If we were to boil our main beliefs down to a few short sentences, here is what they might look like:

 

God is the Almighty Creator who is worthy of our complete devotion. The Bible is God’s perfect owner’s manual for living. Jesus is God’s Son and the only way to Heaven. God lives in and through followers of Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit. Repentance and faith are absolutely necessary to know God. The church is God’s instrument on this earth to reach people who do not know Him. Jesus is coming back and it could be today. We understand that some people want to know specifically what we believe and if you are one of those, we encourage you to read below for a more thorough statement of our beliefs.

We believe the Bible is God’s written revelation to man. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Every word of scripture is chosen by God Himself, and thus is divinely inspired and absolutely without error in the original documents. We affirm the infallibility, sufficiency, and authority of Scripture. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living, and we can trust it for all matters of faith and practice.

We believe that our sinful nature has eternally separated us from our Creator. No matter how hard we try, we can never earn our way back into God’s presence. We believe that Jesus, through His death on the cross, provided salvation for all. However, to receive salvation one must repent of their sin and trust Jesus Christ alone. We believe that salvation is instantaneous and accomplished solely when the repentant sinner, enabled by the Holy Spirit, responds in faith. Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. We didn’t do anything to earn our salvation, and we can’t do anything to lose it.

We believe that all who put their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body, the Church, of which Christ is the head. The formation of the church, the Body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture. We believe that the local church is important. Is the instrument through which God has used and will continue to use to reach the world. The biblical purposes of the local church are worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship and ministry to others.

We believe that there is but one living and true God, who was, is, and always will be. He is perfect in all His attributes. We believe that God is one, but exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal, each equally deserving worship and obedience. We believe that He created everything that is out of nothing. God is all knowing, all powerful and ever present.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and co-equal with the Father. He has existed from the beginning of time, yet lived on this earth during the first century A.D. Throughout His earthly life, he was completely God and completely human at the same time. He was virgin born, and led a completely and entirely sinless life. We believe that Jesus was crucified for the sins of all mankind, and is the only way to God. After three days in the grave, Jesus defeated sin and death, rising bodily from the grave, demonstrating His power over sin and death. He then ascended to His Father’s side where He is now Head of the Church and intercedes for believers. We believe Jesus Christ is coming again personally, visibly and bodily to reign as King and Lord.

We believe that the Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He works in the world to make all people understand their need for Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit begins to live inside every follower of Jesus at the moment of salvation, baptizing them into the Body of Christ, and sealing them forever. He provides us with power for life and ministry, teaches us spiritual truth, and guides us in doing what is right. We believe that all Christians must continually yield to the Holy Spirit.

We believe that God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to the earth. We believe that the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness.