What We Believe
What we believe
We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, who exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that repentance from sin and acceptance of Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation and relationship with God. We believe in following the precepts and practices set forth in Scripture.
THE BIBLE
We believe The Bible is the Word of God, Divinely Inspired, Totally Sufficient. The Bible is God’s authoritative Holy Word, it was written by human authors under the supernatural inspiration and revelation of the Holy Spirit. The Bible being the Word of God is the final authority in determining doctrinal truths. 2 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 22:29, John 5:39; 16:13-15, Romans 15:4
GOD
God is “the Supreme Being; the Creator and Ruler of all that is; the Self-existent One who is perfect in power, goodness, and wisdom.”
We cannot understand God apart from His works, because what God does flows from who He is. Here is an abbreviated list of God’s works, past, present, and future: God created the world (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 42:5); He actively sustains the world (Colossians 1:17); He is executing His eternal plan (Ephesians 1:11) which involves the redemption of man from the curse of sin and death (Galatians 3:13-14); He draws people to Christ (John 6:44); He disciplines His children (Hebrews 12:6); and He will judge the world (Revelation 20:11-15).
TRINITY
We believe that God has existed before time began. He manifests himself in the Trinity, as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each member of the Trinity serves different functions and each are equal and co-eternal.Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, 1 John 5:7, Hebrews 1:8-10
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory. John 1:1,14, 20:28; I Tim. 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:5
VIRGIN BIRTH
Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary's womb; therefore, He is the Son of God. Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit’s presence assures us of our relationship with Christ. He guides believers into all truth and exalts Christ. He convicts people of their sin, God’s righteousness, and the coming judgment. He comforts us, gives us spiritual gifts, and makes us more like Christ. Isaiah 61:1-3, Joel 2:28-32, Acts 1:8, 2:1-4
BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The baptism of the Holy Spirit may be defined as that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was predicted by John the Baptist (Mark 1:8) and by Jesus before He ascended to heaven: “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). This promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4); for the first time, people were permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and the church had begun. 1 Corinthians 12:12–13 is the central passage in the Bible regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit: “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Notice that we “all” have been baptized by the Spirit—all believers have received the baptism, synonymous with salvation, and it is not a special experience for only a few.
SALVATION
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation occurs when people place their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for their sin Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts. Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10
ETERNITY
Man was created to exist forever. He will exist either eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is Heaven. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence. John 3:16, 36; Romans 6:23; 1 John 2:25; 5:11-13; Revelation 20:15
THE CHURCH
The church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus' Great Commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23).
BAPTISM & COMMUMION
Water Baptism: Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new convert is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48
The Lord's Supper: A unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice, (a symbol representing the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25
RESURRECTION
Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; they that are saved to the resurrection of life and they that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation. Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21
MARRIAGE
We believe God’s design for sexual intimacy is to be expressed only within the context of marriage. God instituted marriage between one man and one woman as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9)
HUMAN LIFE
We believe that God created all human beings in His image. Therefore, we believe that human life is sacred from conception to its natural end; that we must honor the physical and spiritual needs of all people; following Christ’s example, we believe that every person should be treated with love, dignity and respect. (Psalm 139:13; Isaiah 49:1; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 22:37-39; Romans 12:20-21; Galatians 6:10)
Things to come
We believe in and expectantly await the glorious, visible, personal, premillennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed hope of His return has vital bearing on the personal life, service, and mission of the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The lost will be raised to judgment and experience eternal wrath in Hell. The saved will be raised to eternal joy in the new Heaven and new earth in the manifested presence of God (Acts 1:3, 9; Hebrews 7:25–26).