What We Believe
The Bible
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were inspired by God and inerrant in the original writing, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and practice. The Bible is the binding authority for all the statements of faith that follow. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20:21; Matt. 5:18; John 17:17)
The Godhead
We affirm our belief in the Trinity, that God is One, yet eternally exists as three equally divine persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 17:5)
The Person of Christ
We believe in the Virgin Birth, Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of Mary while she was a virgin. Jesus Christ is thus truly God and truly man. (John 1:1,2-14; Luke 1:35; Isa. 9:6)
The Nature of Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned, and thereby incurred, not only physical death, but also that spiritual death which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are in need of redemption from their sin. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3,12)
Salvation
We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice and that all who believe in Him are justified. (John 3:16, Rom. 1:16; Rom. 4:18-25; Gal. 2:16)
Redemption and Restoration
We affirm that as fallen human beings; we are all sinners. We are broken by our sin and by the consequences of the choices we have made. We are all in need of God’s forgiveness and grace. We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 6:9-11)
The Resurrection of Christ
We believe in the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe He is ascended into heaven and acts now as our High Priest and advocate. (Luke 24:36-53; 1 Cor. 15:1-11; Acts 2:14-35; Rom. 8:31-39; Heb. 7:15-28)
The Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that God the Holy Spirit is the administrator of the things of God: convicting of sin and regenerating the sinner, revealing truth to and enabling and energizing believers in matters of prayer and service. (John 16:5-15; Rom. 8:1-11; Eph. 1:11-14)
The Return of Christ
We believe in the imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (1Thess. 9-10; 1Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14; Rev.19:11-16)
The Resurrection of the Dead
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust. The just shall be raised to the presence and rewards of our savior; the unrepentant shall be raised to the everlasting punishment of the lost. We affirm the Biblical truth of heaven and hell. (I Cor. 15:2-27; John 5:28-29; John 6:39-40,44; Acts 24:15; Rom. 8:11; 1Thess. 4:16; Rev. 20:13)
The Church
We believe in the importance of the local church as a place of worship, service, encouragement, and discipline in every believer’s life. (Eph. 1:22,23; I Cor. 12:12-26; Acts 20:28-32; Heb. 10:24-25; I Tim. 3:1-13)
Further Statements on What We Believe
We believe that because the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, we should take careful attention to what God says and live according to His Word. (2 Tim. 3:16-17, Ps. 119:1-16, John 17:17)
We believe that God is loving and merciful, not wishing any to perish, but that all should come to repentance. (Titus 3:4-7, 2 Peter 3:9)
We believe that any conduct contrary to God’s nature and standards is sin and unrighteousness and is therefore not in accordance with a godly lifestyle. (I John 3:4-10, Ps. 1:1-6, Rom. 6:12-14)
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31, Rom. 13:8-10, Luke 6:31) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with the Bible. (Lev. 19:16-18)
We believe that Jesus demonstrated that we can show compassion, love, kindness, respect and dignity to those in sin without condoning their sin, but instead calling them to repentance and restoration to God. (John 8:1-11, Luke 19:1-9)
We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and that no works or deeds on our part can contribute to receiving God’s gracious gift of salvation. (Eph. 2:8-9, John 14:6, Gal. 3:10-14)
We believe that anyone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior has been reconciled to God (Rom. 5:9-11, 2 Cor. 5:18-21) and therefore has direct access to God the Father. (Eph. 2:16-18, Heb. 4:14-16)
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably created humankind as male and female. These two distinct genders reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen. 1:26-27, Mark 10:5-7) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. God did not simply make people in His image; rather he made them in His image as “male and female” (Gen. 1:26, Mark 10:6). The Bible is never ambivalent regarding people’s gender identity and gender itself is rooted in biological realities that existed all the way back in Genesis 1, before the fall.
We believe that marriage is a covenantal relationship of love between a biological man and a biological woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in the Bible. (Gen. 2:18-25, Mark 5:6-9)
We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (Ex. 20:14, 1 Cor.7:2-5; Heb. 13:4)
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 (Ps. 139:13-16, Gen. 25:21-24, Luke 1:15), the aged (Lev. 19:32, Prov. 16:31, 20:29), the physically or mentally challenged (I Thess. 5:14, Ps. 72:12-14), and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death (Matt. 6:26). We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Gen. 9:6, Ex. 20:13)