God

We believe that there is one, true God manifested in three persons known as the Trinity.

THE TRINITY

We believe in the trinitarian nature of the Godhead. God is one and triune in nature. All members of the Trinity have eternally existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and all fully possess the attributes of deity. The Godhead exists in perfect order and submission with the Son submitting to the Father and the Holy Spirit submitting to the Son.

Genesis 1:26, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 3:16, Matthew 28:19-20, 2 Corinthians 13:14

Father

The first person of the Trinity. He has eternally existed and created all things. He is separate from creation but is active within it. He lovingly and sovereignly reigns over all things, including salvation apart from any merit within ourselves.

Ephesians 4:6, Isaiah 63:16, Deuteronomy 6:4

Son

The second person of the Trinity. The Son is the Divine Mediator between mankind and the Father. He has eternally existed but became incarnate for an appointed time. He lived a perfect and sinless life, completely fulfilling the Law, and willingly gave Himself up to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin before the Father. Through His death all who believe in Him are justified, and through His resurrection, all who believe in Him will be raised with glorified bodies at His second coming.

1 Corinthians 8:6, Hebrews 1:3, John 1:1-14

Holy Spirit

The third person of the Trinity. He is the Helper sent by Christ after His ascension to indwell within believers and transform them through sanctification and godly living. He convicts sin, regenerates, empowers, encourages, seals, and gives gifts to individual believers.

John 14:26, Isaiah 11:2, Acts 2:38, John 16:12-15

God’s Glory

We believe that God created us and everything around us for His ultimate glory and that life is wasted when not living for the glory of God above all other things. God's glory encompasses the greatness, beauty, and perfection of all that he is and we are to live our lives in a way that makes him look more like the greatness, beauty, and infinite worth that he really is. God’s purpose is His glory and we are to do everything in our lives and as a church to glorify Him.

1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 11:36, Psalm 72:19, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Revelation & The Bible

Revelation

We believe that God reveals Himself through General and Special Revelation. God is not known by our own ability or any other human means. He is known only through His own self–disclosure, which is called revelation. General Revelation is where God reveals Himself to everyone, everywhere through creation, common grace, and conscience. Special Revelation is where He reveals Himself as the Savior to our Sin through His Holy Scriptures and the Gospel of Jesus that leads to salvation.

Romans 1:18-21, Hebrews 1:1-4, Ephesians 1:17-19

The Bible

We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the inspired, inerrant, and perfect word of God. They are the only sufficient and authoritative rule for all saving knowledge, faith, and instruction in godliness. God speaks to us through the working of His Holy Spirit and they are applicable to every stage and situation in life, consistently calling the reader/hearer into action. We believe all of the Scriptures point us to a redemptive storyline revealing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 119, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21

PROVIDENCE

The Sovereignty of God

We believe God has complete knowledge, control, and sovereignty over the world now and throughout all history. He perfectly governs all creatures and all events but is not the author, nor approver of sin. Nor does His perfect governance destroy human liberty and responsibility.

Psalm 115:3, 1 Chronicles 29:11-12, Isaiah 46:9-10

IMAGO DEI

The Image of God

We believe God shared His divine image in creation when He created Human Beings in the image of Himself. Our identity is rooted in the image and identity of God and therefore morality, creativity, productivity, rationality, and relationally are all characteristics given to us as image-bearers of God. Human creativity, in all its forms (including art, poetry, literature, music, reproductivity, etc.) bears witness to God’s identity as Creator. Because all men and women are made in the image of God, every person, regardless of race, religion, color, culture, class, sex, orientation, age, or ability has intrinsic dignity and value; and therefore should be loved and served, not exploited or avoided. We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image and we are called to defend, protect, and value all human life.

Genesis 1:26-27, James 3:9, 1 Corinthians 15:29

SIN

The Fall of Mankind | Original Sin

We believe mankind was made for perfect communion with God in the Garden of Eden. Human beings that were made in the image of God are now fallen and with sin due to the Original Sin of Adam and Eve. Since the fall of man, Original Sin has caused all people to be born with open hostility towards God and righteousness, and in their freedom choose to rebel against God and His good commandments. We are not only born to that sin but we choose it as well.

Romans 3:23, Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:12, Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 14:2-3, 1 John 1:8-10

JESUS

Son of Man | Son of God

Jesus was and is fully God and fully man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life and was born of a virgin fulfilled by the Old Testament prophecies made about the Messiah. He lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind, and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return in power and glory.

John 1:1, Colossians 2:9, 1 Timothy 2:5, John 8:58, John 10:30, John 17:5

SALVATION

Justification

We believe salvation is the free gift of God, given to those He calls and offered to all mankind. Salvation is given by grace through faith alone, without the merit of works. Salvation is found only through the work of Christ. All must believe that He is the Messiah Savior who bore the penalty for our sin through His death and resurrection and justified us before the Father. At the point of conversion, Jesus’ righteousness is counted onto us, so that God sees us as forgiven and righteous sons and daughters adopted into His family. This good news is the only way for salvation and no other means or message than the Gospel can bring one into a saving, reconciling relationship with the God that created them for Himself.

Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Romans 10:9, Acts 4:2, John 14:6, John 6:44

THE CHURCH

The Body of Christ

We believe Jesus is the Head of His Church. The Church is composed of all true disciples and believers in Christ, and in Him is found all authority for its governance. Christians are to associate within local churches and are all associated through the Universal Church. Within the local church, Christians are to worship together within a community, receive teaching, mercy, grace, exhortation, rebuke, discipline, and are called to serve one another with gifts they have received from the Holy Spirit for the building up of the Church to be sent out on mission. This mission is both local and global as Jesus has commissioned us out to share the Gospel and make disciples to all nations. Within the local church, the ordinances of Baptism (post-conversion by immersion) and the Lord’s Supper are to be practiced. We are to regularly assemble through corporate gatherings of worship and smaller groups of community.

Acts 20:28, Ephesians 2:20-22, Hebrews 10:24-25, Colossians 3:16, Romans 12:5, Colossians 1:18, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Peter 2:5

CONSUMMATION

The Second Coming

We believe Christ will return physically and publicly. He will cause the dead in Christ to rise again and give glorified bodies to the saints. He will judge both the living and the dead, ultimately defeat Satan, and usher in the new heavens and the new earth. Believers in Christ will enjoy eternity with Him while those who reject Him will spend eternity apart from Christ in hell in a final judgment.

Revelation 1:7, John 14:3, Matthew 24:30-36, Hebrews 9:28, Colossians 3:4, Acts 1:11, 2 Peter 3:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:16