WHAT WE BELIEVE
The Father
We believe in God the Father, creator of heaven and earth. The Father is the designer of the work of redemption. It is by the grace of the Father that all our earthly needs are met.
Genesis 1:1; Psalm 2:7-9; Isaiah 53:10; Matthew 6:26, 30, 32; John 14:6; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 1:3
Jesus Christ
We believe that the man known as Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ and promised messiah, is the second person of the trinity - fully human and fully divine. Eternal life is only possible by receiving, in faith, Jesus' death and resurrection as atonement for your sins.
John 1:18, 3:16, 14:22; Romans 5:8, 8:32; Colossians 2:15, 19; 1 John 4:10; Jude 4
Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is equally God with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is at work in the act of creation, inspiration, equipping for ministry, convicting of sin, and generates faith.
Genesis 1:2, 2:7; 1 Samuel 11:6; Psalm 140:30; Malachi 3:17; John 16:7-11; Acts 2:4, 5:3-4; Romans 8:15;
1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:16; Hebrews 2:4
God's Sovereignty
We believe in the absolute sovereignty of God over all things. God's sovereignty is affirmed in the act of creation, it sets him apart from all other possible gods, it gives him authority over governments and kingdoms, and it is exercised in the salvation and judgement of individuals.
Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 3:24; 2 Samuel 7:22; Psalm 68:20; Jeremiah 32:17; Daniel 4:17, 7:14; Acts 4:24; Romans 9:16, 18
Scripture
We believe that the Bible is the written Word of God, inspired by God, to be our rule of faith and practice. Scripture is clear and sufficient in itself for accomplishing its ultimate goal: the glory of God and the salvation of those whom God calls to himself.
Numbers 12:6; Deuteronomy 29:29, 30:11-14; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 John 2:20
Human Beings & Sin
We believe that all human beings are created in God's image. Human beings were created to be in relationship with each other. Although initially created perfect and without sin, the Fall has tarnished our perfection, making us guilty of sin from conception. Our sinful nature has left us totally incapable of doing good apart from the working of the Spirit.
Genesis 1:26-27, 2:18, 3:1-19; Jeremiah 13:23; Job 15:14; Romans 3:23, 8:7-8; Ephesians 1:3
Salvation
We believe that salvation is only possible by the grace of God, and granted to a person on the basis of faith in Jesus. Because salvation is an act of grace, it is a gift that God gives to us, not something we can earn. We agree with the Reformed doctrines of election and predestination in that God first chooses who will be saved, the Holy Spirit then convicts that person of their need and softens them to the gospel. All people receive eternal life; those who believe will spend eternity in God's presence in heaven, those who do not believe will experience an eternity of separation from God known as hell.
Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:46; John 3:16; Romans 2:28, 9:13-16; Ephesians 1:4-13, 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:4-7
Baptism & Communion
The believe that we been given two sacraments: baptism and Communion. These are called "sacraments" - not "ordinances" - because we believe that in each act, God is the initiator, therefore making baptism and Communion "acts of grace." We understand baptism to be a New Testament extension of the Old Testament practice of circumcision, and therefore baptize the children of believing parents and new believers. We understand Communion to be a remembrance of Jesus' crucifixion and an invitation to approach and receive the blessings of the cross. While commanded in Scripture and central to Christian practice since the early church, we do not believe that participation in and practice of the sacraments is necessary for salvation; albeit, one's faith will compel them to participate as often as possible according to the patterns presented in Scripture.