What We Believe

The Scriptures or Bible

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible, and God-breathed. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:8; John 16:12-13)

For a more complete explanation please watch the message “God Reveals” from the teaching series from M28 on the Doctrines of the Faith.

Back to top

God

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing as three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—Who are each fully God in eternal relation with each other. (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4; 26; John 1:1,3; Matthew 28:19; Romans 1:19, 20; 2 Corinthians 13:14 Ephesians 4:5,6)

For a more complete explanation please watch the message “The Trinity: God is” from the teaching series from M28 on the Doctrines of the Faith.

Back to top

The Person and Work of Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man (John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 1:35)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24, 1 Peter 2:24, Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:3-5)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry as Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25, 9:24, 1 John 2:1-2)

We believe Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead (Romans 14:9, 2 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 4:5)

For a more complete explanation please watch the messages “The Incarnation: God Comes” and “The Cross” God dies” from the teaching series from M28 on the Doctrines of the Faith.

Back to top

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is coequal with God the Father and God the Son. He reveals Jesus Christ to sinners, permanently and completely indwells believers at the point of salvation, forms the likeness of Jesus Christ in believers through sanctification, guidance, the distribution of all the biblical gifts of the Spirit, empowers the mission of Jesus Christ through believers and unifies the Church (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 5:18).

For a more complete explanation please watch the teaching series from M28 on the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit here.

Back to top

The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts 

We believe that the Holy Spirit distributes a variety of spiritual gifts to individual believers for the common good of building up the Church. We believe no one has every spiritual gift but every believer has at least one spiritual gift. Each believer has the responsibility to develop the spiritual gift(s) given to him or her by the Holy Spirit. We believe in the continuation of all the gifts of the Spirit found in scripture. The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion and is the placing of the believer into the Body of Christ.

We believe that particular spiritual gift(s) are neither essential, nor prove the presence of the Holy Spirit, nor are an indication of deep spiritual experience (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 13; Ephesians 4:7–8).

We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accordance with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14, 15). We believe God gifts each person for a specific function(s) in the Body of Christ and it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister in this function for the common good of the Church according to the gift(s) and grace of God that is given to him (Romans 12:1–8; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Peter 4:10–11).

We believe love is the highest and best ministry and governs the use of all spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 13).

For a more complete explanation please watch the teaching series from M28 on the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

Back to top

Sin

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that through Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; man is sinful in nature and choice and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.(Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23, 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12)

For a more complete explanation please watch the 4-part teaching series, “Fallen, Sin, Sinners and the need for a Savior.”

Back to top

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19)

For a more complete explanation please watch the 4-part teaching series, “Fallen, Sin, Sinners and the need for a Savior” and the message “The Resurrection: God Saves” from the M28 series on the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

Back to top

Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:5).

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion for sinful expression (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

For a more complete explanation please watch the message, “The Resurrection: God Saves” from the M28 series on the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

Back to top

Eternity

We believe man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. We believe Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence. (John 3:16; Romans 6:23; 1 John 2:25; 5:11-13; Revelation 20:15)

For a more complete explanation please watch the series, “The book of Revelation” from M28.

Back to top

The Church

We believe the Universal Church is the community of all true believers for all time. We believe the local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize autonomously under qualified leadership free of any external authority or control, gather regularly for preaching, teaching, prayer and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism and Communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness and on mission to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in the world for God’s glory and their joy. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; Acts 14:27, 18:22, 20:17; Romans 16:1-4; 1 Corinthians 3:9,16; 1 Corinthians 12:12–14; Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25–27; 1 Timothy 3:1–3; Titus 1:5–11; 1 Peter 5:1–4)

For a more complete explanation please watch the message “The Church: God sends” from the teaching series from M28 on the Doctrines of the Faith.

Back to top

Communion

We believe that the sacrament of communion (also called The Lord’s Supper or Eucharist) is a symbolic act for believers in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Communion serves at least three purposes; a time to examine our hearts, remember with gratitude the sacrifice of Jesus and refresh our commitment to proclaim the Gospel to all people. We celebrate Communion six to eight times a year. (Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25)

Back to top

Baptism

We believe that the sacrament of baptism by immersion (what we often refer to as “Going Public”) is a symbolic act for believers after salvation as one of the first steps of obedience in the Christian life. We believe the Baptism represents the public identification of the message and mission of Jesus Christ.

For a more complete explanation of baptism, click here to watch a video on baptism.

Back to top