What We Believe​

 

THE APOSTLES' CREED

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We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

 

We believe in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord;

     Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,

     suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; 

     He descended into hell;

     The third day, He arose again from the dead;

     He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

     From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.  

 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, 

     the holy catholic church,

     the communion of saints, 

     the forgiveness of sins, 

     the resurrection of the body, 

     and the life everlasting.

 

Amen.

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STATEMENT OF FAITH

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God
Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24, 10:30; 2 Corinthians 13:14
We believe that there is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality. In the beginning God created out of nothing the world and all the things therein, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness. By His sovereign power He continues to sustain His creation. By His providence He is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.

 

Jesus Christ
Matthew 20:28; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; 1 John 2:2
Jesus Christ is the eternal second Person of the Trinity who was united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for (made a payment for) the sins of all by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation and eternal life for all who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. He ascended to heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He, the only Mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own. He shall come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.

 

The Holy Spirit and The Christian Life
John 15:26, 16:8-11
The natural accompaniment of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third Person  of the Trinity. He was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to mankind the saving work of Christ. He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them a recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them (gives them new life). At the point of salvation He permanently indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength and wisdom, and He uniquely endows each believer with gifts for the building up of the body. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scripture. His power and control are applied by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christlike character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father.

 

The Bible

2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21
The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament. We believe that the Scripture in its entirety originated with God, and that it was given through the instrumentality of chosen men. Scripture thus one and at the same time speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Scriptures are infallible and without error in the original manuscripts. They are the unique, full and final authority on all matters of faith and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.                                        

 

Salvation
Romans 3:23; 5:8; Ephesians 2:1, 8-9
The central purpose of God's revelation in Scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have fellowship with God, man defied God, choosing to go his independent way, and was thus alienated from God and suffered the corruption of his nature, rendering him unable to please God. The fall of man took place at the beginning of human history, and all individuals since have suffered these consequences and are thus in need of the saving grace of God. The salvation of mankind is, then, wholly a work of God's free grace, not the result, in whole or in part of human works or goodness, and must be received by faith on an individual basis. When God has begun a saving work in the heart of any person, He gives assurance in His Word that He will continue performing it until the day of its full consummation.

 

Human Destiny

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Hebrews 9:27

Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. For all mankind, there will be a resurrection of the body into the spiritual world, and a judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. There is an eternal state of punishment for the unsaved and an eternal state of blessing for the saved. Those who have trusted Christ will be received into eternal communion with God and will be rewarded for works done in life.

 

The Church
Acts 2:42; Romans 12:1-6
The result of union with Jesus Christ is that all believers become members of His body, the church. There is one true church universal, comprised of all those who have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Scripture commands believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of baptism and communion as the ordinances established by Jesus Christ, fellowship, service to the body through development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world. Wherever God's people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the church. Under the watch care of elders and other supportive leadership, its members are to work together in love and unity, intent upon the ultimate purpose of exalting Christ for the glory of God and the fulfillment of Christ's Great Commission.

 

Faith and Practice
1 Corinthians 10:24, 31; 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Scripture is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. We recognize that it cannot bind the conscience of individuals in areas where Scripture is silent. Rather, each believer is to be led in those areas by the Lord, to whom he or she alone is ultimately responsible.