Statement of Faith
God the Father, Our Creator
God is our loving heavenly Father. He is the creator and sustainer of all things. Though God is one, He has revealed Himself to us in three “Persons”–God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each person of the trinity is completely God and shares the same divine nature and eternal attributes. God the Father is an infinite and personal Spirit who is perfect in holiness, endless in wisdom, boundless in power, and limitless in love. He concerns Himself mercifully with the affairs of humanity. He hears and answers prayers. And, by grace, He saves from sin and death all those who come to Him through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:1,26,27; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
God the Son, Our Savior and Lord
Jesus is our friend and forerunner, our Savior and Lord. Christ is God’s only Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, who is fully God and fully human. He came to earth and shared in our humanity to reconcile us to God by living a sinless life and by becoming the perfect sacrifice and atonement for our sins through His death on the cross. Further, following His death, we believe Jesus was buried, and then arose bodily from the dead on the third day, demonstrating His power over sin and death. He ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Father, He is now the only bridge, advocate, and mediator between God and man. He will return again to earth to consummate history and the eternal plan of God, according to His promise. (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13)
God the Holy Spirit, Our Strength
The Holy Spirit is our strength and power source to live out the Christian life. There is no way for us to be the person God wants us to be in our own fleshly efforts and striving. The Holy Spirit was sent from God to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ and to apply to us the saving work of Christ. His ministry is to enlighten our minds and make us aware of our need for a Savior, to regenerate and permanently indwell each believer, to direct, fill and empower us moment by moment, and to become our ongoing source of comfort, assurance, power and wisdom for godly living and service. The Holy Spirit gives each believer spiritual gifts for the strengthening and proper functioning of the church body. And He guides believers in their understanding and application of Scripture and truth. (2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13; 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18)
Mankind, Our Real Nature
God created all men in His own image, free from sin, to have a relationship with Himself and to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. But mankind rebelled and defied God and was alienated from Him and rendered incapable of pleasing Him. Now all people are born into the world spiritually lost and relationally separated from God. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of radical independence and disobedience toward God called “sin.” Our sinful attitudes and actions, by choice and by nature, make us completely incapable of restoring our broken relationship with God ourselves and desperately in need of the unmerited grace of God. (Genesis 1-3; Romans 1-3)
The Bible, Our Authority
The Bible is God’s Word to us. It is our only blueprint, compass and plumb line for life. This divine disclosure was written by over 40 different human authors, over 1,500 years, who were supernaturally guided by the Holy Spirit. Because they were uniquely inspired by God, the original autographs were written without error. The Bible (made up of 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books) is complete as a revelation of God’s will for salvation, and is the supreme and final authority for all matters of faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Proverbs 30:5; Psalm 119:105,160; 12:6)
Salvation, Our Free Gift
God loves people and desires an intimate, meaningful personal relationship with all. He has satisfied His anger towards sin, demonstrated His love for us, and opened the door for a restored bond with Him, by sending His Son to shed His blood and to die in our place (as our pinch hitter, our body double, and our substitute). Even though we don’t deserve it, God has reconciled us to Himself, completely by grace, a gift to be received by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone. We can only humbly receive this gift–since we can never make up for our sin by good behavior, good works, or good self-improvement. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer for forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-sufficient, self-governed, self-ruled life, and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. Having believed, we are spiritually regenerated, declared righteous, sealed with His Spirit, brought into His family, and empowered by Him to live a holy and pleasing life. As children of God, we will rejoice forever in God’s presence in heaven, but sadly, those who continue to reject Christ as Savior and Lord, will be forever separated from God’s love and forgiveness. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; 59:1,2; Romans 3:23; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1)
The Church and Our Mission
The church is not a building or a religious organization; it is people. The church is God’s family of faith. This called out, set apart ecclesia is the spiritual community of all who have been reconciled to God, of which Christ is the head. While universal in nature, it finds expression in local, autonomous, gatherings of believers. These local fellowships—led by a team of shepherds called pastor/elders—are made of people who voluntarily unite together to celebrate and worship God, care for one another in Christ, cultivate personal growth in Christ, and communicate Christ to our world. All true followers of Christ are called to express their faith verbally and visibly through water baptism and are encouraged to remember the Lord regularly through the symbolic memorial service of the Lord’s Supper (called Communion). Each believer is given a unique and vital function within the local church through the gifts of the Spirit. The local church is to be a unified team of servants, stewarding their spiritual gifts and resources for the ultimate purpose of bringing glory and honor to God. (Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:23; John 13:34-35; Colossians 1:28-29; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)
Eternal Life, Our Hope
Eternal life with God and His people is our ultimate hope. In the imminent future, our Lord Jesus Christ will personally and visibly return to this world, in power and glory, according to His promise. Then at the end of time, as God’s eternal rule is consummated, all people will be bodily resurrected and will stand before God to be judged for their deeds done in this life. Unbelievers will be condemned for their rejection of God and given their wish to be eternally separated from God. Believers who have a real, abiding relationship with Christ will be accepted in Christ, rewarded for their good deeds, and welcomed to live forever in communion with Him in God’s eternal kingdom of love. (John 3:16; 2:25: 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 1:8; 25:44, 46)