We believe there is one Creator of all
things. He is the living and true God. His Divine nature is undivided and
indivisible. There exists three eternal distinctions in the divine essence,
known respectively as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
(Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22; Deuteronomy
4:35-39; 1 Kings 8:60; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 45:5; Matthew 28:19; Mark 12:29-32;
John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 13:14; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Timothy 2:5)
About Jesus Christ:
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is
co-equal with the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a sinless human life and
offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on
a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over
sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return again someday to earth to
reign as King.
(Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5,
14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts
1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13)
About the Holy Spirit:
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the
Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of
their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment
of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of
spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer
spiritual gifts when they are saved. While we respect a diversity of views
within the Christian community, we insist on unity between church members in
matters of major doctrine and practice. We encourage believers to seek
spiritual gifts without giving "air time" to one or more gifts over
another. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily.
(Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 3:17; John
16:7-13, 14:16-17; Galatians 5:25; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13,
5:18)
About the Bible:
The Bible is God's Word to us. Human
authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, wrote it. It is
the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs about living. Because God
inspires it, it is truth without error.
(2 Timothy 3:16, 1:13; 2 Peter 1:20-21,
Psalm 119:105, 160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5)
About Man:
Man came into being through a special
creative act of God. Man is the crowning part of God's creation, in that
he was created in God's image and was given dominion over the earth. Man
is basically a three-part unity. He fell from his original state of holy
innocence and probation through willful disobedience. As a result, God's
image was marred, death was introduced to the world and the sin nature has been
passed down through the ages. Although man has tremendous potential for
good, he is marred by sin that separates him from God. Man can never make
up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. The sin problem of mankind
can only be remedied by trusting in the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus
Christ, asking for forgiveness of ones sins, and confessing Jesus Christ as
ones Savior.
(Genesis 1:27; 2:7; 3:9-13; 5:1-2; 9:6;
Exodus 20:9-11; 31:16-17; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 43:7; 53:6; 59:1; Romans
3:10-12, 23; 6:23; 7:18; 8:7-8; 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; 3:13;
Revelations 4:11)
About Sin:
Sin is a failure to obey God's
laws. It entered the universe when Satan attempted to revolt against
God. It entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the
Garden. All men have inherited the sin nature from Adam and all are
totally depraved prior to salvation. Even after one has received eternal
life they will struggle with the sin nature wanting to rebel against God.
Sin has tragic results upon others. The basis of ultimate and complete
victory over sin is found in the death and resurrection of Christ.
(Genesis 2:16-17; 1 Kings 8:46; Psalm
51:1-4, 17; 104:11-12; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 14:12-15; 53:6; Ezekiel
28:11-19; Luke 10:18; Romans 1:18, 28; 3:23; 5:12, 19-20; 2
Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:18, 32; 1Timothy 4:2; 1 John 1:9; 3:4,
8; Revelations 12:3-4)
About Salvation:
Salvation is God's free gift to us but we
must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good
works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can
anyone be saved from sin's penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and
turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one
receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. Because God gives man
eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in that salvation for
eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by
the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of
God that gives this security.
(Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6,
1:2; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1, 10:9-10)
About Eternity:
People were created to exist forever. We
will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or eternally with God
through forgiveness and salvation. Heaven and hell are real places of
eternal existence.
(John 3:16, 14:17; Romans 6:23, 8:17-18;
Revelation 20:15; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9)
About the Church:
The Church of Jesus Christ needs to be
understood in two senses, namely universal and local. In the universal
sense the church consists of all those during this age who have been born of
God's Spirit and have therefore been baptized into the body of Christ. In
the local sense, a church is a called-out living assembly of baptized believers
associated by a covenant of faith, organized by New Testament principles,
assembling regularly together, led by qualified pastors, under the discipline
of God's Word and the headship of Christ, observing the ordinances, with the
purpose of expressing praise and glory to God by evangelizing the lost and
equipping the saved. The Head of the Church is Jesus Christ. Every local
church has the right, under Christ, to decide and govern its own affairs.
(Matthew 16:16; Acts 2:41-42; 6:1-4;
15:13-18; 20:17-28; Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 10:33; 12:12-28; Ephesians
1:22-23; 4:4-6; 11:16; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 5:17; Titus 1:5; 5:23-25; 27, 32;
Colossians 1:18, 24; 2:19; 1 Peter 2:4-5; Revelation 19:6-9)
About Ordinances:
Water baptism by immersion and the Lord's
Supper are to be observed by the church during this present age. They
are, however, not to be regarded as a means of salvation. (Matthew 3:16;
28:18-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:36-39;Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians
11:23-28; Colossians 2:12)
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