WHO IS GOD?
God is Triune
We believe that there is only one true God, who has eternally exists as three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person of the Triune God performs distinct and harmonious roles in the work of creation, redemption of man and his subsequent relationship with God, and judgment of man. The three persons of the Trinity are co-eternal and infinite in being, absolute in power, perfect in holiness, truth, and love and thus equally worthy of worship, confidence and obedience. The Triune God is spirit and personal. (Genesis 1:1, John 1:3, 1:14, 4:24, Mark 12:29, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:18-19)
God the Father
We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity, and one in essence with the Son and Spirit. He is an infinite, personal spirit, who is perfect in all His attributes. He is the creator, sustainer, and sovereign ruler of all things through his Son, Jesus Christ. He has ordained all of the events of human history and perfectly foreknows everything that shall come to pass. He is the one who sent His Son, Jesus, to redeem man from sin and death through His death on the cross. (Isaiah 53:10, Ephesians 1:3-6, John 3:16, Matthew 6:9)
God the Son
We believe that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, the only Eternal Son of God, who entered the human race after being conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe He was born of the virgin Mary, yet still remained fully God, that He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily fulfilled the will of God by laying down His life as a substitute and atoning for the sin of humanity. His sacrifice satisfied Divine justice and achieved salvation for all who place their trust in Him. He was raised from the dead by God, ascended to heaven and exalted to the right hand of God where He is currently interceding for His own, awaiting His return to consummate God's kingdom and redemptive plan. (John 1:1-5, Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 9:24, Romans 8:34, 1 Peter 1:3-5)
God the Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is present in the world to bring conviction of sin and make man aware of his need for salvation. He is responsible for the regeneration, sanctification and preservation of the saints. We believe that He lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation and provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. (John 14:16-26, 16:7-13, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:9)
THE HUMAN CONDITION
Man created in God's image
We believe that man, both male and female, have been distinctly created in the image and likeness of God, as the apex of His creation so that they might enjoy fellowship with Him. (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:7, 2:18-24)
Sin
We believe that man fell from his original condition because of Adam’s sin. As a result, all of humanity, with the exception of Jesus, would inherit a sin nature, be born with a heart that is rebellious against God, and become totally depraved and unable in himself to remedy his lost condition. Man's condition and inability to make himself right before God places him directly under the wrath, condemnation, and righteous judgment of God. (Genesis 3:1-24, Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:22-23, Ephesians 2:1-3)
WHAT'S OUR SOLUTION?
Salvation
We believe that salvation is a free gift from God that is given freely by His grace and received through faith in the accomplish work of Jesus Christ apart from any human merit or deed. We believe that all who repent of sin and receive the risen Jesus as Lord, by grace through faith, are spiritually born into permanent membership in the family of God. (Romans 5:1, Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:8-9)
Justification
We believe that God the Father, in gracious, unmerited love and in fulfillment of His promise, sent Jesus to die on the cross, the perfect and consummate blood sacrifice, bearing the punishment for sin – God’s wrath. God the Father credits Jesus’ righteousness to all those who, through the work of the life-giving Holy Spirit, earnestly confess their sinfulness, put their faith in Jesus alone for salvation, and commit themselves to Him. God the Father ends the believer’s alienation (the believer having been justified–made right in God’s eyes–and fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law through Jesus’ perfect life and substitutionary death) and adopts the believer as His child for eternity. (Leviticus 17:11, Romans 3:24-26, John 1:12-13, Colossians 1:21-22, Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 9:11-14.)
Sanctification
We believe that God intends each believer to live in active recognition and joy of having died and been resurrected with Christ, nourishing their new nature and putting to death his or her old sinful nature through dependence on the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We believe God is transforming each believer into the image of His Son, to grow in affection and devotion to God, to understand and apply the Bible, to grow in personal holiness and unselfish love, and to be used in leading others to Christ by their lives and words and in building one another up as followers of Christ. (Romans 6:1-6, Romans 8:13 & 29, 2 Peter 1:3-7, 2 Peter 1:19, Ephesians 4:15-16).
Glorification and Eternal Destiny
We believe that upon physical death the believer enters God’s presence and is delivered from the presence of sin. When Christ returns, His followers, both living and dead, will receive their resurrection bodies and experience the perfect completeness of their redemption, being fully fitted to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. All who have rejected God’s offer of salvation in this life will face His judgment and will consciously experience His everlasting punishment. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, John 5:27-29, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Hebrews 9:27-28, Revelation 21:1-4)
WHAT ARE WE SAVED INTO?
The Church
We believe that there is only one true Church, the spiritual body and bride of Christ. The Church consists of all people who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, with Jesus serving as the Head. The Church functions through local churches where all Christians can come together to worship, pray, teach God's word, fellowship, service to the rest of the body, outreach the lost, and observe the two sacraments Jesus instituted: Baptism and Communion. (Ephesians 5:25-27, Matthew 16:18, 28:18-20, Acts 2:42-47, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, 2 Corinthians 11:2