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Statement of Faith |
| The Bible
We believe that the Bible is a unique written record which reveals to us God's desires, intentions, and even his very heart. We believe that the Bible is able to do this because it is the very words of God given to us through individuals specially chosen by God for this purpose. The Bible was given in such a way as to prevent its human authors from making mistakes. Although God supervised these human authors as they wrote, they were allowed to express what God revealed to them in the language of their own time and in a manner which was consistent with their own cultures. Much of our difficulty in understanding the Bible grows out of these varied backgrounds. Because it is the only record which explains God and the world as fully as he desires, and with the authors having avoided making mistakes, the Bible is the primary basis for our faith. Simply put, the Bible is the first source to which we go when we wish to understand an issue and it is the standard by which other input is judged. On the one hand, we believe that all that is in the Bible is true, and on the other hand, we acknowledge that not all truth is in the Bible. Truth and information are all around us, but everything must be evaluated in light of what the Bible teaches on a given subject. Our desire is to do and teach just what the Bible says. The Bible was not given to satisfy our curiosity, but to change our lives. Therefore we highly value practical biblical teaching which focuses on what we should be doing and experiencing in our everyday lives. As we read the Bible we expect God to reveal to us the "next step" in our growth toward maturity. |
God The Bible tells us that God exists without beginning or end. He is the creator of all that exists, as well as its ruler, and the one who sustains all things. The good news is that God is also the savior of all who call on him for salvation. God is actually three persons known generally as the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. In a mystery known as the Trinity, these three persons are one God, are one God only, and are the only God. |
Mankind Mankind is the supreme and unique creation of God. We are distinguished from other physical creatures by the possession of a soul or spirit. Each person is therefore composed of both a body and a spirit/soul. God created man in order to glorify himself as well as for fellowship. However, mankind utilized the freedom which God gave as an opportunity to exert his independence from God, resulting in the disobedience which is known as sin. Because every human is separated or "disconnected" from God as a result of his/her own sin the greatest need each person has is to be reconciled or "reconnected" with the creator. |
Jesus Jesus is the solution to mankind's problem of being disconnected from God. God the Son became a human being, Jesus of Nazareth, in order to remove the separation which sin had caused. Jesus, through his life, his death on the cross, and his rising from the dead, provided a way for our sin to be removed and forgiven. In Jesus, we also find a way to be free from sin's influence in our lives. God has now announced that each person who accepts Jesus as savior and puts him in charge of their life will find peace with God, and have their sins forgiven and their lives reconstructed. |
The Holy Spirit When a person accepts Jesus as savior and leader the Holy Spirit moves in and dwells in them. The effect of this change is so powerful that the Bible refers to it as being "born again." The Spirit's desire is to empower us to grow and live the way God originally intended. The Bible says that the Spirit's influence in us produces healthy results. . . "fruit." We read that the fruit of the Spirit's presence in our life is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control." Galatians 5:22 23. The Spirit also equips us for ministry, enabling us to serve one another. Every Christian receives what the Bible calls spiritual gifts when the Spirit enters our lives, gifts which equip us to perform works of ministry. These special gifts are for the mutual benefit of the whole body of Christ, the entire Church. |
A Better Life The new life we receive in Jesus Christ is eternal and is progressively good and joyful. When we die God promises us that we will be with Him forever and ever. The Bible often refers to this as "salvation" or "eternal life." We receive this life as a free gift (Romans 6:23). We do not earn it or deserve it. No one has been or ever will be "good enough." Everyone has too many flaws. God gives us this gift freely because He loves us. The Bible calls this "grace" (Ephesians 2:8). The only thing we can do is receive this gift by believing in Jesus Christ and by accepting his control over our life. The Bible calls this "faith." The Bible tells us to do two things to initiate our faith walk with Jesus: first admit publicly (to someone else) that we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Leader (Romans 10:9-10), and second, be baptized (immersed) as a symbol of our own death and rebirth in Christ (Acts 2:38 and Romans 6:3-4). From this point on we do our best to follow Jesus' example. We grow by allowing Him to change our lives and by allowing Him to use us to change the lives of others! But no matter how much you and I progress or do good, we still completely depend on God's grace for our life. In fact, those who have lived long and devoted lives of service to Jesus will testify that they depend more on God's grace now than when they first began. |
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