BELIEFS
The Word
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, with supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. The Holy Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to man and is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth – without any mixture of error – for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us – therefore it is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. (Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all-powerful and all-knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8–11; 2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 12:12–14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 5:18)
Humanity
Humans, though created in the image of God, have fallen short of God’s perfect standard and are in need of salvation. (Gen. 1:26; Rom. 3; 5:12-19; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:18-19)
The Gospel
The glorious news (Isaiah 48:11; Hab. 2:14; Rom. 4:20, 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Cor. 3:18; 11:36; 1 Tim. 1:11; Heb. 4:9-10) that by God’s grace (John 1:14-18; Acts 20:24; 2 Cor. 4:15; Gal. 1:6; Eph. 1:6-7), through the cross of Christ (Deut. 21:22-23; Rom 3:21-26; 1 Cor. 1:17-18, 15:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Col 1:20, 2:14; Heb. 12:2), the good life of the Spirit has been made available. (Matt 4:23; Mark 1:15; Acts 1:3, 6, 28:23, 31; Rev. 1:6, 5:10, 11:15)
Discipleship
Discipleship is not a program, but a process. In Matthew 4:19 Jesus called the disciples to “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Here we see a call to Jesus, to be changed by the Gospel of Jesus, for the purpose of the mission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To accomplish this, Jesus spent 3 intense years with His disciples, teaching and modeling a life devoted to God while on the mission of God. Therefore, Christian discipleship is a process, more than a program or experience.