The Bible
We believe that the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments that comprise the Bible are the inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God. We believe that the Holy Spirit supervised the writers of the Bible in what they wrote so that, using their own unique personalities, the very words recorded in the original manuscripts are the direct revelation of God. We believe the Bible not only contains the Word of God but actually is God’s Word and, therefore, is the complete and final authority for belief and behavior. As such, it can be completely trusted. We believe that inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility extend equally and fully to all parts of Scripture: historically, poetically, doctrinally and prophetically.
2 Timothy 3:16
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
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2 Peter 1:21
21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
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1 Corinthians 2:13
13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual truths with Spirit-taught words.
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John 17:17
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
God
We believe that there is one and only one true and living God, an infinite Spirit who is the Maker and Supreme Ruler of the universe. We believe the Bible reveals Him to be holy, sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, immutable and full of love, justice, goodness, mercy and truth. This is only a representative list of His eternal and unchanging attributes. Although there is only one God, He exists eternally in three persons as the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe these members of the Trinity are coequal in essence, having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections, but are distinct in subsistence, executing different but harmonious functions
Mark 12:29
29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
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John 4:24
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
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Matthew 3:16-17
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
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Matthew 28:19
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
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2 Cor. 13:14
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ has existed eternally as the Son of God. At a specific point in time, Jesus became a man (the incarnation) in order to reveal God and redeem humanity. We believe He was supernaturally conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary. In His incarnation, He forever possesses both full deity and full humanity in such a way that the properties of each nature are fully retained and undiminished by the union. We believe Jesus died on the cross as a substitute for sinful humanity, was buried, rose bodily from the tomb, ascended into Heaven where He ministers on the behalf of those who have trusted in Him, and someday will come again for His own.
John 1:18
18 No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
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John 8:58
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
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Matthew 1:23
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
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Colossians 1:15–17
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
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1 Timothy 1:15
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
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1 Timothy 3:16
16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
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Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, fully coequal with God the Father and God the Son in terms of divine being, but distinct from the Father and the Son in His personhood. We believe the Holy Spirit actively ministers to the world. This ministry includes restraining evil, convicting the unsaved of sin and bestowing God’s goodness on mankind. We also believe He ministers to every believer in Jesus Christ in numerous ways: regenerating, sealing, indwelling, baptizing into the Body of Christ, and the giving of spiritual gifts. Other ministries to believers include filling, assuring, teaching, guiding and comforting.
Acts 5:3-4,
2 Thessalonians 2:3-9,
John 16:7-11,
Matthew 5:45,
Titus 3:5,
Ephesians 1:13,
1 Corinthians 6:19,
1 Corinthians 12:13,
Ephesians 3:20,
1 Corinthians 14,
James 5:14,
Ephesians 5:18,
Romans 8:16, Romans 14,
John 16:13, John 7
Creation
We believe that God, according to His sovereign will and for His own glory, created the heavens and the earth without the use of pre-existent material. We also believe that all living things came into being by the creative act of God and not by a random process. Creation has an existence distinct from Him and yet is always dependent on Him.
Genesis 2:4
4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
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Proverbs 16:4
4 The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.
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Acts 17:24
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man.
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Colossians 1:16–17
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Humanity
We believe that humanity, both male and female,was created in the image and likeness of God. Having been made in God’s image, each human life, from conception to natural death, is precious to God. Each human is deserving of equal dignity, value, and worth. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God fully and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This command has no qualification and extends to each person regardless of their culture, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. Genesis 1:26-27, Deuteronomy 10:17-19, Psalm 139:13-16, Luke 10:25-37, Acts 17:26, Galatians 3:28, James 2:1-13, Revelation 5:9-10, Revelation 7:9
Sin
We believe, though created in a state of innocence, humanity fell from its sinless state and became subject to physical and spiritual death. Sin is anything contrary to the character of God. Every person is alienated from God because of their depraved nature and personal acts of sin. Therefore, everyone is separated from God and completely incapable of meriting salvation and avoiding the judgment of God. Our sinful nature is never eradicated, even for those who have trusted in Christ alone for salvation. It remains until the end of life on earth. However, we believe God has made provision for forgiveness of sin through the blood of Jesus Christ and victory over sin through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Romans 6:23, Galatians 5:16-17, Ephesians 4:18, 1 John 1:8-10
Salvation
We believe that salvation from the penalty and power of sin is available through faith in Jesus Christ alone. This salvation was made possible through the blood of Jesus Christ which He shed on the cross. It is through this act that He became sin for us and died in our place. There is nothing a person can do to earn this salvation (including good works, moral achievement or religious status). The one and only condition for salvation is personal faith in Jesus Christ as one’s own substitute for sin and savior from sin. At the time of salvation, a person is spiritually regenerated, sins are forgiven, God’s righteousness is imputed, and he/she is declared righteous in the sight of God. This salvation is complete and a present possession of all believers which remains his/hers forever. All who have trusted Christ as Savior are kept secure and will never lose their salvation 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:24, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Ephesians 4:32, Romans 5:1, Romans 8:38-39
The Church
We believe that the Church is a unique organism composed of people from every tribe, language, people, and nation who have placed their faith in Christ alone as Savior. The Church began on the day of Pentecost and will continue its distinct purpose until Christ’s return. We believe that the Church exists in both a universal aspect, as the Body of Christ, and in a local assembly of believers in Jesus Christ. The local church has the twofold purpose of the edification of believers and the evangelization of the unsaved. We practice water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper, which we believe to be a memorial of Christ’s death. Both are open to all believers.
Matthew 28:19–20
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
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Acts 2:1–4
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
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1 Corinthians 11:23–28
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.
28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
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1 Corinthians 12:13
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
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Ephesians 4:7
7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
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Colossians 4:16
16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.
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1 Thessalonians 4:13–17
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
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Hebrews 13:17
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
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Revelation 5:9–10
9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,and they shall reign on the earth.”
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Revelation 7:9
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
Marriage & Sexuality
Marriage is a picture of Christ’s relationship with His Bride – the Church. It is defined from the beginning of Scripture as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman. God designed sexual intimacy for a marriage relationship and does not endorse or condone it in any other context.
1 Thessalonians 4:3–5
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.
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Ephesians 5:22–23
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
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Genesis 2:24
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
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Matthew 19:4–5
4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female,”
5 and said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”?