What we believe

Bible: We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible was written through God’s inspiration and it has been preserved by Him so that the Bible as we have it today is authoritative and is to be believed and obeyed. We believe that a key question to ask when interpreting the Bible is “what was the intended meaning of the author?” 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matt. 5:18

The Godhead: We believe in one Triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three are equally divine, have the same nature and attributes, but they constitute the single personhood of the Godhead. John 5:18; John 1:1-5; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Acts 2:38-39; Deut. 6:4

Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He was with God from eternity past and is God from eternity past. He is fully God and fully man. He lived a perfect life here on earth. He died on the cross as payment for our sin. He rose from the dead bodily as evidence that the Father accepted His payment. John 1:1-5; Luke 1:35; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Heb. 4:14-15; 1 John 2:1-2; Rom. 4:25; Rom. 3:21-26.

Mankind: We believe that all people were born with a sinful nature. Because of that, and because of specific sinful acts, we are guilty before God and can not earn His favor. Rom. 3:23, Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3, 12

Salvation: We believe that a person’s only hope of salvation is to be forgiven by God. This forgiveness is offered as a free gift. It can not be earned. Our salvation was paid for by Jesus’ death on the cross. Salvation is offered to all. It is promised to all who believe in Jesus. When a person is saved, they are forgiven of all their sins, they are both adopted into Gods family and born again into His family. They are given a new nature, and they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit who teaches, empowers, and encourages them. Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 2:11-14; John 16:7, 13-15; John 3:16; Gal. 4:4-6; John 3:7; 2 Cor. 5:17; Col. 1:14; Rom. 3:21-24; Rom. 8:9-11

Assurance and Security: We believe that a true believer can know on the authority of the Bible that they are saved. We believe that all true believers belong to God and that He takes responsibility to preserve and protect them for eternity. However, this does not absolve Christians of responsibility to walk faithfully. While our salvation depends on God, our choices and actions here on earth continue to matter and we will have to give account for them. 1 John 5:11-13; John 5:24; John 10:27-30; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; John 6:37-40

Final State: We believe that all people – believers and unbelievers – will persist consciously even after death. Believers – Christians – will be with the Lord Jesus forever in heaven where they will continually be praising and worshiping God. Unbelievers – non-Christians – will be separated from God forever in hell where they will be continually conscious of their suffering. Matt. 25:46; Luke 12:5; 2 Peter 2:4-9; Rev. 20:13-15; Rev. 22:3-5 

The Church: We believe that the Church is a spiritual organism made up of all born again believers. The Church has this universal aspect and is also represented by local congregations throughout the world. The head of the Church – both the universal church and local congregations – is the Lord Jesus. He is the Chief Shepherd. He appoints local shepherds – elders – to care for local congregations. However, these elders aren’t to “do all the work”, instead, they are to equip the saints who in turn do the work. Eph. 1:22-23; Eph. 5:23-27; Col. 1:18; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Eph. 4:11-16

Spiritual Gifts: We believe that all Christians have been given at least one spiritual gift which equips them to be useful in the service of God. The ministry of and to the body of Christ is to be carried on by all believers, not just a special “clergy” class. The body will only be healthy if every member is doing its part. Rom. 12:1-8; 1 Cor. 12; 1 Cor. 14; Eph. 4:7-16

Future Events: We believe in the future, imminent, physical return of the Lord Jesus to earth. He will come to reign over the earth and to judge the people of the world. Acts 1:9-11; Heb. 9:27-28; 1 Thess. 4:13-5:11; Titus 2:11-14; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 19-22;