Faith and Doctrine

People are hungry and searching for truth, and the Bible, God, and Christianity hold that truth. We believe the gospel is the central focus of the Bible, the cornerstone of our faith and life, and the foundation of the Christian faith. The following is a statement of the essential beliefs and teachings that embody our faith and doctrine.

Scripture

The Bible comprises the Old and New Testaments, 66 books altogether, and is the complete canon of Scripture. It is the inspired Word of God without error and contradiction. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ and God’s revelation of himself to the world and his will for salvation. Entirely reliable and truthful, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all it requires, and trusted in all it promises. The Scripture is the supreme authority over our lives, faith, and ministry direction. The Word of the Lord remains forever.

Luke 24:27, 2 Peter 1:19-21, 1 Peter 1:25, Luke 24:44-46, Hebrews 4:12,  2 Timothy 3:15-17

God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit

One God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, eternally exists in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three have the exact nature, attributes, and perfections and are worthy of the same reverence, confidence, and obedience. God is both self-existent and personal.

God the Father reigns with providential care over His creation according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-wise. He is fatherly toward all and Father in truth to His children, those saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ the Son was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He is fully God and fully human, two distinct natures joined in one Person. He lived a sinless life, died for the sins of humankind, and was buried and resurrected bodily on the third day. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of the Father, where He is the Mediator. He is coming again as King and Judge. Jesus Christ is the only provision that God has given for people to be reconciled to Himself. Jesus’ life on earth is the Father’s revelation of His nature and serves as the Christian life model. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-present Lord.

The Holy Spirit draws us to Christ, dwelling within us when we place our faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit reveals the truth and convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He regenerates, seals, and baptizes believers into the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is a helper, empowering believers to live an effective Christian life by affirming salvation, bestowing spiritual gifts, comforting and encouraging, and giving strength to live in a manner pleasing to God. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 12:29, John 1:1-4, John 1:14, John 14:6, John 14:16-17, John 14:26, Romans 1:3-4, 2 Corienthians 13:14, 1 Timothy 3:16

People and Sin

God created man in His image, perfect but free to choose evil over good. Tempted by Satan, he disobeyed and turned against the loving rule of a righteous God, resulting in physical and spiritual death and separation from God for the entire human race. Alienated from God and under His condemnation, all are inclined toward sin, depraved, and dead in trespasses and sins. Although fallen, humanity maintains the image of God, and therefore every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. Only through God’s divine grace and the saving work of Jesus Christ can humankind be brought into His holy fellowship and then fulfill the created purpose of glorifying God. Those in Christ are holy and blameless, receiving a new nature that becomes the foundation for growing in grace and being changed by the power of the Spirit.

Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 3:3-6, Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9, John 5:40, John 6:35, Romans 1:20-24, Romans 3:10-12, Romans 5:6-8, Romans 5:12,19, Romans 6:6, Romans 7:14-20, Romans 8:5-8,14-18, Ephesians 2:1-3, Ephesians 4:24, Colosians 1:21-22, 2 Corienthians 3:18, Hebrews 10:10,14

Salvation

Salvation is reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ’s all-sufficient atoning work on the cross. God offers salvation by His grace alone, and we receive it as a gift through faith alone in Jesus Christ. A new life imparted by the Holy Spirit through the Word is essential to salvation. This right standing before God must be received and cannot be earned through morality, baptism, ordinance, or work or effort. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. God freely offers salvation to all people, and our salvation is secure.

Matthew 26:28, Romans 5:6-9, 2 Corienthians 5:21, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 2:8-9, Philippians 3:4-9, 

Security of the Saints

Through the eternal purpose of God and by the very nature of the divine gift of eternal life, all redeemed true believers, once saved, are kept by the power of God and secure in Christ forever. It is a privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s word; however, God is holy and righteous and cannot overlook the sin of His children and, in His love, will correct those who trespass and persistently sin. In the end, Christ will present all of them faultless before the Father and conformed to the image of the Son.

John 5:23-24, John 10:28, Romans 8:29, Romans 8:35,37-39, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 2:11-14, 1 John 2:1-2, 1 John 5:13, 

The Church

The church comprises all whom God’s grace has justified through faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit unites them in one body, Christ’s, of which He is the Head. Becoming members of one another, we keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and love one another with a pure heart. The church is not an institution but a family, people, worshiping, serving, living their spiritual lives together, and imitating Christ’s character, love, and actions to the world. The church is the hope of the world whose mission is to deliver the message of salvation to all people, from neighborhoods to nations, making disciples as we go. Under the Lordship of Christ, its scriptural offices are elder and deacon. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of elder is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. The church celebrates two ordinances and sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Matthew 16:16-18, Ephesians 1:20-23, Ephesians 2:18-22, 1 Corenthians 12:12-14,18,25-26, Ephesians 4:3-8,11-16, Colosians 3:13-15, Acts 2:42-47, Hebrews 10:23-25, Acts 14:23,27, 1 Peter 5:1-5, Acts 20:28, Acts 6:2-6, 

The Great Commission

Christ commissions His followers to go into the neighborhoods and nations, proclaiming the gospel just as His Father sent Him. Created for His glory and worship, God desires an eternal relationship with us. After being saved, our primary purpose in life is to make Christ known to all nations and all people, baptizing new believers and teaching them to follow Christ and observe all that has been commanded. 

