What We Believe
THE
BIBLE
Just
like a compass needle that always points north, we believe the Bible is God’s word, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and
conduct. In it, God reveals Himself; renews our understanding of the world and ourselves; and directs us in all our relationships and
activities.
2
Timothy 3:16; 2
Peter 1:20-21; Mark
13:31; John
8:31, 32; John
20:31; Acts
20:32
THE
TRINITY
God
is a mystery, yet he reveals himself to us. We believe there is one
living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these
are equal in every divine perfection, and that they carry out
distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation,
providence, and redemption.
Genesis
1:1, 26;
John
1:1, 3; Matthew
28:19; John
4:24; Romans
1:19, 20; Ephesians
4:5, 6
GOD
THE FATHER
We
believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect
in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe He concerns
Himself mercifully in the affairs of humans, that He hears and answers
prayer, and that He saves from sin and heals all who come to Him
through Jesus.
Luke
10:21,22; Matthew
23:9; John
3:16; 6:27;
Romans
1:7; 1
Timothy 1:1, 2; 2:5,
6; 1
Peter 1:3; Revelation
1:6
JESUS
CHRIST
We
believe in Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son, conceived by
the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life,
miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning
death for our sins, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven,
continuing intercession for His people and personal visible return.
Matthew
1:18-25; Luke
1:26-38; John
1:1; 20:28;
Romans
9:5; 8:46;
2
Corinthians 5:21; 1
Peter 2:21-23; John
20:30, 31; Matthew
20:28; Ephesians
1:4; Acts
1:11; Romans
5:6-8; 6:9,
10; Hebrews
9:28; 1
Timothy 3:16
THE
HOLY SPIRIT
God
is with us. We believe in the Holy Spirit who came from the
Father and Son to create faith, cleanse and renew hearts, and
build a community of love and holiness for all who believe in
Jesus Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit dwells in every
believer in Jesus, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and
guide.
John
14:16, 17, 26; John
16:9-14; Romans
8:9; 1
Corinthians 3:16; 6:19;
Galatians
5:22-26
CREATION
The
world belongs to God, who created it and sustains it by His
providence. Creation is the display of God’s glory, showing
His power and majesty. God calls us to discover creation’s
resources, to receive these gifts with thanksgiving and delight, and
to use them wisely as stewards and caretakers who are
responsible to God and to our neighbor. We are created by God in His
image and now represent Him on earth.
Genesis
1:1; Deuteronomy
10:12-14; Isaiah
40; Psalm
139; Romans
1:20; 2
Corinthians 5:20
FALL
Here’s
where things went wrong. We believe, according to the Bible,
that sin entered the world and disrupted the way God intended his
world to be. All of creation has been adversely affected by it and is
distorted, corrupted or perverted in one way or another. When
our first parents disobeyed God and sought happiness in the lie of
Satan, they brought judgment upon themselves, their posterity and
creation. Brokenness, disease, hate, arrogance, alienation, abuse of
creation, and ultimately death are some of the fruits of sin in our
world. We see these results all around us.
Genesis
1:3-19; Romans
8:22; Romans
6:23; 5:12;
Galatians
5:19-21
REDEMPTION
Life
is about returning home--to the state God created us to enjoy.
The supremacy of Jesus is our only hope in finding our way back home.
He is our only solution to the problem of sin. Through His death and
resurrection, Jesus triumphed over sin and death. He promises to
rescue, renew and bring peace to all that have a living faith in
Him.
Colossians
1:12-20; 1
Corinthians 15:3, 4, 57;
Ephesians
1:7; Psalm
49:7
THE
CHURCH
We
believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of
which Jesus is the head and all believers are members. We believe in
the local church, consisting of believers who meet
together regularly in small groups and corporately in
Celebration services. We believe the church is the hope of the
world and that God has given the church the privilege of living
the gospel of Jesus to all peoples.
Ephesians
2:19-22; Acts
1:8; Ephesians
5:19-21; Acts
2:42; Hebrews
10:23-25
CHRISTIAN
CONDUCT
We
believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and
the well being of others. That their conduct should be blameless
before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of His
possessions; and that they should seek in themselves and others
a deepening of their vital union with Jesus to full maturity.
1
Corinthians 10:31; Romans
12:1-3; Hebrews
12:1,2; John
14:15, 23, 24; 1
John 2:3-6; 2
Corinthians 9:6-9; 1
Corinthians 4:2; Colossians
1:9, 10
LAST
THINGS
We
believe in the personal and visible return of Jesus to earth and
the establishment of His Kingdom. We believe in the
resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the renewal of
creation, the eternal joy of the righteous, and the endless suffering
of the wicked.
Matthew
16:27; Mark
14:62; John
14:3; Acts
1:11; Philippians
3:20; 1
Thessalonians 4:15; 2
Timothy 4:1; Titus
2:13; 1
Corinthians 4:5, 15; 2
Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation
20:4-6, 11-15
| 