WE BELIEVE that there is only one God, eternally existent in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. WE BELIEVE that man, made in the image of God, is a fallen creature by virtue of his rebellion against his Creator and thus deserves eternal judgment from a righteous God. WE BELIEVE that Jesus is the Son of God uniting in the single person of the Son two distinct and complete natures, deity and humanity. He lived as the perfect man to fulfill God's plan for all humanity. The sacrificial death of Christ paid the full penalty of man's sin and provided salvation for all believers. Christ's bodily resurrection from the grave, showing His triumph over sin and death, offers the promise of resurrection and eternal life to all who have faith in Him. WE BELIEVE that salvation is by grace through faith. Justification before God, gives us freedom from punishment and gives life with God, is available only as a gift from God through faith in Jesus Christ. At the time of conversion the Holy Spirit baptizes every believer into the body of Christ and enables him to:
~ grow in maturity and conformity to the image of Christ,
~ grow in love for God and for fellow man, and
~ bear witness to the saving power of Christ in a lost world. WE BELIEVE that the Bible is “inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). We believe that Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of all scripture: all scripture points to Christ, and all scripture must be read through the lens of Christ. We believe that the authority of Scripture depends not on the truth or understandings of humankind, but on God himself, who is truth, and thus the scripture must be received as the word of God. We believe that it is only by the Spirit of God that anyone can interpret the scriptures with power and humility, efficacy and insight. |