Luke 24:44-48, Ephesians 2:8, Acts 1:8, John 20:21, Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:18-20,

Jesus’ Return

According to the Word of God, this age will conclude with the personal, bodily, and glorious return of Christ, bringing to completion God’s plan to reestablish His just and righteous rule over all humanity. There will be a resurrection of all humankind. Christ will judge all in their righteousness. The righteous, those saved through Jesus Christ, will spend eternity with God in the new heaven and earth. The unrighteous, those who are not saved, will spend eternity in torment, separated from God. Therefore, we should constantly look with expectation and act with urgency to share the gospel and make disciples.

Matthew 24:29-31, Mark 13:5-10, Luke 12:40, John 14:1-3, Acts 17:30-31, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, James 5:7-8, Revalations 20:4-6, Revalations 20:11-15, 

Singleness, Marriage, and Sexuality

The Lord established the church as a way for single people to experience the blessing of family. Singleness itself is a divine gift from God for His glory and the joy of the one to whom it’s given. The dignity of singleness is seen in the life of Jesus and the Apostle Paul. Therefore, singleness is both a legitimate and honorable state for those who use their energies to serve the kingdom of Christ. Singleness enables the pursuit of intimate communion with God, community and discipleship with others, and the interests of the gospel with focus. There is no greater joy than pleasing God and helping others find their joy in Christ.

1 Corienthinas 7:6-9, 1 Corienthians 7:26-35, 1 Thessalonians 3:7-9, 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, 3 John 4

Marriage is a gift created by God, a holy and divinely established one-flesh covenant between one man and one woman before God. It reflects the relationship between Jesus Christ and His church and is a picture of the gospel used to spread the glory of God. The relationship is designed to be a place of God-given joy with a lifelong commitment to companionship, covenant love, and sanctification. God’s intent is that married individuals be united in their faith.

Scripture establishes the roles of husband, wife, parent, and child in the family. The roles of husband and wife are equal in value to God but are different and complementary. The husband is the servant leader of the family, loving his wife as Christ loved the church. He is to nourish and bring up the best in her based on her gifts, strengths, and heart desires. The husband is to cherish, care for, and protect his wife physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The wife responds to the husband with mutual contribution and respect by supporting, defending, and following him. Children are a blessing from the Lord. Parents are to model the pattern for marriage and Christian life, lovingly disciplining and teaching their children biblical truths. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

Genesis 1:26-28, Matthew 19:4-6, 2 Colosians 6:14, 1 Corenthians 7:1-5, Hebrews 13:4, Ephesians 5:22-6:4, Colosians 3:16-17, Psalm 127:3, Dueteronomy 6:6-8, Psalm 78:4-7

All people bear the image of God and must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, and proper respect and dignity. The entire human race enters this world with a nature inclined toward sin, and some struggle with their sexual identity and sexuality. God created humanity with distinct gender identities, male and female, giving them specific roles for human flourishing, and He continues this process through biological reproduction. Expressing sexuality outside God’s design and sexual intimacy outside the marriage relationship is sinful. God offers redemption and restoration through the saving grace of the gospel to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:29-5:2, Romans 12:9-21, 1 Corenthians 6:18, Romans 1:26-27, 1 John 1:8-9

Ordinances and Sacraments

Christ instituted two ordinances and sacraments, baptism, which is once for all, and the Lord’s Supper, which is ongoing and regular. Since Christ commands us to do them, they are ordinances and sacraments because God’s blessing and grace come to us in unique ways through them. They are signs because they symbolize the blessings of salvation, forgiveness for sins, reception of the Holy Spirit, and the ability to commune with Jesus Christ in his presence. As seals, they bring blessings to us and stir up our faith. They show that we belong to Jesus and are bound together as His church by his death and resurrection.

Water baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is an act of obedience symbolizing the burial of the old self and the resurrection of the new self to walk in life in Christ. It is a testimony of an individual’s faith and the saving grace of Jesus.

Matthew 3:13-17, Luke 3:21-22, Acts 2:40-42, Acts 16:13-15, Acts 18:6-8, Romans 6:4, Colosians 2:12, Matthew 28:19

The Lord’s Supper is an act of obedience and a symbol of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, the fellowship of His church, and the coming day when His redeemed people will gather in the presence of the Savior.

Matthew 26:26-30, Luke 22:19-20, 1 Corenthians 11:23-29, Acts 2:42