We believe in one triune God who has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Each member of the Godhead is co-equal in essence, power, and glory, and yet, is nevertheless distinct in person.
Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2, 2; Corinthians 13:14
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-wise.
Genesis 1:1, 2:7; Exodus 3:14, 6:2-3, 15:1, 20:1; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4, 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3, 15, 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10, 17:13; Matthew 6:9, 7:11, 23:9; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24, 5:26, 14:6-13, 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6, 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again someday to Earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-4, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14, 15; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily.
2 Corinthians 3:17; John 14:16,17; 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18; Galatians 5:25
We believe the Holy Scriptures, which consist of the 66 books (the Old and New Testaments), to be the inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the manuscripts, infallible, and God-breathed. Jesus Christ is the lens we should interpret the scripture through.
Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalm 19:7-10, 119:11, 89, 105, 140; Isaiah 34:16, 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16, 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18, 22:29; Luke 21:33, 24:44-46; John 5:39, 16:13-15, 17:17; Acts 2:16, 17:11; Romans 15:4, 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2, 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21
Humans were created good and in the image of God, to be like Him in character and represent Him on Earth. Therefore humans are the apex of God's creation. Tragically, through Adam's sin, the entire race fell from this purpose, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. In this state, humans are totally unable to remedy their lost condition and destined for eternal punishment in Hell. This condition and destination can only be remedied through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and personal faith in Him.
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a, 59:1,2; Romans 3:23, 8:19-21
We believe that salvation is the free gift of God brought to man by grace and received through personal faith in the Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. This free gift is in no way the result of personal effort or of good works but, instead, displays the grace, love, and mercy of God. Once an individual expresses true personal faith in Jesus, they are adopted by God and are forever held by His persevering grace. Further, there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Biblically, salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart brought about by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior.
Justification is the point at which God declares believers righteous based on the completed work of Christ on the cross.
Sanctification is the lifelong process, beginning with regeneration, by which God, through the work of the Spirit, moves believers toward moral and spiritual maturity.
Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17, 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21, 4:17, 16:21-26, 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69, 2:28-32; John 1:11-14, 29, 3:3-21, 36, 5:24, 10:9, 28-29, 15:1-16, 17:17; Acts 2:21, 4:12, 15:11, 16:30-31, 17:30-31, 20:32; Romans 1:16-18, 2:4, 3:23-25, 4:3, 5:8-10, 6:1-23, 8:1-18, 29-39, 10:9-10,13, 13:11-14; I Corinthians 1:18, 30, 6:19-20,15:10; II Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20, 3:13, 5:22-25, 6:15; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-22, 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22, 3:1; I Thessalonians 5:23-24; II Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3, 5:8-9, 9:24-28, 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; I Peter 1:2-23; I John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20, 21:1-22
Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. Being a church ordinance, it is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper.
Matthew 3:13-17, 26:26-30, 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11, 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22, 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42, 8:35-39, 16:30-33, 20:7; Romans 6:3-5
The Lord's Supper, one of the two ordinances of the church, is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
I Corinthians 10:16, 21, 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12
The Church is both local and universal. The universal Church includes all of those in the world who confess Christ, both past and present. The local Church is a local expression of the universal church and is comprised of regenerated believers who, in obedience to scripture, organize under biblically qualified leadership, come together regularly for preaching and worship, observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper, are held accountable through discipleship, and go out into the world to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as missionaries for the glory of God and the salvation of humanity.
Matthew 16:15-19, 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47, 5:11-14, 6:3-6, 13:1-3, 14:23,27, 15:1-30, 20:28; Romans 1:7; I Corinthians 1:2, 3:16, 5:4-5, 7:179, 13-14, 12; Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:19-22, 3:8-11,21, 5:22-32; Philippians 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3, 21:2-3
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin in Hell, or eternally with God through the forgiveness and salvation found in Jesus Christ alone. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
John 3:16, 14:17; Romans 6:23, 8:17,18; Revelation 29:15; I Corinthians 2:7-9
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the Earth, will gather His people from throughout the world, and will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever with the Lord.
Isaiah 2:4, 11:9; Matthew 16:27, 18:8-9, 19:28, 24:27, 30, 36, 44, 25:31-46, 26:64; Mark 8:38, 9:43-48; Luke 12:40, 48, 16:19-26, 17:22-37, 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11, 17:31; Romans 14:10; I Corinthians 4:5, 15:24-28, 35-58; II Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5, 3:4; I Thessalonians 4:14-18, 5:1; II Thessalonians 1:7, 2; I Timothy 6:14; II Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; II Peter 3:7; I John 2:28, 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18, 3:11, 20:1-22:13