Our Beliefs
What is the Gospel?
Having a saving relationship with God is more than saying, “I am a Christian” or “I go to church” or “I read the Bible.” James 2:19 says “even the demons believe”, so we clearly need more than just an intellectual understanding. The Bible is clear on how someone can be saved and the Bible is equally clear on what it means to be saved. Jesus came so we could know and believe the Gospel, God’s plan of salvation. The acronym below is a simple explanation of the Gospel message:
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God created us to be in relationship with Him. God is the Creator (Genesis 1-2; Psalm 19; 139) of the heavens and the earth. The Bible also states that Jesus created everything (John 1:3; Col 1:16) that He owns everything (Psalm 103:19). God has complete rule and reign over everything in the universe, including you and me. God is Holy, Righteous, Perfect, True, Pure, Good, and Blameless (Isa 6:3; James 1:13; 1 Peter 1:16). For the believer, as the Bible mentions, God is Father. He is one God in three persons—God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit.
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Our sin separated us from God. We were born in sin and are sinners by our very nature. Every human being is guilty of sinning against a Holy God (1 Kings 8:46; Romans 1-3; 1 John 1). The Bible says we are born as children of wrath, helpless to save ourselves. We are completely dead in our sin and cannot seek God on our own (Rom 3) unless God first draws us near to Him (John 6) and makes us born again. This sovereign act is called regeneration (Ezek 36; Jn 3).
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Sin cannot be removed by good deeds. Many human beings are capable of some measure of good works, but those works cannot save them (Eph. 2:1-11). God’s holiness demands that you be perfect as He is (Matt. 5:48; 1 Pet 1:13-16); He says we must come through the narrow gate; however, we cannot meet that standard on our own. Just one sin committed in thought, word, or deed, will condemn us. We do not just need “help.” We are dead in our sin (Eph. 2). We need to be made alive. We all deserve death (Rom. 6:23). We deserve hell. Hell is a place where God punishes the wicked and unsaved forever for the sins committed (2 Th. 1:9; Rev. 20:10).
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Paying the price for our sin, Jesus died and rose again. Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” God in His grace and mercy sent Jesus to die in our place (Eph. 2:1-10). Instead of us dying and perishing for all eternity, Christ took the wrath of God for us (1 Cor 15; 1 Peter 3:18). His death satisfied God’s demands for justice and His perfect life satisfied God’s demand for holiness. Jesus gave us all of His perfection and we gave Him all of our sin (2 Cor 5:21). God declares us righteous by faith. God is both Just and the Justifier (Rom 3:26). He is both merciful and just. What an amazing exchange! Christ’s Substitutionary Atonement means that God treats Jesus as if He lived the sinful life we lived and God treats us as if we lived the sinless life of Jesus. This happens when we trust what Jesus did for us by faith alone.
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Everyone who trusts in Christ alone receives eternal life. When someone trusts in Christ for salvation, Jesus also becomes their Lord. Jesus is both Savior and Lord. The believer must repent of their sin (Luke 13:3, 15; Acts 2-3; 1 Th. 1:9) and turn away from anything evil. He becomes a slave to righteousness (not a slave to sin as he once was before trusting Jesus). He is a new creation (2 Cor 5:17) and desires to please and obey God. We are set apart in the truth and sanctified (John 17:3; 1 Thess 4). There will be genuine fruit on the life of a believer. 1 John outlines the believers’ assurance of salvation.
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Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. One day He will come back for us (Acts 1; Matt 24; 1 Th. 4-5). And if we die before He comes back, we have assurance that we will see Him just as He is (as John mentions in his letter: 1 John 3:2). In the meantime, we live a life that is pleasing to Him (Phil 1-3). A fruitful life (Gal 5:22-23), loving God with whole-hearted devotion (Matt. 22:37); continually repenting from sin (1 John 1:9; 2:1; James 5:16); modeling genuine humility (Phil 2:1-11); engaging in prayer daily (Matt 7; Luke 11; 18); and loving others sacrificially (John 13:34; 1 John 4:19-21); remaining separate from the world system; obeying quickly cheerfully, and completely as we daily read God’s Word—our ultimate authority in this life (2 Tim 3:15-16; 2 Pet 1:19-21; Heb 4:12; Ps 19; 119). This mark of a resurrected life is the visible fruit on our lives proving our transformation in Christ (Gal 5:22-23).
