Our Beliefs

The Bible consists of the sixty-six canonical books of the Old and New Testaments and was written by individuals divinely and uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit as God’s self-revelation to humanity. Since Jesus Christ is the ultimate focus of divine revelation, all Scripture ultimately serves as a testimony to Christ. In the original manuscripts, the Bible is free from error of any sort, and it serves as our supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice. John 5:39; 1 Timothy 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 3:15-16.

There is one and only one living and true God. He is infinite, personal, omnipotent, omnipresent, and an omniscient Spirit. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. God is holy and perfect in all His attributes. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Mark 12:28-31; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19, John 14: 6-17; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:4-6.

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God the Father and the exact imprint of His being, fully God and present at the creation of the universe. In His incarnation as Jesus, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and obeyed the will of God the Father. He announced and initiated God’s Kingdom upon the Earth, took upon himself the demands and necessities of nature, and identified Himself completely with humanity, yet was without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience. And by His death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of people from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the Person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God in power and where He is the One Mediator, partaking of the nature of God and of humanity, and in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and His creation. His Spirit now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-present Lord. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate God’s Kingdom. Matthew 1:18-23; 28:18; Luke 24:1-8, John 1:1-4; 5:26-27; Acts 1:11; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21, Philippians 2:6-11, Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-4; 4:14-15; 7:23-28, 1 John 2:1-2, Revelation 19:11-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17;  2 Timothy 1:14; 1 John 3:24; Ephesians 1:20-23.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully God who was present at the creation of the universe. He is the divine author of all Scripture, and through revelation, He enables people to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls people to the Savior, and effects regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer until the day of the final redemption. His indwelling presence in each Christian is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ.  He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.  John 4:24; 14:6-13; Acts 1:2; 8; 2:17-18; 5:32, Romans 8:14-15; 26; 1 Corinthians 2: 10-15; James 2:26; Galatians 4:6; 5:25; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:6; Hebrews 12:9; 1 John 3:24.

God created humans, male and female, in His own image to rule on His behalf. The first humans, Adam and Eve, ere originally free from sin, but they disobeyed God, and the consequence of thier disobedience was death. As a result, all humans are fallen creatures, born alienated from God, with a sinful nature. All have sinneds and are in need of salvation from sin and death. Humans are incapable of effecting reconcilliation on their own merit and thus wre wholly dependent on the grace of God. Those who put their fiath in Jesus are adopted into the family of God, have their sins forgiven, receive the Holy Spirit, are made a new creation, are restored to ruling with Christ in His kingdom, and will receive a glorified body at the resurrection. Genesis chapters 1-3; Romans 1:18-32; 3:23-28; 4:16; 5:8-12; 8:14-17; 11:16; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28; 50-55; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:4-10; Revelation 2:26-27; 22:5.

A cosmic battle exists between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. The war is not of flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of Satan, principalities, powers, and rulers of this world. On account of Jesus’ defeat of the works of the devil, Christians war from a standpoint of victory, which was intiatied by Jesus’ death and resurrection but will not be completed until Jesus returns in power. Those who are in Christ participate in the expansion of the Kingdom of God that results in the diminishment of the kingdom of darkness, which will ultimately be destroyed when Christ returns. Isaiah 14:10–17; Ezekiel 28:11–19; Matthew 12:25–29; 25:41; 28:18-20; John 12:31; 16:11; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Ephesians 6:10–20; Colossians 2:15; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 12:7–9; 20:10.

God took the initiative to restore the relationship between Himself and humanity through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of His Son, Jesus Christ. Salvation is the redemption and restoration of the whole person and is offered freely to all who place their full trust in Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. Christians are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone and not by their own works. As new creations, believers become transformed to Christ-likeness through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Romans 3:24; 5:18; 8:20-25; 10:9-10; John 3:16; 14:6; Colossians 1:20-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; Philippians 2:8; Isaiah 53:5.

The supreme purpose of all believers is to be whole-hearted, risk-taking lovers of God, who glorify Him in and with our lives. Our conduct should be blameless before the world; we should be faithful stewards of the possessions, abilities, and spiritual gifts God entrusted to us, and we should intentionally and continually seek the full measure of maturity in Jesus Christ through our active participation in the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, study, worship, service, evangelism, and fellowship with other Christ-followers.  An abiding one-ness with the Father through Christ and empowerment by the Holy Spirit is our ultimate goal in this life. Through our relationship with Jesus, the power of God’s Holy Spirit living in us, and our God-given authority in Christ over all the power of the enemy, we are able to participate in the divine nature, living as Jesus lived in this world, accomplishing even greater things than the Lord and advancing His kingdom on Earth for His glory. In joyful obedience to the Great Commission, we demonstrate the Good News with both words and actions through the power of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 2:6, 2:9-10,  & 3:1-10; 1 Timothy 6:6-12, 1 Peter 1:14-16, Ephesians 1:18-21, 2:5-6, 4:1-3 & 11-14, & 5:1-5, Philippians 2:14-16; Matthew 10:8 & 28:18-19; Luke 10:19; 2 Peter 1:3-8; 1 John 4:17; Galatians 2:20; John 14:12 & 15:10; Mark 16:17-18;  Acts 1:8.

Jesus is the founder of the church, his bride, for whom He died. Jesus commissioned the church to advance God’s Kingdom and to overcome the forces of darkness. The church is the spiritual body for whom Jesus died and will return to claim. The global church is the body of Christ, of which He is the head. The local church is composed of Christ-followers who have been called to worship God, to grow in their knowledge and love of Him, to serve others, and to advance the gospel through word and deed as empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Matthew 16:18-19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4:4-16; Hebrews 10:25; I Peter 2:9-10; Acts 2:42; Heb 10:24-25; Matt 28:19-20.

Jesus instituted Christian Baptism through the use of water as a sign of the covenant to be identified with His death, burial, and resurrection in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus also commanded that we participate in the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of His body broken and blood shed on the cross, which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins. The Lord’s Supper is a sign of the new covenant and anticipates the consummation of God’s Kingdom when Jesus returns. Matthew 3:11; 26:26-30; 28:19; Mark 14: 22-26; Acts 2:38; 10:47-48; 19:1-7; Romans 6:3-11; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:11-13; Ephesians 4:5; 1 Peter 3:21-22.

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world as it currently exists to its appropriate end and will create a new heaven and a new earth. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; Satan will ultimately be destroyed; the dead will be raised; Christ will judge all people in righteousness; and all creation will bow before Him. The unrighteous will be consigned to everlasting punishment and eternal separation from God. The righteous from every tribe, tongue, and nation, in their resurrected and glorified bodies, will receive their inheritance to rule and reign with God over creation for all eternity. Genesis 1:28; Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; Matthew 24-25; Romans 8:18-22; Philippians 2:9-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 1 Timothy 6:13-16; Hebrews 9:27-28; 2 Peter 3:7; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14-15; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 7:9; 21:1-22:13.