What We Believe

There is one God: infinite, eternal, almighty, and perfect in holiness, truth, and love. In the unity of the godhead there are three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, co-existent, co-equal, co-eternal. The Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Holy Spirit, yet each is true God. One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the foundation of Christian faith and life.

God the Father

God the Father is the Creator of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. By His Word He created the universe from nothing. His Word daily sustains all His creation. He rules over all and is creation’s only Sovereign.

He made man to be in fellowship with Himself and all creation give exists to give praise to His glory.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, the eternal Word made flesh. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He is true God and true man. Through Him all things came into being and were created. He is the image of the God, the first-born of all creation, and in Him dwells the fullness of the godhead bodily. He is the only Savior of the world, having shed his blood and dying a substitutionary death on Calvary’s cross. Through His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus has made it possible for all people to live in relationship with God. We believe Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and through Him and through acceptance of His sacrifice all have the ability to be saved from the penalty of their sins.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the presence of God among us. Through the Spirit, God loves us, empowers us and lives in us. The Spirit gives gifts to all believers. We believe in all the gifts of the Spirit and encourage their use. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the church of the first century are available today, are vital for the mission of the church, and are to be earnestly desired and practiced.The Holy Spirit, convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Through the proclamation of the gospel He persuades men to repent of their sins, trust in God’s divine mercy and confess Jesus as Lord. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth, uniting believers to Jesus Christ though faith. He will lead the Church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word.

Man

God made mankind, male and female, in His own image as the crown of creation to be in fellowship with Him. Tempted by Satan, man rebelled against God and became estranged from God his creator. He became subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved and incapable of returning to God. It is only through grace, the unmerited favor of God, that unregenerate man can be saved by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and return to right relationship with God.

The Bible

We Believe the Holy Bible is the written self-revealed Word of God. The Holy Bible contains the thirty nine (39) books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven (27) books of the New Testament, is the only infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind, and is true and without error. These Holy Scriptures are the authoritative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom. All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and diligently apply them to their lives. Every doctrinal formulation, whether of creed, confession, or theology must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in Holy Scripture.

Salvation

Salvation is the gift of God, provided by His grace (unmerited favor) through mankind’s faith in and acceptance of Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross. It is Jesus Christ’s atonement for mankind’s sin that the confessing believer is forgiven the debt of his sin, is reconciled and brought back into right relationship with God.

Sanctification

The Holy Spirit is the active agent in our sanctification. He seeks to produce His fruit in us as our minds are renewed through spritual discipline and we are conformed to the image of Christ. As we are led by the Holy Spirit we grow in the knowledge of God, freely keeping His commandments and endeavoring to live before the world in such a way that all people may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. The spiritual disciplines, especially of Bible study, prayer, worship and confession, are vital means of help in this regard.

Baptism

Water baptism is the outward sign of the inward grace of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of his death and resurrection. It signifies that his former way of life has been put to death and his release from the mastery of sin. Water baptism is intended for the individual who has received the saving benefits of Christ’s atoning work and become His disciple. It is done in obedience to Christ’s command and as a testimony to God, the Church, and the world, as the believer is immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Lord’s Supper (Communion)

The Lord’s Supper (Communion) is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ. This ordinance symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of His blood on our behalf and is to be observed in Christian life. As we partake of the Lord’s Supper with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body.

The Return of Jesus Christ

The Consummation of all things includes the visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. In the Consummation, Satan with his hosts and all those outside Christ are eternally separated from the presence of God, enduring eternal punishment. Joined to Christ as his Bride the Church, the righteous in glorious bodies shall live and reign with Him forever in the presence of God, serving and giving Him praise and glory throughout eternity. Then shall the eager expectation of creation be fulfilled and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God who makes all things new.