





 |
What
We Believe
God In Three
Persons
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. To Him, we owe the highest love, reverence and obedience.
The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit with
distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence or
being.
Genesis 1:1; 2Corinthians 13:13,14
God: The Father
God as Father is the Giver and Sustainer of life, the seen and unseen.
He is all-loving, all-just, all-wise and all-powerful. He is the true God
and the One who judges righteously and tests the heart and mind. God is
Father to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ;
however, He is fatherly toward all men.
Genesis 18:25; Galatians 4:6,7
God: The Son
God as Son is the perfect representation for the Father in human form.
He is fully human and fully divine. He is equal with God the Father but
humbled himself by taking on the form of a servant and became obedient to
a death on a cross. He knew that only through the shedding of His blood
would the sinless Lamb of God be able to secure forgiveness and remission
of sins. He arose on the third day following his death as He declared and
now lives and reigns with the Father in glory awaiting His final
triumphant return. He lives in all believers as the living, ever-present
Lord.
1Corinthians 15:3,4; Philippians 2:5-11
God: The Holy Spirit
God as Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and unrighteousness, works
in the life of each believer to produce godly character qualities and
demonstrates Himself, in the life of the church, through special abilities
given to each believer to carry out the work of the church. He is
Comforter, Teacher, Wisdom and Counselor.
John 16:7-13; Galatians 5:22-25
The Bible
The Bible is the historical record of God's activity written by men but
inspired by God's Spirit and contains no error. It is truth provided for
the believer as a tool to know the heart of God. It reveals the plan,
purposes and will of God for all time.
Psalm 119:105; 2Timothy 3:16
Humanity
Man was created by a special work of God, in His image and is the
finest of all creation - God said, "It is very good!" Man was
created innocent but with a free choice he sinned against God and fell
from his original state. Because Christ died for all, every person is
worthy of respect and Christian love.
Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23
Salvation
Salvation is the gift of God for all humanity and is offered freely to
all who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. It was obtained by the
substitutionary death of Christ on the cross. He shed His own blood for
our sin that we might be rightly related to God.
Romans 5:8,9; Romans 6:23
Grace
Grace is the unmerited favor of God and shows us His goodness. All who
have accepted Christ and are set apart will never fall from grace but will
endure the end. Believers may sin and grieve the Holy Spirit, but they
will be kept by the power of God.
Ephesians 2:8,9; Ephesians 4:30
Church
The church is a group of believers brought together by the Spirit of
God to carry out the Great Commandment by practicing the Great Commission
and observing the two ordinances of the church-baptism and the Lord's
Supper. Each church is an autonomous body operating under the leadership
for Christ as the Head of the Church.
Matthew 22:37-40; Ephesians 5:23-27
Baptism
Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change that has occurred
in the life of the believer. It is an identification with Christ by
picturing his death, burial and resurrection. It is the first commandment
a new Christian is given from the Lord Jesus.
Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4
Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is an opportunity for personal examination and
reflection as we observe the "Lord's death until He comes." The
bread and cup are symbols of His body and blood which were broken and
spilled out for our salvation and is done in "remembrance" of
Him until He comes again.
Luke 22:19,20; 1Corinthians 11:23-32
Worship
We view worship from two sides: adoration and service. Worship could be
defined as pure adoration, the redeemed person contemplating and praising
God in His holy perfection. Reverential adoration and committed service
are both prominent expressions of the biblical concept of worship. True
worship involves a willingness to serve and genuine service to God must be
accompanied by a sense of reverence and adoration. Psalm 95:6,7; Ephesians
2:10
|