WE BELIEVE THAT...
·…the Scripture is the inspired Word of God and is our perfectly reliable guide for all matters of belief and practice. (1 Timothy 3:16 & 17 – “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”)
·…there is one God who reveals Himself in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and these three are equal and have always existed together in eternity. (2 Corinthians 13:14 – “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.)
·…we have been created by God and for relationship with God. (Genesis 1:27 – “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”)
·…we have all chosen to disobey God (Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”)
·…as a result of our sin we have all incurred spiritual death which is separation from God. (Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death…”)
·…God’s response to our sin was to come to our world in the person of Jesus Christ—being miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, living a sinless life, dying on the cross for our sins, being raised from the dead, ascending to heaven, and one day returning to earth in glory—to provide us an opportunity for forgiveness and eternal salvation. (John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”)
·…salvation is available to all those who believe in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:13 – “Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”) and only to those who believe in Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12 – “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”)
·…the Holy Spirit indwells and empowers those who believe in Jesus. (John 14:16-17 – “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.”)
·…every Christian needs the fellowship of a loving, caring, nurturing group of believers. (Acts 3:42, 44, 46 – “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer … And all those who had believed were together … day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart…”)
·…the divine assignment given to all Christians is to take the message of Jesus to the entire world. (Acts 1:8 – “…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”)
·…all of the redeemed have equal status in the eyes of God. (Galatians 3:26-27 – “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”)