take the
place of his or her own eternal damnation by acknowledging God and
accepting His free gift of salvation through faith in His Son –
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Salvation - We believe that by God’s
grace (unmerited favor) that, through faith alone in the sacrificial
death of Jesus Christ provides the only
way of justification and eternal salvation for all who trust in His
finished work at Calvary. Furthermore, we believe that those who
instruct that "good works" of any kind are an additional
requirement for salvation violate what is taught in Scripture, and
are false teachers in that they infer Jesus’ death is
insufficient, in and of itself to save. Such false teaching goes
against God’s plan of salvation implying that mankind somehow has
the capability to save himself from the judgment of God.
Accepting the Sinner, Denouncing the Sin
- We believe that no sin is too bad for God to forgive. Therefore,
as Christians we should be open and eager to share the Gospel
message of God’s salvation with everyone regardless of their sin
or affliction. Yet as disciples of Christ, making Jesus Lord of our
lives means striving towards holiness by living obedient to God’s
Word and turning from our sinful ways by living a lifestyle of
repentance. Therefore, while being open to all sinners, Christians
should never accept, ignore, or promote any sin as permissible.
The Church - Finally, we recognize the
Church as God's ordained institution of believers and each are saints
according to Scripture, and headed by Jesus Christ. The Church is
composed of all believers in Jesus Christ who adhere to and embrace
the tenets of His Word – the Holy Bible – as outlined here, and
is organized for worship, for fellowship, for the administration of
the sacraments, for spiritual growth and support, as well as
evangelizing the world.
™
