THE ESSENTIALS: WE BELIEVE

There is one Body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all… Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV)

SCRIPTURE 

  We believe the Scripture, both the Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error when they were initially penned by their authors. We believe it to be the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of all people, the divine and final authority for the Christian life and faith.

GODHEAD

  We believe in the Trinity, the Triune God, one God who has always and will always exist as three distinct persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They all share the same essence or substance but have distinct personalities and roles.

GOD THE FATHER

  We believe in God the Father, Creator of all things visible and invisible, who is true holiness, all powerful, infinite love, and absolute truth, all knowing, and all present.

GOD THE SON

  We believe Jesus Christ is simultaneously 100% human and 100% divine. We believe He was born of a virgin, that His death was a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice for the sins of all, that He was resurrected bodily as a proof and vindication of His claims, and that He ascended to heaven. We believe He will return in bodily form to gather all Christ followers. We believe Jesus is the only way to have a personal relationship with God and that by personally accepting His death and resurrection, anyone can be spiritually birthed (born again) into this relationship.

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

  We believe the Holy Spirit’s goal is to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ. We affirm He is actively involved in the lives of Christ followers. He is not only responsible for their new birth, He also instructs and empowers them to live the Christian life. He grows fruit in their lives as evidence of character development. He gifts them in ways that enable fulfillment of their God given destiny of being God’s teammate in reaching the world. We affirm He is also active in the lives of all unbelievers, whether skeptics or inquisitive seekers. He is at work prodding them about sin, pointing out their distance from God, and heightening their sense of emptiness that only God can fill.

HUMANITY

  We believe that all people are created in the image of God. Through the fall of Adam and Eve, we were separated from God. We remain in that state until the moment of new birth by the Holy Spirit. Only through the work of the Holy Spirit can this eternal life be received.

SALVATION

  We believe that God, in His great love for all people, provided the ultimate sacrifice for sin in His Son, Jesus Christ. Salvation can come through Him alone. Only through His shed blood and resurrection are there any grounds for justification and reconciliation to God. Salvation is, therefore, received as a free gift of faith.

JUDGMENT AND ASSURANCE

  We believe that death seals the eternal destiny of each person. At the final judgment, unbelievers will be separated from God into eternal condemnation. Believers will be received into God’s loving presence and rewarded for their faithfulness to Him in this life.

THE LOCAL CHURCH

  We believe that the local church is a congregation of believers who gather for worship, prayer, instruction, encouragement, mutual accountability, and community with each other. Together, the local church comprises the “Body of Christ”. Through it, believers invest time, energy and resources to fulfill the Great Commission – reaching lost people and growing them into fully devoted followers of Christ.