Doctrinal Statement:
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We believe that the Bible is the inspired, authoritative, living, eternally reliable Word of God equally in all parts and without error in its original manuscripts, and our primary and authoritative source of revelation from God. Therefore, the Bible is our final authority for faith and practice and it is able to teach, rebuke, correct, and train us in righteousness and godliness. The Bible is necessary for our daily lives as it continually points us toward the person of Jesus.
Joshua 1:8; Ezra 10:1-4; John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Jude 1:3. -
We believe in the one true and living God, who is infinite, omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. He is completely holy and perfect in all His attributes. God is one in essence, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is worthy to be worshiped, praised, obeyed, submitted to, loved, and enjoyed. (Deut. 6:4; 1 Sam. 2:2; Isa. 45:5-7; 1 Cor. 8:4; John 4:24; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14).
We believe in God the Father, creator of all things, who orders and arranges all things according to His own purpose. (Ps. 145:8-9; Matt. 7:11; 1 Cor. 8:6; 2 Cor. 6:18; Eph. 4:6)
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, who came into the world to reveal the Father, and is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature; that Jesus Christ is the Creator of everything, for by Him all things were made. We further believe that in Christ dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and that He is very God and very Man (John 1:1-2, 14, 18; Col. 1:15-17; 1 Tim 3:16; Heb. 1:3;
We believe in Jesus Christ's pre-existence, incarnation, virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, substitutionary and atoning death, bodily resurrection, bodily ascension into heaven, exaltation, present rule at the right hand of God, coming, personal return in power and great glory, and in His everlasting Kingdom and dominion (Isa. 53; Dan. 7:14; Matt. 1:22-25; Luke 24; Acts 1:11; 3:19-21; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Cor. 15; Rev 20:4).
We acknowledge His Lordship - that Jesus Christ is Lord over all things in heaven and on earth, and under the earth (Rom. 10:9; Phil 2:9-10).
We believe in the Holy Spirit, His present ministry, His indwelling, His empowering, His impartation of gifts for today, and His transforming power in the lives of all believers (John 16:7-9; 1 Cor 12:4-11, 2 Cor 3:18; Gal 5:22- 23, Eph 1:13-14).
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We believe that man was created by a direct and immediate act of God (Gen 1:26-27; 2:4). Man was created by God in His image, with rational nature, freewill, and moral responsibility to God, meant to glorify and enjoy Him forever. We believe that man by transgression fell from a state of righteousness and holiness in which he was first created into total spiritual depravity, a state of death in trespasses and sins in which he is held as a slave of sin and an enemy of God. As such, he is unable to attain divine righteousness by his own efforts but must be redeemed and delivered by the power of the gospel (Rom 5:12-21; 1 Cor 15:1-4).
We believe that repentance and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ are an integral part of God's work of justification of the believer. Through faith in the shed blood of Christ, one is justified and made a partaker in the death of Christ (Rom 5:1, 9).
We believe that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph 2:8-9).
We further believe that a believer can know they are secure in Christ (John 10:28-30; Phil. 1:6; Jude 1:24) and are called to abide with Christ daily (John 15:1-15) walking in His grace bearing fruit that remains and growing in a lifestyle of godly character and love. Although in this life the believer will never be perfect, through obedience to the Word of God and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, the believer is able to live a life of increasing holiness in conformity to the will of God, becoming more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ and no longer being conformed to the ways of the world. (Gal 5:16-25; Eph 4:22-24; Rom 4:1-5, 8:29, 12:1-2; 1 Pet 1:14-16).
We believe that repentance is dependent upon the convicting action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of sinners and their response. The conviction of the Holy Spirit, which often accompanies the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, will result in the revelation of the sinfulness of self, which should lead to godly sorrow, repentance, and trusting in Christ as Savior and Lord. (2 Cor 7:10; Ps 51; Acts 11:18; 2 Tim 2:25; Rom 1:18-32; Matt 9:12-13).
