The Bible
We believe the Bible is the Word of God. Every word is inspired by God and is without error in the original writings. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; Romans 15:4
We believe God has given us the Scriptures, composed of 66 books in the Old and New Testaments, to be the final authority for faith and practice of the Church. Properly understood and received by the community of faith and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures are the Church’s true, trustworthy, and faithful guide, “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), never failing or erring in its purposes, and never returning void when they are faithfully lived and proclaimed.
God
We believe God is the only fitting object of our worship. There is one God, who exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is perfectly and infinitely loving, just, and holy. 2 Corinthians 13:14; Isaiah 37:16; Jeremiah 23:23,24; 1 John 4:7,8
God has revealed Himself in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ, in the Scriptures, and in the material creation. In the beginning, God created all things very good. He was and always will be in perfect relationship with Himself—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God, in community with Himself, created human beings to be His image bearers, to serve and cultivate His good creation, to live in harmonious relationship with God and each other.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son, is the second Person of the Trinity, and is fully God and fully man. Having always existed, He took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a perfect, sinless life on earth. His death on the cross paid the penalty for our sins and is the only basis for the salvation of those who trust in Him. He rose bodily from the grave and now is reigning in power with the Father. He offers us eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and peace through faith in Him. He is the only way to God. We await His visible and glorious return to the earth to claim His own and to judge. John 1:1,2,14; John 14:6; Luke 1:35; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:24,25; 4:25; 1 Peter 1:3-5
The incarnation is the belief that Jesus Christ is both God in human flesh and the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Bible. He was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a perfect, sinless life on earth, and fully embodied the mission of God. He came to proclaim the kingdom of God, to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, and set captives free. Through the incarnation, suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God graciously provides forgiveness for sin, freedom from sin’s control, and a loving relationship with God the Father. The only proper response to this gift is repentance and joyous faith. While we cannot grasp the full nature and extent of God’s grace in offering the gift of salvation, we are warned that everlasting separation and anguish ultimately await those who turn away from God. We therefore expectantly and hopefully proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ and call all people everywhere to repentance and faith in Him.
Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God and is the third Person of the Trinity. He dwells in the believer, glorifies Christ, and equips us for service. John 14:26; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:13,14
The Holy Spirit indwells those who believe in Jesus Christ, assures us that we are children of God, and includes us in his universal Church. Every person who responds to the grace of God in Christ Jesus is called to serve both the Church and the wider culture by participating in God’s mission to restore and bless this broken world. To that end, the Holy Spirit gives each child of God a gift, a Spirit-empowered ability, and He convicts, teaches, and comforts us as we use it in service.
Man
We believe that man is created in God’s image, through sin has become unable to please God, and is condemned to suffer eternal punishment apart from accepting God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Genesis 1:26,27; Romans 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:12
The enemy, our adversary, tempted the first human beings to disobey God, bringing evil and sin into the world. Through their sin and the ongoing rebellion of all human beings, we are unable to please God and are alienated from him. Our relationship with God, each other, and creation is broken because of this disobedience, and we need redemption.
Salvation
We believe that salvation is freely offered to all and comes only through Jesus Christ alone. Salvation provides the believer with eternal life in God’s presence. John 3:3-7, 3:16-18; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:22-24; 10:9,10; Ephesians 2:8-10; I Thessalonians 5:9,10; Revelation 20:11-15
God graciously provides forgiveness from sin through Jesus Christ. The only proper response to this gift is repentance and joyous faith. God, in Jesus Christ, is now reconciling us to Himself, each other, and creation. God indwells us and equips us through His Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
We believe Jesus will return to judge the world, bringing an end to sin and injustice. God will restore all things to Himself so that His purposes for creation are fulfilled; indeed, creation itself is groaning and longing for this day. God will, once again dwell with human beings, and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away. This is our hope.
Ordinances
We believe that Communion (the Lord’s Supper) and Believer’s Baptism (by immersion) should be celebrated. Communion will be open to all believers, regardless of church membership. Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:26-40; Matthew 26:26-28; I Corinthians 11:23-26
The regular celebrations of the Lord’s Supper and Believer’s Baptism are vital to the life of our congregation as they remind us of our salvation, our place in God’s kingdom, and our part of God’s worldwide family of believers.
The Church
We believe that the church is composed of all those with personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and is expressed locally by this fellowship in worship, service, the spread of the Gospel, and fellowship of believers. Acts 1:8; Romans 12:1-2, 14:13; I Corinthians 12:12-27; 16:1,2; II Corinthians 6:14, 7:1; Ephesians 2:19-22; Hebrews 10:24-25
After the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the garden, God did not abandon His creation to brokenness and corruption. God promised to bring restoration, and He invites human beings to be a part of that. God first called Abraham and his descendants to be a chosen people through whom God would bless the world. Then He rescued his people, the Jews, from oppression and slavery in Egypt and gave them a mission at Mt. Sinai. As the nation of Israel, they were to be God’s treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy people. Their story is one of great promise, great struggle, great loss, and great hope. Though they suffered exile when they forgot God, He still preserved the faithful and promised through them the “Messiah,” a savior, through whom all the nations would be blessed. The church is made up of people all over the world from every ethnic group who call Jesus Savior and Messiah.
Marriage and Family
We believe that marriage is an ordinance of God, established by Him, and is the union of one man and one woman for life. Genesis 2:15-25; Matthew 19:1-12
Enormous cultural and legal landscape changes were made concerning the nature and definition of marriage in the United States. We affirm all human beings, including those in the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (“LGBTQ”) community, are made in God’s image, precious in God’s sight, and deserve the fullest measure of love, respect, dignity, and support. While we fully offer them our love and pastoral support, we nevertheless hold to our beliefs that marriage is intended for and ordained by God as a solemn covenant between one biologically born man and one biologically born woman for life.
