The Gospel
We join with the apostle Paul in believing that THE GOSPEL is a matter of first importance for our daily lives (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Gospel is not simply the message we believe “by which we are save,” but it is also the reality “in which we stand” in our daily Christian lives. Being centered on the Gospel means living each day in the good of the cross of Jesus Christ, never moving away from its far-reaching implications…
- The Gospel fuels true humility, because we are reminded of our sin and helplessness apart from Jesus Christ, and how He willingly suffered in our place to pay the penalty we deserved.
- The Gospel fuels fresh faith for today and tomorrow. As we are daily reminded of God’s willing sacrifice of His own Son for us, then we are reminded of His promise to freely give us all things (Rom 8:32) and His commitment to work for our good in all things (Rom 8:28).
- The Gospel fuels genuine worship because we are reminded of God’s rich mercy and the undeserved favor He lavished on us. What a great love He has for us, and what a love welling up within us for Him in response!
- The Gospel fuels genuine holiness because we are reminded of the great price of our sin, and our striving for obedience is not an attempt to earn His love or favor, but rather a reflection of our love for Him.
- The Gospel fuels true mission because we are reminded of the wonder of what He did for us and we want to hold out the hope of the gospel to others.
The Word of God
We believe that the Bible (both Old and New Testaments) is the Word of God, fully inspired by Him and without error in the original manuscripts. The Scriptures contain the complete revelation of His will and plan for salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are intended to teach, guide, correct, and nourish the believer, and are the final, divine authority for all matters of Christian faith and life. Jesus Christ himself IS the full and final “word” of God to us all. The story of God throughout all 66 books of Scripture is ultimately all about him and how he redeems people from every tribe, tongue, and nation for the glory of God.
John 1:1-5, Hebrews 1:1-4, 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 and 4:1-4; 1 Peter 2:1-2; 2 Peter 1:20-21
The God-Head
We believe in one living and true God, creator of all things, perfect in every way, without beginning or end, and eternally existing in three persons (The Trinity) – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and that these are equal in every divine attribute and perfection.
Genesis 1:1, 26; Psalm 90:1-2; Isaiah 45:5-6, 21-22; Acts 17:24-28; 2 Corinthians 13:14
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. We believe in His sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary and atoning death on the cross, His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven where He is now exalted at the right hand of God and intercedes for His people as our High Priest, and His personal visible return to earth as promised in the Scriptures.
John 1:1-4, 14; Luke 1:26-37; Romans 3:21-25, 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 20-24; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:14-16
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, regenerates the believer into new life in Christ at the moment of salvation, sanctifies the believer in Christlikeness, and seals the believer unto the day of redemption. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He guides, instructs and empowers them for godly living and service.
John 14:16, 26; Acts 1:8, Romans 8:16, 26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:4, 10-16; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 1:13-14, Titus 3:5-6
Humanity
We believe that humanity was created, male and female, in the image and likeness of God, but that through Adam’s sin humanity fell, and thereby incurred physical, spiritual, and eternal death. As a result, all human beings are born with a sin nature and are under the just condemnation of God. Because of sin all men and women are alienated and separated from God and are unable to remedy their own lost condition.
Genesis 1:26; Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:22; Ephesians 2:1-10
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to humanity by grace and received through personal faith in Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, become new creatures in Christ, are freed from condemnation, and receive eternal life as God’s children. We believe that the entire gift of salvation from start to finish is initiated by and completed by God.
John 1:12-13, 3:3-6, 3:16, 14:6; Romans 10:9-13; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Ephesians 2:8-10
Ordinances
We believe that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be observed by the church. We believe that water baptism is an outward expression and a celebration of a person’s new life in Christ. We believe that the biblical pattern for baptism is by immersion in water in the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for the remembrance of His death and for the proclamation of His death until He comes again.
Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:38-41, 8:12-13, 10:47; Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The Church
We believe in the universal church, which is a living, spiritual body of Christ made up of all persons who have been regenerated and baptized by the Holy Spirit through saving faith in Jesus Christ, of which Christ is the head. We believe in the establishment of local churches as the pattern of the New Testament clearly defines. We believe in the autonomy of each local church under the headship of Christ to decide and govern its own affairs. We believe that God has given the local church the primary task of taking the good news of Jesus Christ to the world and helping believers grow and glorify the Lord.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22, 4:14-16; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:15-16
Last Things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body and in the final judgment: of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord, and of the unbeliever to everlasting conscious punishment and suffering.
Matthew 16:27, 24:4-31; John 14:3; 1 Corinthians 15:40-58; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18, 5:1-11; Titus 2:13; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15
The Church and Culture
We believe that we are called to love and share compassion and mercy with all people. We are empowered by Jesus to be like him, full of grace and truth at the same time and at all times. We believe the church at large has quite often fostered hatred and a lack of compassion on people who are broken and sinful (like us all – see under “HUMANITY” above). We strive in the power of Christlike love to avoid this “form” of church even as we hold resolutely to what we believe to be true according to the Scriptures. We also do not believe that graciously holding to truth in clear disagreement with some views in our culture automatically constitutes a lack of love and compassion or the presence of hatred. We recognize that many of the most difficult cultural “wars” are extremely complicated and often involve stories of abuse and pain that only Jesus can answer. For this reason, we will always seek to live compassionately as we invite all people to turn from sin, to come follow the Way of Jesus, and to learn of the abundant life he offers on his terms.
Mathew 9:36-38, 14:14, Mark 6:34, Luke 7:11-15, John 1:14, 14:6, Ephesians 4:14-15, Colossians 3:12-17
Marriage and Human Sexuality
We believe that “marriage” means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word “spouse” refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife. We do not affirm, support or advocate two people of the same sex joining in marriage and therefore would not allow for a same sex marriage to be performed on our church premises and/or by one of our pastors. We affirm that the Bible teaches that a person’s gender is determined by God through his grace and beautiful creative design in the womb before birth.
Genesis 1:27; 2:7, 18-25, Deuteronomy 22:5, Job 31:15, Psalm 119:73, 139:13-16, Isaiah 49:1, Jeremiah 1:5, Acts 17:25, Rom. 1:20-32, 1 Corinthians 7:1-4, 11:9, 1 Timothy 1:9-11
The Sanctity of Human Life
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.
Psalms 139
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