STATEMENT OF FAITH
God
We believe the Bible reveals God as one perfect being eternally existing in three distinct yet coequal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of the three persons within the one true and living God is divine and worthy of our honor and praise. The Scriptures also show God’s character to be loving and holy, for in his mercy, God has redeemed sinful humankind while, in his righteousness, opposes all evildoing. (Exo. 34:6-7; Deut. 6:4-7; Matt. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 13:14)
Creation
We believe God created everything that exists for his glory and pleasure. He spoke all things, physical and spiritual, into existence out of nothing by his divine Word. He made human beings in his image, male and female, to know and love him and appointed us caretakers of his good creation. The three persons of the Trinity are intimately involved in the work of the created order, for the Father upholds all things by His living Word and, through the power of His Spirit, provides life to all creatures. (Gen. 1:1-2:7; Ps. 8:5-8; Jn. 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-17)
Sin
We believe humankind was initially created blameless and made for loving fellowship with God. However, our evil actions have severed our relationship with him, ushering the world into spiritual darkness, moral corruption, death, and divine judgment. We cannot save ourselves or redeem any part of our lives, for sin’s power has corrupted our thoughts, taken hold of our willpower, and locked us in a perpetual cycle of spiritual death. Apart from Christ, we are alienated from God, creation, and our fellow man. (Gen. 3:1-13; Ps. 14:1-3; Isa. 59:1-2; Gal. 5:19-21).
Salvation
We believe the gospel is the good news that God loves the world and offers all people redemption from sin’s penalty through faith in the substitutionary atoning work of his Son, Jesus Christ. We cannot earn God’s grace, nor is there anything inherently worthy within our being deserving of his mercy. Instead, God offers his grace freely, enabling us to receive it in faith. We become worthy recipients of his amazing grace by placing our complete trust in Christ, which results in God forgiving our sins and adopting us as his beloved children. (Matt. 26:27-28; Jn. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 5:16-21; Gal. 4:1-7)
God the Father
We believe God, the Father, is completely sovereign and achieves all he desires. Along with his Son and Holy Spirit, the Father is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. By calling God our heavenly Father, we faithfully proclaim that we were made for a loving relationship with him. Therefore, as his beloved children, we’re called to trust him completely as our ultimate provider and protector and to place our hope solely in him. (Gen. 1:26-27; Ps. 104; Matt. 6:25-34; Rom. 8:17-21).
Jesus Christ
We believe Christ Jesus is the eternal Son of God, the only mediator between God and humanity, and the world’s Savior. Jesus’ incarnation did not occur naturally through human conception but by the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Virgin Mary. Therefore, Jesus is not only fully human but also fully divine, yet without sin. We also declare that Jesus perfectly fulfilled the scriptures by dying on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. He powerfully displayed God’s love and mercy for the human race, fulfilling God’s justice and breaking the power of sin and death. When Jesus rose from the grave, God restored him to life in his resurrected body. Jesus then ascended to heaven and was seated at the Father’s right hand. As our heavenly high priest, he intercedes for and embraces all who come to him in repentance and faith. (Ps. 2; Mal. 3:1; Matt. 1:18-20; Jn. 3:13-15; Acts 1:9-11; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Cor. 15:3-8; Heb. 10:11-14)
The Holy Spirit
We believe that God, the Holy Spirit, is coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit imparts the breath of life to every living thing in creation, reveals God’s Word to his people, and calls sinners to a new life of faith in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit indwells all Christians and seals us for the day of salvation. His role in our life is to convict us of sin, give us spiritual gifts for the work of ministry, produce spiritual fruit that leads to greater holiness, and empower us to be heralds of the gospel and to work for the justice of all people. (Gen. 1:2; 1 Sam. 16:13; Matt. 3:16-17; Acts 4:5-31)
Scripture
We believe the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, is God’s infallible written Word. The work of the Holy Spirit brought about the inspired writings of scripture as he impressed his will upon the minds of the prophets and apostles to record God’s revealed will to humankind. Therefore, God’s perfect Word is the church’s final authority in all matters of belief and practice. Through scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches, corrects, and trains us to live righteously before God and by his will. (Deut. 8:3; Ps. 19:7-11; Matt.4:4; 2 Tim. 3:14-17)
The Church
We believe the church represents all Christians worldwide called and formed by Christ into one diverse yet unified community. The church is holy because the Holy Spirit dwells in its midst, manifests his power, and sanctifies the people, setting them apart for God and calling them to a life of righteousness, justice, and mercy. The church not only gathers together corporately to worship God through preaching the Word and practicing the ordinances of baptism and communion but also to serve each other and our communities and proclaim the gospel. (Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 12:4-5; Eph. 2:11-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-10)
The Last Things
We believe that Jesus Christ’s second coming will be in victory and with magnificent glory, seen by all people, and will bring the end of this age. The current world order, with its corruption, sorrow, and death, will ultimately fade away, and God will establish his glorious kingdom and usher in a fully renewed creation to last forever. All people, whether living or dead, will be judged by Jesus Christ. Those who have rejected the gift of grace in Christ will receive eternal punishment, while those who have trusted in Christ will receive eternal life and live with God forever. (Dan. 7:13-14; Matt. 25:31-46; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 21:1-4)