OUR BELIEFS
No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, you are welcome here.
Whether you have a deep relationship with God or are curious, we invite you to come experience our community of faith. Firmly rooted in Scripture, our core beliefs guide our decisions as a church. Our beliefs describe how we view God, Jesus, the Bible, and many significant aspects of our faith.
In Essential Beliefs: We have UNITY
(Ephesians 4:4-6)
In Non-Essential Beliefs: We have LIBERTY
(Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22)
In All Our Beliefs: We show CHARITY
(1 Corinthians 13:2)
ONE TRUE GOD
There is one God, who is eternal. He always existed eternally in three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal (I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11). We believe that God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and that He created mankind (male and female) in His own image. This God is good and there is no evil in Him.
REDEMPTION
Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression he fell; his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Gen. 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21). Redemption and salvation which was purchased for humanity through Jesus Christ is obtained and granted solely by God's grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that no act of goodness or morality, nor any religious act, can earn an individual's redemption or salvatoin. We believe that through faith and grace alone, God washes our sins away by the blood of Christ and grants us forgiveness and eternal life. We believe that repentence (intentionally turning away from sin) is evidence of genuine faith.
ETERNITY
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures (Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; II Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7). Both the living and the dead will be judged. Those who believed in Christ will be judged for the quality of their works and will be rewarded accordingly. They will spend eternity with God in His presence in Heaven. Those who reject faith in Jesus will be judged for their sins and seperated from God forever in Hell, a place of eternal punishment.
HUMANITY
We believe that mankind was created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him. But, because of sin, the image of God in mankind became corrupted. (Sin is any act or intention that stands contrary to God's revealed will or His character and nature.) Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation (Acts 2:21, 3:19; I John 1:9).
THE BIBLE
The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible and inerrant (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26). We believe it is God's standard and the plumb line of all truth. Any statement, action or mindset that stands in contradiction to God's Word, either in part or in whole, we reject as false.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth (Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5,2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6). The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible's lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters. (Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:16; I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6-7; I Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; I Peter 4:10). Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign, which is to follow believers. It is also a part of Jesus' work on the Cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit. (Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29).