Our Statement of Faith
Summarized Statement of Faith (for full statement see Constitution and ByLaws)
We hold to the Apostle’s Creed as an overall summary of the basics. Beyond that…
The Bible: We believe that the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God. The Bible is the guide and final authority in the matters pertaining to Faith and Life.
God: We believe that there is one infinite God, eternally self-existent in Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God the Father functions in the roles of the Sovereign One, the Creator, the Provider, the Protector, the Law Giver and the Judge.
God the Son, Jesus Christ is true God and true Man. His substitutionary death on the cross provides the way for sins to be forgiven and a restored relationship to God.
God the Holy Spirit is a real person and regenerates all true believers, then indwells, sanctifies and empowers them for Godly living and service to the glory of God.
Creation: We believe that God created the cosmos and everything in it. We believe that before sin entered the cosmos, everything was created good and perfect by God’s standards. We believe that mankind was created in God’s image.
Thus we believe that God created each person immutably and biologically distinct as male or female. We also believe that biblical marriage is an exclusive union between one man and one woman.
The Fall: However, we believe that through Adam’s Original Sin God’s good and perfect creation became disordered. As a result we are now physically disordered, spiritually disordered, relationally disordered, and emotionally disordered.
Through the disordering of mankind we have now what is called a sin nature. This nature left to its own devices will continue to sin with the propensity to desire more sin.
We believe that due to the Fall, mankind is considered to be lost and in need of redemption, reconciliation, regeneration by the Holy Spirit and restoration which we call salvation.
Justification: We believe that salvation is the gift of God. We believe one becomes saved when one repents of their sins, accepts Christ as their Savior, and confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord of their life. This salvation is received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
We believe that we are redeemed and reconciled to God the Father through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross through the shedding of His blood.
Finally, we hold firm what Jesus says “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6
Sanctification: As the Fall brought disorders to mankind, we continue to struggle to live up to God’s standards in all areas of our life. By God’s continuing grace he enables us to live a holy and righteous life.
All lifestyle choices that run counter to the Word of God and His standards can be forgiven. As believers then, we are to adjust our lifestyle choices to come into conformity with the Word of God. Although in this life we may occasionally stumble back into a sin, true believers will mature and grow and consistently apply God’s standards to their lives.
Service: We believe that there are supernatural gifts and talents given by the Holy Spirit to those who have salvation: to be energized and called to their own divinely appointed service as the Holy Spirit wills, to reach out to unbelievers, to witness for Christ, to build the Body of Christ and to exalt Christ Himself.
Glorification: We believe that Jesus Christ has prepared a place for us, that He will descend from heaven to raise the dead and the living in Christ and, by the grace of God, bestow eternal life upon all in Him. Our resurrection, like Christ’s, is a resurrection that includes a new physical body.
Condemnation: Those who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior will be separated from His presence unto condemnation. This separation is real and literal and the punishment eternal.
Sacraments: We believe there are two sacraments, Water Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. In baptism, neither the amount of water nor the mode is critical. The Lord’s Supper is believers communing with their Lord Jesus Christ experiencing His presence in their lives. The forms of the Bread and the Cup are immaterial, as this is a spiritual meal.
The Church: We believe we are a body of believers who are called to be God’s people, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, being one body and having one spirit. Just as we are called to one hope, we are called to love one another deeply from the heart and make spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.