GOD THE FATHER
The term “God” often is used to indicate the Trinity collectively, and it is true that all three Persons of the Trinity are equal in terms of their attributes and nature. However, God the Father does have a major, unique role: He is the Master Planner. It is God the Father who makes the plans implemented by God the Son (Jesus) and brought to completion by God the Holy Spirit. He sent the Son (in the form of Jesus) as a sacrifice for our sins; He forgives sins and brings about salvation for everyone who believes in Jesus. In general terms, He rules over everything supremely.
(1 Corinthians 8:6; John 16:15; Matthew 6:14; John 3:16; 1 Peter 1:3; Luke 10:21; Ephesians 4:6)
JESUS CHRIST THE SON
We believe that the Son of God was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary to become the man Jesus, without ceasing to be God, in order to reveal God and redeem sinful mankind.
(John 1:1,2,14; Luke 1:35; Colossians 1:15-20; Philippians 2:7)
We believe He died on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all humanity, providing salvation to everyone who trusts in Him. We believe in His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.
(Romans 3:24, 25; 4:25; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2:24; and 2 Peter 2:1)
We believe that He ascended to heaven and is exalted at the right hand of God, where He serves as our Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate.
(Acts 1:9,10; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)
We believe He will return to judge the living and the dead, defeat Satan and establish His eternal Kingdom.
(Luke 12:40; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 19-21)
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person who convicts the world of sin, and that He is the supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ and living in them for the rest of their lives.
(John 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14)
We believe that He is the divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth.
(John 16:13; 1 John 2:20, 27; Ephesians 5:18)
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Old and New Testaments are the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, without error in the original writings.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13)
MANKIND
We believe that mankind was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin all of humanity fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is unable to remedy his lost condition without God’s unmerited grace.
(Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 8-12)
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is the free gift of God, brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins.
(Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
THE CHURCH
We believe that the Church is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again individuals. The Bible refers to the Church as the “body” and future “bride” of Christ.
(Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25, 27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2)
ORDINANCES
We believe that water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Communion) are significant above any other ordinances for Christians to observe. We believe that water Baptism has no saving merit, but that after a person is saved, that individual should be baptized as a public testimony to his or her new life as a Christian. We believe that the scriptural method of water Baptism is immersion, and that a person should be baptized by immersion only one time. We believe that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper to commemorate His death, and that it should be observed often as a memorial of the body and the shed blood of Jesus. The Lord’s Supper is open to all born-again believers.
(Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:9-13; Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-33)