What We Believe

OUR BELIEFS:
To help you gain some insight into what we believe the Bible does teach about some important truths, please consider the following:
About GOD, we believe there is only one true God. He is the Creator of all life and the Supreme Ruler of the universe. God has always been (He is eternal). He exists and is fulfilling His purpose in three equal persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. God has revealed Himself through Creation, the Scriptures, and most dramatically through His Son, Jesus Christ. God loves us more than we can imagine. (Genesis 1:26-27; Deuteronomy 6:4; Job 38:1-41-34; Matthew 3:13-17; John 3:16; Romans 1:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:6; Hebrews 1:1-2)
About Jesus The Christ, we believe he is the one and only Son of God. More than just a prophet or good man, he is fully God, equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. It is in Jesus that we find the clearest revelation of God. Jesus also came to this earth, born of a virgin. He was completely God while at the same time being fully human. His miraculous acts, sinless life, and life-changing teachings all confirm the fact that He is God’s Son. His purpose for coming to Earth was to show his love for us by dying on a cross, thus taking the sins of all mankind upon himself, thus paying the penalty that our sins deserve. His bodily resurrection from the grave and His promise to return someday are testimonies to the fact that He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus desires the deepest of relationship with every person. (Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1, 14, 18; Acts 10:37-43; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Ephesians 2:4-8; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-21; Hebrews 1:1-3)
About the Holy Spirit, we believe the Holy Spirit is equal with God the Father and God the Son. He dwells in each member of God’s family to help us live God’s purpose for our lives. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that a person comes to Salvation. He provides direction for us to do what is right, gives us strength to serve Jesus, and direction for living God’s way. (John 14:16-17; John 16: 7-13; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 3:16-20; Ephesians 5:18)
About the Bible, we believe the Bible is God’s written Word. The process that God used to give us His Word is inspiration. The Word of God is without error and is authoritative and complete in telling us all we need to know to be saved and live for God. In the Bible we discover who God is, why he loves us, what He has done to save us, and what His will is for our lives. (Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:105, 160; John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter1:20-32)
About Humanity, we believe we are created in the spiritual likeness or image of God. We have free will; and every one of us has chosen to go our own way and sin. But having free will we also have the ability to choose to accept God’s love for us. If we choose to turn to God and receive His forgiveness we find that we can love as God loves, value what God values, and do the things God is calling us to do. In spite of our failures God’s love chose to send His Son to die so that we could live. (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 3:1-24; Psalm 8:3-6; John 4:24; Ephesians 1:4-6; Romans 3:23)
About Salvation, we believe we need salvation because we have all sinned. Sin separates us from God who desires a relationship with us. It is impossible for any of us to restore that broken relationship with God by personal goodness or religious deeds. We cannot earn, merit or achieve a right relationship with God by our own efforts. The death of Jesus was not an accident. It was God’s plan from the beginning to save us from our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. The Bible calls this act of God love – Grace. His grace is a free gift to us. The way we receive this gift is by placing our faith in Jesus, repenting of our sins and obeying His command to be immersed (baptized) in water, which symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. (Isaiah 59:2; John 3:16; John 14:6; Acts 2:37-39; Romans 3:10-11, 23; Romans 6:3-4, 23; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:3-8)
About the Church, we believe the church is God’s spiritual family. It is made up of all those who have chosen to place their trust and faith in Jesus. These are followers (disciples) of Jesus. The Church is not a building or one particular group of believers. To belong to the Church is to belong to Jesus. The Bible uses the analogy of a human body to describe the Church and their relationship to Jesus. Jesus is the Head of the Church, which is His body. God’s will is for the church to gather regularly to worship Him, to use its various gifts and abilities to serve Jesus, to love and encourage those who are in the body, and to share their faith and the good news of Jesus to the world. (Matthew 16:15-18; John 13:34-35; John 1:20-23; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-10)
About Eternity, we believe that God created us with a soul which will never cease to exist. Those who give their life to Jesus as Lord and remain faithful to Him will spend eternity with God in Heaven. Those who reject Jesus by refusing to follow Him will spend eternity in Hell. Heaven, like salvation is a gift of God’s grace. Hell is the due consequence for those who have not accepted God’s offer of grace and forgiveness. (Ezekiel 18:20; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 16:19-31; John 14:1-6; Romans 6:23; Philippians 3:17-21; Revelation 20:15)