BELIEFS

Our Basic Beliefs

The Bible is the Word of God

We believe in the inspiration and authority of the Bible. It tells us about God, how to have a relationship with Him, and how to live for Him. This gives us a basis for knowing what to believe, a way to know the true nature of God, a dependable guide for our lives, and a basis for unity.

There is one God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

We believe in God, the creator of all things, as a “Trinity” - one God in three eternal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Included in belief in the Trinity is a recognition of God the Father, the deity of Christ (Jesus was God in the flesh, born of a virgin, dying as the sacrifice for our sins, and raised from the dead), and the person and work of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to grow in Christlikeness.

Sin is the human problem, and Jesus is our only hope

We believe sin is the universal human problem. The essence of sin is self-centeredness and the rebellion that comes from it. While lack of education, poverty, oppressive governments, etc. must be addressed, underneath every major problem is the damage rebellion has done to the human race. Jesus is the one hope we have for life. The Bible speaks of no other way to save us except through this Savior King, who is the pathway to God. He lived the perfect life we can’t live, died the death we deserve as our substitute, and rose from the dead, proving his victory.

We repent, trust, and obey Jesus

We believe God saves us by grace through faith, but this free gift is not automatically applied to everyone. Our role is to repent (to turn from a self-centered life to a Christ-centered life), to trust (that Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins once for all), and to begin obeying Jesus. We practice baptism by immersion to all who make the decision to trust in Jesus as Savior and follow Him as Lord. It is a public identification with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus set this example, and the New Testament demonstrates this step as part of the conversion process. It is meant to be the beginning of a new life of following Jesus, being changed by Him, and leading others to do the same.

We join Him in restoring a broken world

Jesus is the King who came to bring His Kingdom here and now. He is at work right now restoring a broken world through the church, His Body. We join God in this work, eagerly anticipating and working towards the day when Jesus will intervene to right the wrongs of this world, bringing peace and justice. At his return, King Jesus will judge the world and destroy evil and death itself. He will redeem and restore His fallen creation. All things will be made new.