Core Beliefs
What the Bible Teaches Us:
God In Three Persons
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent spiritual and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver and Ruler of the universe. To Him, we owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit with distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence or being. Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 6:9; 28:19; 2Corinthians 13:13,14 God: The Father God as Father is the Giver and Sustainer of life, the seen and unseen. He is all-loving, all-just, all-wise and all-powerful. He is the true God and the One who judges righteously and tests the heart and mind. God is Father to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ; however, He is fatherly toward all men. Genesis 18:25; Matthew 6:9, 28:19; Galatians 4:6,7 God: The Son God as Son is the perfect representation for the Father in human form. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was born of a virgin. He is fully human and fully divine. He is equal with God the Father but humbled himself by taking on the form of a servant and became obedient to a death on a cross. He knew that only through the shedding of His blood would the sinless Lamb of God be able to secure forgiveness and remission of sins. He arose on the third day following his death as He declared and now lives and reigns with the Father in glory awaiting His final triumphant return. He lives in all believers as the living, ever-present Lord. Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 1:18-23; John 1:1-18; 14:10-30; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3-4; 1Corinthians 15:3,4; Philippians 2:5-11; I Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13, Hebrews 4:14-15 God: The Holy Spirit God as Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and unrighteousness, works in the life of each believer to produce godly character qualities and demonstrates Himself, in the life of the church, through special abilities given to each believer to carry out the work of the church. He is Comforter, Teacher, Wisdom and Counselor. John 16:7-13; 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 1:13; 5:1; Revelation 22:17 The Bible The Bible is the historical record of God's activity written by men but inspired by God's Spirit and contains no error. It is truth provided for the believer as a tool to know the heart of God. It reveals the plan, purposes and will of God for all time. Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Psalm 19:7-10; 119:11, 89, 105, 140, 169; 2Timothy 1:13,3:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 2 peter 1:20-21 Humanity Man was created by a special work of God, in His image and is the finest of all creation - God said, "It is very good!" Man was created innocent but with a free choice he sinned against God and fell from his original state. This attitude of disobedience (called sin in the Bible) – unless rectified through Christ – forever keeps man from forming a relationship with his Creator. This attitude also keeps us from being the kind of person God created us to be. Genesis 1:26-30; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; Isaiah 6:5; ; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18; 3:23; 5:6, 12, 19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18, 29; I Corinthians 1:2131; Ephesians 2:1-22 Salvation Salvation is the gift of God for all humanity and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. No one can ever make up for sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. It was obtained by the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross. He shed His own blood for our sin that we might be rightly related to God. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his or her life by faith. Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; Romans 2:4; 3:23-25; 5:1, 8-10; Romans 6:23 Eternal Security Grace is the unmerited favor of God and shows us His goodness. All who have accepted Christ and are set apart will never fall from grace but will endure to the end. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. Believers may sin and grieve the Holy Spirit, but they will be kept by the power of God. John 10:29; Ephesians 2:8,9; Ephesians 4:30; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10, 14; 1 Peter 1:3-5 Church The church is the body of Christ of which Jesus Christ is the Head. The members are those who have trusted by faith the finished work of Christ. A group of believers brought together by the Spirit of God to carry out the Great Commandment by practicing the Great Commission and observing the two ordinances of the church-baptism and the Lord's Supper. Each church is an autonomous body operating under the leadership of Christ as the Head of the Church. Matthew 16:15-19; 22:37-40; 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42, 47; I Corinthians 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 3:8-11; 5:23-27; I Timothy 3:1-15; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3 Baptism Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change that has occurred in the life of the believer. It is an identification with Christ by picturing his death, burial and resurrection. It is the first commandment a new Christian is given from the Lord Jesus. Matthew 28:19; John 3:22; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:4: Colossians 2:12 Lord’s Supper The Lord’s Supper is an opportunity for personal examination and reflection as we observe the "Lord's death until He comes." The bread and cup are symbols of His body and blood which were broken and spilled out for our salvation and is done in "remembrance" of Him until He comes again. Luke 22:19,20; 1Corinthians 11:23-32 Worship We view worship from two sides: adoration and service. Worship could be defined as pure adoration, the redeemed person contemplating and praising God in His holy perfection. Reverential adoration and committed service are both prominent expressions of the biblical concept of worship. True worship involves a willingness to serve and genuine service to God must be accompanied by a sense of reverence and adoration. Psalm 95:6,7; 100:2, Matthew2:2; John 4:24; Ephesians 2:10 |
