Our Beliefs
The Bible
We believe the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, is the divinely inspired Word of God. The Bible is without error in the original manuscripts and is fully authoritative for every follower of Jesus. God’s Word is true, life-giving, sufficient, and necessary for the people of God.
2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Pet. 1:3-4, Prov. 30:5, John 10:34-36, Isa. 40:8, 2 Pet. 1:16-21
God
We believe there is one God, sovereign, all-powerful, all-knowing, always present, loving, just, and perfect, who exists eternally in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each member of the Trinity is equal and yet distinct in personhood.
Gen. 1:1, Deut. 6:4, Isa. 40:10-31, Ps. 139, Ps. 147:5, Ex. 34:6-7, Deut. 32:4, Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14, Mk. 1:9-11, John 1:1-18, John 8:49-59, Heb. 1:1-3, Acts 5:3-4, 1 Cor. 2:10-11
Jesus
We believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, equal with God, who became man in order to save sinful humanity. Fully God and fully man, Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died as a substitutionary sacrifice for sinners, was raised from the dead, and ascended to the right hand of God the Father in heaven. Jesus will physically return to earth and will rule forever as King over all of creation.
John 1:1-18, Heb. 1:1-3, John 3:16, Matt. 1:18-23, Heb. 2:5-18, Heb. 4:14-16, 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Pet. 3:18, Rom. 3:21-26, Rom. 4:24-25, Lk. 24, 1 Cor 15:3-8, Acts 1:1-11, Heb. 9:28, 1 Thess. 4:13-18
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God, the third member of the Trinity, who eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. He was sent into the world to convict people of their sin, draw people to salvation in Jesus, transform believers into the likeness of Christ, and empower God’s people for a life of mission and service. The Holy Spirit lives inside all Christians and gives them an assurance of God’s love.
Acts 5:3-4, 1 Cor. 2:10-11, John 14:15-27, John 15:26—16:15, John 3:5-8, Rom. 8:9-17, Acts 1:8, 1 Cor. 12:1-11, Eph. 1:13-14
Humanity
We believe God is the Creator of all things. He made man, male and female, in His image and likeness to reflect His love and goodness in the world. The equality of personhood, interdependent relationships, and distinctness of roles among males and females reflects the beautiful unity and complementary diversity of God’s created order. Marriage is a gift from God that is meant to be shared between one man and one woman for life. Homosexuality, transgenderism, and heterosexual sin are all a product of Adam’s fall into sin and do not reflect God’s good intentions for mankind.
Gen. 1—2, Mk. 10:1-12, Eph. 5:22-33, 1 Cor. 6:9-11
Salvation
We believe that all people have sinned against God, have become separated from God, and are deserving of God’s righteous judgment. Salvation is a free gift that is received by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. No one can earn God’s love or save themselves through their own good works or religious deeds. People are saved through repentance of sin and trust in the completed work of Jesus. Through trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection, sinners are justified (declared righteous) before a Holy God and saved from God’s wrath. At the moment of conversion, believers are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, spiritually united to Jesus, and adopted into God’s family. Believers enter into a life-long process of sanctification where they are being changed more and more into the likeness of Jesus. Guarded by the power of the Holy Spirit, all true Christians will persevere in the faith and remain believers throughout their lives.
Rom. 3—4, Gal. 2—4, Eph. 2:8-9, Acts 20:21, Eph. 1:3-14, 2 Cor. 3:17-18, Philippians 1:6, 1 Thess. 5:23-24
The Church
We believe that the Church consists of all true believers throughout the world. The local church is a congregation of Christians who gather together for worship, prayer, teaching, fellowship, and participation in the ordinances of the church. The Holy Spirit gifts each individual member with spiritual gifts to be used to serve the church and expand God’s mission in the world. The ordinances of the church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We baptize believers as a symbol of union with Christ’s death and resurrection. And we regularly partake of the Lord’s Supper as we celebrate what Christ has done for us.
Eph. 4:1-5, Gal. 3:26-29, 1 Cor. 12:12-14, Acts 2:42-47, 2 Tim. 4:1-2, 1 Cor. 12:1-11, Matt. 28:19, Rom. 6:1-4, Lk. 22:7-20, 1 Cor. 11:23-26
The Return of Christ
We believe that Jesus will physically return to earth one day to establish His kingdom and to judge the ungodly. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead and the coming new heavens and new earth. Unbelievers will experience eternal punishment in hell. Believers in Jesus will enjoy eternal life with God on the new heavens and new earth.
Rev. 19—22, 1 Thess. 4:13—5:11, 2 Thess. 1:3-10, Matt. 24:30-31, Matt. 25:31-46, Titus 2:11-14