What We Believe

Jesus Christ is eternally existing and equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless, human life. Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all by dying on a cross. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven where He intercedes on behalf of all who believe in Him. Jesus will return to judge all and reign as King of Kings. (Philippians 2:5-11: Luke 1:26-38; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 John 2:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Acts 1:7-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; Revelation 19:11-20:15)

Equal with the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit was sent into the world to make us aware of our sin and our need for Jesus Christ. Every believer receives the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. The Holy Spirit reveals spiritual truth and equips Christians with spiritual gifts, power for living, and guidance in doing what is right. Christians seek to live under His control daily. (1 Corinthians 2:6-16, 12:4-11; John 14:26, 16:7-13; Ephesians 1:13-14, 5:15-20; Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:16-26)

The consequence of sin is physical and spiritual death which cannot be overcome by human effort. Men and women were made in the image of God as the supreme objects of God’s creation. We were designed to bring glory to God and live in a relationship with Him. Adam and Eve became alienated from God through disobedience. As a result, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and choose to sin against God. (Genesis 1:26-31; Ecclesiastes 12:13; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Isaiah 43:7, 59:1-2; Psalm 51:3-5; Romans 2:5-10, 3:23, 6:20-23; 1 John 1:5-10)

A free gift from God to men and women and God’s only provision for the penalty of sin. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Through confessing and turning from our sin to trust in Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness, we are born again and have our relationship with God restored. Since this restoration is based on God’s grace and not on man’s effort, salvation cannot be lost. (John 1:12-13, 3:3-5, 16-17, 6:37-40, 10:27-29, 14:1-11; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:4-7; 1 John 5:11-13, Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 1:13-14)

Christian living is possible with the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. With His help, the Christian strives to honor God with every thought, word and deed. Christians should seek to worship God individually and corporately; demonstrate a lifestyle of service to others; influence those who have not yet trusted Christ to believe in Him; and pursue community and accountability with other Christians. Living in grace and truth, we believe every person must be treated with compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 4:23-24;Romans 12:1-2; 1 Peter 4:8-11; Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8; Hebrews 10:23-25, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 6:31)

God created both man and woman in His image to have a relationship with Him. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. God calls for men and women to be spiritually and physically pure. Marriage is designed by God to be a covenant relationship between one man and one woman who honor Him in unity and sexual purity. We believe God commands no sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage because marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the church found in Ephesians 5. (Genesis 1:26-27, Mark 10:6-9, Matthew 15:18-20, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Peter 1:13-16, Genesis 2:18-25, 1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:1-5, Ephesians 5:21-33)

All who have trusted in Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins since the early first century through Christ's return are the church. The church is organized into local assemblies of believers who are free from any external control and are led by Elders who submit to Christ’s leadership. The local church is entrusted with the responsibility of baptizing believers by immersion and remembering Christ’s sacrifice and promised return by participating in the Lord’s Supper. (1 Corinthians 12:13-31; Acts 2, 15:41, 20:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 10:23-25; Colossians 1:15-23; Ephesians 1:22-23; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)