WHAT WE BELIEVE
About God…
There is one God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
God is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1-2; John 1:3)
Pursuing anything else in life apart from Him will be meaningless
(Ecclesiastes 1-2; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Matthew 6:33)
It is foolish to deny His existence (Psalm 14:1)
Many have and will continue to try to explain Him away to their own demise (Romans 1:18-32)
About the Bible…
God’s Word is reliable and flawless (2 Samuel 22:31)
His Word is inspired & God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
His Word was received by men “carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21)
His Word lights our path (Psalm 119:105); guards our heart (Psalm 119:11); penetrates our heart (Hebrews 4:12); purifies our hearts (John 15:3); and transforms our lives (Romans 12:1-2)
His Word is to be used to mature us (Colossians 1:28) and to be held out to people (Philippians 2:16)
About Man…
Man was created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27)
Man’s nature from birth is sinful (Jeremiah 17:9)
Man has sinned against God’s law and needs forgiveness (Romans 3:23)
About Jesus…
He is fully God who left heaven and came to save us. (Philippians 2:5-7)
He is the only Son of the Living God, born of a virgin (Matthew 16:16; Acts 2:36; Luke 1:26-38)
He died for our sins, was buried and was raised to life again, and appeared to the disciples and more than 500 people at the same time. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
His death satisfied God’s anger toward our sin, which allows that act of love to be a substitutionary death for us (Isaiah 53:3-6)
He is our only hope to be saved from God’s wrath toward sin (Acts 4:12; John 14:6)
He will literally return to this earth as He promised (John 14:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 2 Peter 3:3-4, 10, 13)
About the Holy Spirit…
He teaches and reminds us (John 14:26); He convicts the world of guilt (John 16:8); He guides us into all truth (John 16:13); He glorifies Jesus (John 16:14);
He sets believers apart (2 Thessalonians 2:13); He intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:26); He brings freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17); He helps us overcome timidity (2 Timothy 1:7)
We are to receive Him (Acts 2:28); to be filled with Him (Ephesians 5:18); to bear fruit from Him (Galatians 5:22-23); and to keep in step with Him (Galatians 5:24-25)
We are to not quench His fire in us (1 Thessalonians 5:19); not grieve Him (Ephesians 5:18); not insult Him (Hebrews 10:29); and certainly not blaspheme Him (Mark 3:28-29)
About Salvation…
We are saved by grace through faith and for good works (Ephesians 2:8-10)
A repentant life is a prerequisite as we come before God inviting Him into our hearts (Acts 20:21; 2 Peter 3:9; Acts 17:30; Revelation 3:20)
Confessing Jesus as Lord leads to salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)
Obedience in baptism proclaims our allegience to Christ. (Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38)
We are to “grow up” in our salvation (1 Peter 2:2)
We are to “work out” our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12)
It is based on the gospel of Jesus Christ and available for all who would believe (Romans 1:16)
God does the drawing (John 6:44) and the adding. (Acts 2:47)
It is an urgent matter; today is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)
God’s patience allows more people to be saved (2 Peter 3:15)
The Church is to go into the world with the message of salvation through Christ (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8)
About Baptism…
As followers of Jesus Christ, baptism is an essential step in our relationship with him and demonstrates our love and obedience to Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20)
Baptism by immersion symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and is your public declaration that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. (Acts 2:38-41, 22:16, Romans 6:3-5)
About Life…
Life is sacred and begins at conception (Psalm 139:13-16)
About Death…
It is appointed man once to die and then face judgment (Hebrews 9:27)
It is the separation of body and spirit (Ecclesiastes 12:7) with the body returning to the ground from which it came and our spirit returning to God who gave it.
A believer in Christ goes to be with the Lord immediately after they die (2 Corinthians 5:6-9)
About Marriage…
It was created by God to be between a man and a woman and intended to be for this lifetime (Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 22:30)
We believe heterosexual immorality and homosexual behavior are outside of God’s intentions (Ephesians 5:3; Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27)
About Communion…
We take it weekly in remembrance of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 11:24-26)
It’s for believers in Christ to take and it’s to be a meaningful time (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)
It is not a Biblical mandate to take it weekly, but often times the early Church would take it even daily.
About the Church….
Our Foundation is Jesus (Matthew 16:13-18)
Our Head is Jesus (Ephesians 5:23)
The elders are shepherds of each local congregation in the Church (Acts 20:28)
The Church is the Body of Christ (Colossians 1:18)
The Church is the Bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7;21:1-4)
We are on a mission with Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20)