What do we believe?

Our primary source for understanding and teaching is the Bible, which we hold to be the inerrant Word of God. The Old and New Testaments are the supreme and final authority for faith and life.

God is the loving creator and sustainer of the universe and of all living things.  There is one God in three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is love and He loves the world. God is light, for He is completely pure and righteous. God will one day judge the world with justice.

The only way to a relationship with God is through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ was God in the very beginning and God created the universe through Him.  Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and took on flesh and blood and lived among us.

Jesus’ literal death on the cross saves us from our sin. His bodily resurrection changed the course of history and created the path to eternal life.  One day he will return to judge the earth and give eternal life to His followers.

The Holy Spirit’ primary role in the life of the believer is to counsel us in the truth, convict us of sin, witness to Jesus and empower us to live holy lives pleasing to God.  The Holy Spirit is the teacher of God’s Word and guides the believers daily.

All humans have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory,  and are in need of salvation.  Sin is a lack of conforming to the will and character of God. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s  will in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world. Since then, man has been born with a sinful nature.

Being “born again” is when you accept Christ’s sacrifice for your personal sins and begin a new life living for God.  

Salvation is by grace through the acceptance of Christ’s death on the cross on behalf of one’s sin. It is a gift that cannot be earned or achieved by works. Thus, God receives all the glory for our salvation. What we do is not irrelevant, for out of our love for Him we will be responsible to live a life
worthy of God’s grace.

Our faith is expressed in obedience, repentance, confession and baptism.  Though no man can snatch us from God’s hand, we continue to have a free will to live for God by the power of the Holy Spirit or turn from Him. There is security as long as we trust in Him and not ourselves.

Baptism is the public demonstration of faith taken by new converts in the Book of Acts, as instructed by Christ in the New Testament letters.  We are convinced of the dramatic and ancient symbol of baptism by immersion.  The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ are pictured in our death to the past. Burial in baptism and resurrection (coming up out of the water)symbolize our new life in Christ.

Communion (the Lord’s Supper) in the early church was as essential to worship as teaching, fellowship and prayer. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as he shared the Passover feast with His disciples. Communion was observed on the first day of the week.

The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is to remind us of Christ’s death and shed blood for us.

Scriptural prophecy can be interpreted many ways. One thing on which the Bible is clear concerns the return of Christ.

God will ultimately be victorious and those who live for Christ will receive eternal life.  We anxiously await His coming and look forward to His heavenly reign.  As stated in Revelation, “He who testifies to these things says ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen, Come, Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22:20)