WHAT WE BELIEVE

The Bible is God’s inspired, inerrant and infallible written revelation to man. It was written by men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, serves as the final authority in the life of the believer and the church, and is completely relevant and applicable to our lives today.

(Hebrews 1:1-2, 2 Peter 1:21, Psalm 119:160, John 17:17, Psalm 12:6-7, Proverbs 30:5-6, Psalm 119:11, Isaiah 40:8, Hebrews 1:1-2, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Psalm 119:11, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119:11)

God is one being, eternally existent in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), each one with a different role/office. He is the holy, righteous judge over all creation who is the all knowing, all powerful, never changing Creator of the universe. He is active in His Creation, pursuing and redeeming a fallen race of beings in a fallen world in order to establish an eternal Kingdom that will be without end.

(Genesis 1, Isaiah 48:16, Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 3:22, 1 Peter 1:2, Matthew 28:19, Leviticus 11:44, Isaiah 6:1-5, Romans 3:3-4, Isaiah 40, 28-29, Deuteronomy 10:17, James 1:17, Malachi 3:6, John 3:16, Daniel 2:44, Isaiah 9:7)

God the Father is the first person of the trinity, eternally existent, equal in authority and power with the Son and Spirit. The Father is the source of authority within the God-head.

(Ephesians 1:3, Matthew 6:9, Matthew 28:19, Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4, John 17:1-5,

Father — Ephesians 1:3 — Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ)

Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, eternally existent, equal in authority and power with the Father and the Spirit. Jesus was active in the Creation of the universe and is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies as the promised Messiah. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, was fully God & fully man, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to pay for the penalty of humanity’s sin past/present/future, was resurrected bodily from the grave to conquer the power of sin and death and ascended into Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as the only mediator between God and man. He will one day return for His bride, the Church, by bringing resurrection from the dead and an end to judgment and destruction on Earth. He will establish a literal Kingdom on Earth where He will rule and reign.

(Matthew 3:17, Matthew 28:19, Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4, John 1:1-3, John 4:25-26, Matthew 1:18-23, Isaiah 7:14, Titus 2:13, 1 Timothy 2:5, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 27:45-50, Philippians 2:8, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Mark 16, 1 Corinthians 15:4, Romans 8:11, John 11:25, Acts 1:9, Ephesians 1:20, 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 19 & 20)

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity, eternally existent, equal in authority and power as the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit was active in the Creation of the universe. Now He dwells within the life of every follower of Christ and serves as the seal of our salvation. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness & judgment. Likewise, He works to conform the believer into the image of Christ by convicting the believer of sin, guide the believer in daily life, comfort the believer in difficulty/sorrow and equips the believer with gifts so that the believer might work to advance the Kingdom.

(Matthew 28:19, Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4, Genesis 1:2, Acts 2:1-4, Romans 8:9-11, John 14, 16-17, Ephesians 1:13, John 16:8, John 16:13-14, John 14:26, Isaiah 61:1-3, Matthew 28:18-20)

Because of the willful disobedience of man that led to sin, humanity, in its fallen state, has been cursed to death and eternal separation and damnation. Humanity is not naturally good. In fact, humanity is naturally evil and wicked. Salvation is obtained through the regeneration that occurs through new birth in Christ. Salvation is made available exclusively through Jesus’ death, burial & resurrection as the gift of God to pay for the sin debt of each person of humanity. This happens when any individual believes in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confesses with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord. Salvation is a gift from God that is not capable of being earned by mankind and is not dependent/contingent upon any work of their own doing. Upon being born again, the believer is now a child of God having their salvation eternally sealed and eternally secured by the Holy Spirit. Inasmuch as salvation cannot be earned, it also cannot be lost.

(Genesis 3, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Romans 3:10, John 3:3, John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9-10, Titus 3:5, 1 John 3:1, Ephesians 1:13, Romans 8:38-39)

The church is not a building or a location. The global church is the collective whole of believers all over the world who declare Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The church was established by Jesus, built on Jesus, is lead by Jesus, strives to glorify God and exists for the purpose of making His name famous and advancing His Kingdom. The church is called to preach the Gospel of Jesus to all people & nations & commit to passionate service to the needs of people. This expression of the church is both global and local in nature.

