Our Beliefs

I. The Scriptures

The Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, God’s inerrant, infallible word given to humanity reveals his truth, his heart, and his purpose to the world. There is no other literature like the Bible, no other writing that contains the revelation of God to man. It alone guides us in our daily living and is useful for teaching and training and correcting us. It alone is what we must measure all claims of truth against. God himself inspired the authors of every book contained in the Bible, so that what was written may be kept for all time by His sovereign protection, never to be added to and never to be changed.

**Psalm 46:10; John 17:17; John 3:16; Psalm 119:130; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Peter 1:23-25; Deuteronomy 12:32

II. God

God is not hidden, as though we must search to find him. Rather, he has revealed himself to us, that we might know him. He is the creator of the universe. He has always existed, never having a beginning, never ending, and never changing. He is the most beautiful of all things. He is love and He loves the world. He is holy, he is merciful and forgiving, he is compassionate he is just and rules the world with justice and will judge the world in righteousness. He knows everything before it happens, everyone before they exist, and he has the power to do as he sees fit and as he desires. He is one God, revealed in three persons (known as the Trinity), the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity has always existed in perfect power, unity and community, with a glory unmatched by any other.

**Genesis 1:1; Psalm 102:25, 27; Revelation 21:6; Malachi 3:6; 1 John 4:16; Psalm 27:4; John 3:16; Isaiah 6:3; Daniel 9:9; Exodus 34:6; Psalm 9:8; 67:4; 139:4, 16; 115:3; 135:6; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 6:9; Acts 9:20; John 17:26; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Psalm 24:10

III. Jesus Christ

Jesus was not merely a good man or a moral teacher; rather he is the Son of God, born of the virgin, Mary. He has always existed as a member of the Trinity. He walked the earth as a man, yet maintained his complete deity, worthy of our worship. He was without sin, living a perfect life before laying his life down to pay the price for the sins of the world on the cross. He died a physical death and was buried in a tomb. After 3 days, he physically rose from the grave, conquering the power of sin and death. He then showed himself to his disciples and many others, giving proof of his resurrection and offering hope to the world. After a time, he then ascended through the clouds to sit at the right hand of the Father, where he now intercedes in prayer for the church. But he will not stay there forever, because he promises that he will physically return to the earth to claim those that are his to be with him in eternal glory forever. Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection are essential for all of mankind because without his sacrificial death on the cross, humanity would be utterly hopeless of ever reaching the presence of God. Upon belief in Christ, one becomes a totally justified child of God, credited with Christ’s righteousness, forgiven and redeemed, freed from the reign of sin and the power of death, secure for all eternity.

**John 20:31; Luke 1:34-35; John 8:58; Colossians 1:19; Hebrews 1:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 10:17; 1 John 2:2; John 19:38-42; 1 Corinthians 15:20; 1 Corinthians 15:3-11; Acts 1:9; Romans 8:34; Matthew 24:30-31; Hebrews 12:14; Genesis 3:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:4; Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 13:39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7; John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 1:9-10; Romans 8:38-39

IV. The Gospel & the Holy Spirit 

The gospel is not only the means by which we are saved, but also the means by which we grow and are sanctified. Continually trusting Jesus as our only source of acceptance before God empowers us to resist sin and genuinely and joyfully do that which is pleasing to God. Through this gospel-empowered obedience, the Holy Spirit progressively conforms us to the image of Christ. The Holy Spirit is active in the world to convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is the chief agent in the process of bringing people to salvation in Jesus. He is the one who then dwells in the hearts of believers, baptizing them into the body of Christ, sealing them, and guaranteeing their inheritance into the eternal kingdom of God in heaven. He is the one who comforts us in our pain, the one who counsels us in our trials, and the one who guides us to live in all truth and reminds us of the truth of the gospel. He produces fruit in us that does not earn our salvation, but rather that is evidence that our salvation has and is taking place.

**Galatians 3:3; Galatians 5:16; Philippians 2:12-13; John 16:8; John 3:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; John 15:26; John 14:26; Galatians 5:22-23; John 15:8

V. The Church

Every believer in Christ makes up the body of Christ, which is the Church. The church is not something we go to, nor is it something we do. Instead, the church is something we are. The Bible portrays the relationship between Christ and the church as that of a groom and his bride, with Jesus as the groom, and we the church as his bride. He is the leader of the church, the sanctifier of the church, the lover of the church. He is also the head of the church, and we are members of his body. While the church is universal, comprised of all believers throughout history, it is also comprised of local, autonomous, self-governing bodies, free of any external authority. The church is to gather regularly for worship, teaching of the word, fellowship, remembering Christ’s death by taking of the Lord’s Supper, and celebrating changed lives by the water baptism of new believers. Male elders are charged to direct the affairs of the church, deacons and deaconesses are the lead servants of the church, all working together to equip the members of the church to minister to each other and to the community in which it lives. Ultimately, the church is not here just for itself. Rather, the church, submitting itself to Christ, is on mission to the world. The church exists as the result of a God who pursues people and intervenes in our lives, changing us for all of eternity. The church is what it is because God is a “missional” God, in love with humanity and actively drawing us to himself. The good news of the gospel and love of Jesus Christ is what compels us to be on mission in our world. If we are to truly follow Christ as He has called us to, then we will also be on mission with Christ.

**Ephesians 5:32; Ephesians 5:23-27; Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 2:41-47; 1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Timothy 3:10-13; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 Peter 4:10-11; Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:4-6; John 6:44; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Matthew 5:14; Psalm 46:10; Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 5:14-20; Mark 1:17.