We believe that in the final judgment, which will accompany the return of Christ, every person will give an account to God of every aspect of this earthly life. Unbelievers will be separated from God for eternity in hell. Believers will experience the final resurrection and live eternally with Christ in the new heavens and the new earth. (Matt. 25:41-46; John 3:16-36; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 21-22)
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We believe the Church is both universal and local. All believers form the Church, in unity with all believers throughout history; and yet, the church is also local, with believers gathering in committed community and under the authority of Christ (Eph 1:21).
Scripture describes the Church as the Body of Christ (Rom 12:5, 1 Cor 12:12-31, Eph 1:9-10, 22- 23), the Household of God (Rom 8:14-17, Gal 3:26-4:7, Eph 2:11), the temple of God (1 Cor 3:9-17, Eph 2:21-22, 1 Pet 2:4-10), and God’s chosen people (Rom 11:17, Gal 4:28-31, Eph 2:19). This language is intimate and reveals Jesus’s commitment to and care for His people.
The purpose of the church is to glorify God (Eph 3:21). We glorify God by building each other up in the faith (Eph 4:13-16), by the teaching of the Word (2 Tim 2:2, 15; 3:15-17), by loving fellowship (Acts 2:47; 1 John 1:3), by having communion, by baptizing believers, (Luke 22:19; Acts 2:38-42) and by sharing the Gospel in our city and the nations (Matt 29:19; Acts 1:8; 2:42).
Believers are called to assemble in local churches (Heb. 10:25) where elders lead and shepherd the congregation. Believers are to serve the Body using their spiritual gifts, which are given by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the church (Eph 4:7-12; Rom 12:5-8; 1 Cor 12:4-31; 14:1-40 1 Peter 4:10-11). The Holy Spirit fills believers, empowering them for Christian life and ministry, and spiritual gifts remain active for the church’s growth and witness until Christ's return.
We believe in the Lord’s Supper and believer’s baptism as two ordinances of the Church given to us by Jesus to be observed until the time of His return. These ordinances do not save us but are meant to be acts of obedience and a testimony of a believers faith. (Matt. 28:18-20; Romans 6:1-11; 1 Cor 11:23-32.
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We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Marriage is a gift from God, intended for one man and one woman for life. Marriage holds multiple purposes including companionship, co-laboring in God's mission, illustrating the relationship between Christ and the Church, raising the next generation, and serving one another in discipleship. It is a covenant before God, and any sexual immorality, including adultery, pornography, and homosexuality, is considered sin.
Genesis 2:18-24, Matthew 19:1-9, Leviticus 18:1-30; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image but have distinct roles. Men are designed to lead with humility and the sacrificial love of Christ and women are encouraged to embrace their roles as wives and mothers. Both genders are called to submit to one another, with husbands leading in a godly manner and wives respecting their husband's leadership, managing the home, and prioritizing family over external careers. However, there may be circumstances—such as financial necessity, a husband’s incapacity, or single motherhood—where a wife and mother may need to work while still seeking to honor her family as her primary ministry. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.
Gen 1:27; Ps 127:3-5, 139:13-16; Ephesians 5:21-35; Titus 2:2-5
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Physical death involves a separation of the soul from the body, with believers’ souls immediately entering Christ’s presence while awaiting the resurrection, when their bodies will be glorified (Luke 23:43; Phil 1:23; 1 Thess. 4:13-17). The resurrection of all people will occur, with believers receiving eternal life and the unsaved facing eternal punishment in hell (Rev 20:13-15). The saved will dwell eternally with God in a new, sinless earth (Rev 21-22), while the unsaved will face conscious, eternal torment in hell (Matt 25:41-46). Hell was created for the devil and his followers and is a permanent state of separation from God, with no escape after death (Rev 20:14-15). Those who reject Christ during their earthly lives are bound for eternal punishment (John 3:16-36). The Bible rejects the ideas of universalism and annihilation, affirming that all souls are eternal and either go to heaven or hell (John 5:28). God has provided a way of salvation through Christ, and everyone is accountable to respond (John 3:16-17).