(Matthew 18:20, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Acts 2:41-47, Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 2:20, Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 5:23, Romans 15:5-6, Isaiah 26:8, Psalm 105:1, Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 10:30-39, 1 Corinthians 12:13, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:2)

Mankind was created in the image of God as a triune being (body, soul, spirit) and was the crown jewel of creation. Made by God for communion and fellowship with God, mankind became alienated from God after willful disobedience. Born into sin, it is not possible for man to return to a right relationship with a Holy God by his own efforts. Therefore, God had to make a way to redeem mankind through the death, burial & resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Each person, having been uniquely made, has been created by God to fulfill a purpose that is revealed by God through His calling and giftedness after being restored into a right relationship with Him.

(Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 1:31, Genesis 3, Romans 3:10-18, Ephesians 2:1-9, Psalm 139:14, Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 1:11, Romans 12:4-8, Ephesians 4:11-16, 2 Corinthians 5:21)

After death, each person will find a destination of either a literal Heaven or a literal Hell. Heaven is exclusively reserved for those who have been regenerated through new birth in Christ. Hell is the destination for any person who refuses to receive new life from Christ. At the end of time, Jesus will usher in a new heaven and a new earth where believers in Jesus will rule & reign with Him. Unbelievers will be destined to the lake of fire.

(John 14:2-4, 1 John 2:25, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, Matthew 13:49-50, John 3:16, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:1-7, Romans 8:17, Revelation 21:8)

The Christian life is to be lived in obedience to God as revealed through His Word and the Holy Spirit. The Christian is to submit themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, fellowship and authority of the local church and the call of God on their life to utilize their giftedness and resources to advance God’s Kingdom throughout the world. The ultimate calling is to live surrendered to Jesus and to live for Him and not themselves.

(1 Samuel 15:22, 1 Timothy 2:16:17, John 16:13, Philippians 2:8-11, Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 18:15-17, Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 16:24-25)

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.

Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.

The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

(Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17; 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5; 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8,14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7.)

God has given an original design to create two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female to glorify Him. The assignment of biological sex at conception is a gift of God and a part of God’s glory in creation. The Fall of man into sin and God’s subsequent curse have introduced brokenness and futility into God’s good creation. We extend love and compassion to those whose experience of this brokenness includes a perceived conflict between their biological sex and their gender identity. God’s good design is such that gender identity should be determined by biological sex and not one’s self-perception — a perception which is often influenced by fallen human nature in ways contrary to God’s design. There are clear distinctions in masculine and feminine roles as ordained by God as part of the created order, and that those distinctions should find an echo in every human heart. Any efforts to live contrary to birth sex, whether by behavior, attire, cosmetics, or even medical or surgical therapy, are resisting or rebelling against the gift of God and a central dimension of His will for that person, and therefore such behavior is sinful. One should not alter one’s bodily identity (e.eg., cross-sex hormone therapy, gender reassignment surgery, etc.) to bring it into line with one’s perceived gender identity. It is essential that believers love their transgender neighbors, seek their good always, welcome them into congregations as they repent and believe in Christ, and spur them on to love and good deeds in the name of Christ. Efforts by any court or state legislature to validate transgender identity as morally praiseworthy should be opposed steadfastly by believers in Christ. Decisions about membership, personnel and other matters will always be made based on this biblical perspective of human sexuality.

(Genesis 1:27, Isaiah 43:7, Matthew 19:4, Mark 10:6, Genesis 3:1-24, Romans 8:20, Romans 8:22-23, Ephesians 4:17-18, Genesis 2:18 & 21-24, 1 Corinthians 11:7-9, Ephesians 5:22-33, 1 Timothy 2:12-14, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Galatians 5:14, Hebrews 10:24, isaiah 5:20)