The Bible: How We Know God
The Bible is God’s Word to humanity about Himself, revealing His will, nature, character, being and grace by virtue of His saving work of love in the world. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments comprise the totality of the Inspired Scripture and were penned without error in the original language by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, serving as our highest written authority in this world. We believe that human beings do not have to guess or speculate about who God is or what He is like. While the Bible is for us, it is not primarily about us. Instead, we believe that all of Scripture ultimately points to and climaxes in Jesus, who is the Word become flesh. We are called to joy, stuff, and submit to the Word of God.
2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Luke 24:27, John 1:1,14
God: Holy Trinity
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three equally divine yet distinct Persons. This is commonly known as the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Jesus God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator and Ruler over all things. Perfect, loving, holy, and is therefore worthy of all glory and worship.
Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 61:1, Matthew 28:19, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 1:35, John 5:21-23, 14:10, 14:16, Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Hebrews 1:8-10, James 2:19
The Father: Our Father God
The Father is fully God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Son and the Holy Spirit. He so loved the world that He gave His son Jesus to die for our redemption. It is only through Jesus that we can come to Him. He sent forth the Holy Spirit to help us live in and for Him. We can pray to Him and He hears and answers our prayers according to His will.
Exodus 3:14, Numbers 23:19, Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2, Psalm 11:4-6, Malachi 3:6, John 3:16, Acts 17:28, Romans 3:3-4
Jesus: Our Savior
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. Jesus, born of a virgin birth, became a man in flesh, lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of humanity by dying on the cross. He arose bodily from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death and to validate that the way of salvation is through Him alone. He ascended to heaven, where He delegated all authority and will return again to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
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, John 14:6, 1 Timothy 6:14-15, Titus 2:13
The Holy Spirit: Our Helper
The Holy Spirit is also full God, Co-equal with both the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also indwells every believer from the moment of salvation, providing the Christian with power for ministry, understanding of God’s Word, comfort through trials and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to be led by the Spirit daily.
2 Corinthians 3:17, John 16:7-13; 14:16-17, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 2:12; 3:16, Ephesians 1:13, Titus 3:5, John 14:26, Galatians 5:22-25
Humanity: Loved and Pursued by God
We believe the God created Adam and Eve in His image and placed them in the Garden of Eden to live out their identity as His creation in loving harmony with Himself and one another. However, Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God, believing Satan’s lie that they could instead become like God. This is when sin entered the world, marring our relationship with God, one another, and ourselves. We are sinners by nature and by choice and our sin has alienated us from God, placing us rightfully under His just and Holy wrath. Incapable of regaining a right relationship with God through our own efforts, our greatest need is the undeserved love of this same God, who alone can rescue us from sin and restore the relationship between Himself and us.
Genesis 1:27; 3:1-7, Psalms 8:3-6, Romans 5:12,19, Isaiah 59:1-2, Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:1-3,1, John 4:10
The Gospel: God Saves Sinners
Although people are completely sinful, God had a plan in place to lovingly save and redeem people for Himself. Throughout the Old Testament, we read what God will do to save His people from their sins. In the New Testament, we see this plan fulfilled in Jesus Christ who came and lived a perfect life of obedience before God, died in our place by being crucified for our sins, and was raised from the dead on the third day. This is the “gospel” or “good news”. The Holy Spirit draws us to Christ our Savior and gives us faith to believe in Him. “Whoever believes that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead will be saved.” The gospel alone is the power of God for salvation. It is the inexhaustible promise that satisfies our restlessness by restoring us into relationship with God, giving us eternal life with Him both now and forever. Salvation cannot be earned or achieved through good works, only received as a gift of grace.
Ephesians 1:4-5, Isaiah 53:1-11, Hebrews 2:9; 4:15, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Titus 3:5-6, 2 Timothy 2:25, Romans 10:13, Romans 1:16, Ephesians 2:4-9
The Church: God’s People
We believe that in the confession and true repentance of our sins to Jesus, we are now seen by God as totally blameless and holy in our relationship with God. No longer children of wrath, by grace we have become children of God whom God sees in the same way that He sees His Son, the Lord Jesus. This is what the church calls “justification.” The community of people who believe this are “the church.” So while our relationship with God is personal, it is not individual - we have been adopted into God’s family. We believe that we are to gather together in large and small settings to worship God, proclaim and celebrate the gospel, and share our lives together for His glory.
Hebrews 10:14, Ephesians 2:19-22, Romans 5:1. 1 Peter 2:9-10, Acts 2:42-47
The Ordinances: Baptism & Holy Communion
We believe that Jesus gave His church two primary ordinances to be observed regularly: water baptism and Holy Communion. By repentance of sin and faith in Jesus, the Bible instructs us to be baptized in water by immersion as a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection fo Jesus. Baptism is the outward demonstration of our inward change of heart; therefore we baptize confessing believers who have willingly trusted themselves to Christ. Holy Communion is a regular observance the church shares together as a reminder that Jesus alone is the Savior who died on the cross, in our place, for our sins, to bring us to God. The bread represents Christ’s body that was broken and the cup represents His blood that was shed for us.
Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:38, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Corinthians 11:25-26, Matthew 26:26-29
The Baptism and Gifts of The Holy Spirit
We believe that every believer is indwelled and sealed by the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion. Separate to this regenerating work, we believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit (or being filled with the Holy Spirit) is a distinct and ongoing experience that is promised to every single believer and empowers them for Christ-exalting ministry. The initial evidence of speaking with other tongues, as well as other manifestations described in Acts 2, accompanies this experience. Whereas there is one initial baptism, there are many subsequent infillings of the Spirit. The purpose of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is so that we, the believers, may have power to be witnesses.
Additionally, we believe that believers should desire and pray for various spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit sovereignly distributes as He wills. All of the spiritual gifts as outlines in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 are still in operation and are available to believers for the building up of the church and for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 1:13, Luke 24:48-49, Acts 1:4, Acts 2:32-33, Ephesians 5:18, 1 Corinthians, 12:11, Acts 2:39
The Restoration of All Things
We believe in the personal, glorious, bodily, and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ in fulfilling the prophetic word. We trust in God’s promise that a day is coming when He will banish sin, sickness, death, decay, and Satan. Those who have rejected God will be eternally separated from Him in hell, while those who have accepted the immeasurable gift of His forgiveness will receive eternal life with Him in Heaven. When Jesus returns, He will usher in the New Heavens and New Earth.
Revelation 19:11-16, Acts 3:20-21, Revelation 21:1-5