OUR BELIEFS
We believe the Bible is God’s holy and inspired word and is without error. We believe it contains all truth, and is our standard for living. We believe it reveals God’s love to the world, and is our weapon against spiritual warfare. We believe it should be read, meditated on, memorized, and applied every day of our lives as believers in Jesus Christ.
Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 17:19; Joshua 8:34, Psalm 19:7-11, 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16, 40:8, Jeremiah 15:16, 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-19, 22:29; Luke 21:33, 24:44-46; John 3:16, 5:39, 16:13-15, 17:17; Acts 2:16-47, 17:11; Romans 15:4, 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-4, 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21
We believe there is one true and living God who reveals Himself to us through Scripture as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe He created all that exists and rules over it. We believe that Satan is evil and opposes Gods’ good and perfect plan for creation. We believe Heaven is eternal fellowship with God, and Hell is eternal separation from God.
Genesis 1:1, 2:7; Exodus 11:15-27, 20:1-26; Deuteronomy 32:6; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:15, 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 25:41,46; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 16:23-26; John 4:24, 5:26, 8:44, 10:10, 14:2-3, 14:6-13, 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Ephesians 4:6; 1 John 5:7.
We believe man was made in God’s image and is set apart as His special creation. We believe life begins at the moment of conception. We believe that each human being is created to have a personal relationship with God. We believe that from the time sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden, that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are therefore separated from God.
Genesis 1:26-30, 2:7, 2:18-22, 9:6; Deuteronomy 32:6, Psalm 139:13-16; Matthew 7:11, 23:9; Romans 3:23, 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22.
We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, was born of a virgin, is without sin, and was sent to the world to pay man’s penalty for sin by shedding His blood on the cross. We believe He died, was buried, was resurrected from the dead, and then ascended into Heaven to be at the right hand of God the Father. We believe that by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and turning away from sin with a changed heart, we receive God’s gift of salvation and eternal life in Heaven that begins at the moment of belief. We believe that at the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us permanently, and by His presence we receive guidance, wisdom, direction, comfort, peace, and power to overcome temptation and live a God-centered life. From that point on, we believe that our old life is dead, and we are a new creation. We believe salvation is a gift from God that cannot be lost by human failings nor obtained by human effort, but only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that God gave man free will to choose to accept or reject salvation. We believe that choosing to accept God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ results in eternal fellowship with God in Heaven when we die; while choosing to reject God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ results in eternal punishment and separation from Him in Hell.
Psalm 2:7-12; Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-23, 11:27, 16:16, 28:1-6; Luke 1:35, 24:46; John 1:29, 3:16-18, 11:25-27, 12:44-50, 14:1-7, 16:28, 17:21-22, 20:1-20, 20:28; Acts 1:9, 7:55-56; Romans 1:3-4, 3:23-26, 5:6-21, 8:1-3, 8:34, 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 1:30, 2:2, 15:1-8, 15:51-57; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20, 4:7; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6, 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 9:12-15, 12:2; 1 Peter 2:21-25, 3:22; 2 Peter 2:4; 1 John 1:7-9, 4:14-15, Revelation 20:11-15.
We believe God’s plan for our life is the most excellent way. We call this “real life” and believe it includes a daily surrender to the will of the Holy Spirit. We believe God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, and is a model of Christ’s love for His Church. We believe that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female. We believe that sexual intimacy outside of the Biblical context of marriage is sin.
Genesis 2:18, 2:21-25; Psalm 139:7-24; Proverbs 5:15-20; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9; Luke 11:13, 12:12; John 10:10, 14:16-17, 14:26, 16:7-14; Acts 1:8, 7:55, 13:2, 15:28, 16:6; Romans 1:26-27, 8:9-11, 8:14-16, 8:26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14, 3:16, 6:9, 7:1-5, 7:10-11, 12:3-11; 2 Corinthians 8:9, Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30, 5:18, 5:22-33; 2 Timothy 1:14; Hebrews 9:14.
We believe the Church is made up of all people who have faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and that all the individual members together make up the body of Christ. We believe Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. We believe the Church exists to continue the ministry of Jesus Christ on earth until He returns. Matthew 28:19-29; Acts 2:41-47, 5:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 3:16; Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:19-22, 3:21, 5:22-32; Colossians 1:18; Revelation 21:2-3.
We believe that baptism is the public display of a personal decision to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. We believe it symbolizes the death and burial of our old life, and resurrection of a new life in Christ. We practice baptism by immersion.
Matthew 3:13-17, 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; Acts 2:41, 6:30-33; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12.
We believe the Lord’s Supper is an act of worship and obedience for all believers that prompts us to remember Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross.
Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-29.
We believe worship is a Believer’s response, both personal and corporate, to who God is and what He has done. We believe worship is an ongoing, daily activity of devotion to our Lord that is displayed in our every thought, word, and deed when we are surrendered to Christ.
Exodus 3:1-6, 34:14; Psalm 29:1-2; Hebrews 10:1-10, 11:21; 12:28.
We believe that we must dedicate ourselves to prayer, to the service of our Lord, to His authority over our lives, and to the ministry of evangelism.
Matthew 9:35-38, 22:37-39, 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:9-15, 12:20-21; Galatians 6:10; Colossians 2:6-10; 1 Peter 3:15.
We believe that the ministry of evangelism (sharing and proclaiming the message of salvation only possible by grace through faith in Jesus Christ) and discipleship (helping followers of Christ grow up into maturity in Christ) is a responsibility of all followers of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:9-15; 1 Peter 3:15.
We believe Jesus Christ will come again in power and majesty, and we eagerly await His return.
Matthew 16:27; Luke 12:40, 21:27-28; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 4:5, 15:24-28; Philippians 3:20-21; Titus 2:13; James 5:8; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 3:11.