Core Beliefs

How We Know…

Bible

God by his Spirit has graciously disclosed himself in human words, inspiring the words preserved in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. These Scriptures are both record and means of his saving work in the world, complete in their revelation of God’s will for salvation, and sufficient for all that He requires us to believe and do.

Who God Is…

Trinity

There is one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. - who know, love, and glorify one another. Infinitely perfect both in his love and in his holiness, He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things.

Jesus

God expressed himself in human form through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Fully man and fully God, he is the perfect reflection of God’s character and glory. Born of a virgin, he lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words are true. He offered himself as the only perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He rose physically from the dead and ascended to heaven where He is exalted as Lord of all.

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Jesus and to apply His work of salvation in the lives of his followers. He convicts sinners, reveals the truth of the gospel, and draws the sinner to God. He teaches, comforts, and empowers - giving each follower diverse gifts, fostering unity, interdependence, productivity, Christ-like character, and love among Christians.

And Who We are.

Humanity

All people are created with dignity and value in the image of God, to live in relationship with Him. However, that nature and intended relationship have been corrupted as a result of the fall of our first parents, and is evidenced still in our own sin (failure to live by God’s moral standards). We experience the destructive consequences of that broken relationship both spiritually and socially, and ultimately in physical and spiritual death, which is separation from God.

Salvation

Salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It has been accomplished by Jesus and is offered to all in the gospel. God in His love forgives sinners whom He calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, adopted into the family of God and given eternal life. Good works and a holy life, though unable to save anyone, are a natural result of a life lived in response to God’s grace.  

Church

The universal Church is the body of Christ to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, the preaching of the gospel, the administering of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (given by Jesus to the church as visible signs of the gospel), for pastoral care and discipline, and for evangelism.

Future

The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth.