Basic Beliefs

One God: We believe there is only one true God who is revealed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. He is infinite, eternal, invisible, all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere-present. He is entirely good, loving and just. (Deu 6:4; Exo 3:14; Psa 139)

The Scriptures: We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the word of God, written through the agency of human beings but inspired by the Holy Spirit. We accept them as the defining revelation of God’s will and purpose for humankind and the ultimate authority for faith and life. All other standards must be tested by the Scriptures. (2 Ti 3:16-17; 2Pe 1:16, 19-21)

The Triune God: We believe that there is only one God. Although God is one in essence, he exists and has revealed himself as three distinct persons: as Father; as Son; and as the Holy Spirit, who though being three persons are yet one God. All three are equal in power, glory, majesty, goodness, holiness, justice love and mercy. Since God is infinite and we are finite, this truth is beyond the capacity of our intellect to understand fully. Nevertheless we accept it as true because the Scriptures teach it. (Mat 28:18; 2Co 14; John 10:19; Acts 5:3-4)

Jesus Christ: We believe the witness of the Scriptures that Jesus of Nazareth is the eternal Word of God, the Only-Begotten Son of God. The Son existed with God before all things and was himself God, and so equal to God in every way—in power and glory and worthiness to be worshiped. Scripture teaches that at a certain point in history the Word became a human being and lived among us. That human being is the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was and is therefore both fully human and fully God. He was the full and final revelation of the One, True God in the person of a human being. Jesus is the only point of contact between humanity and God. (John 1:1, 14, 18)

Humanity: We believe that human beings were created good and in the image of God. This means that we are like God with regard to our spiritual qualities. Like him we are able to reason, to make choices, to distinguish between right and wrong, and especially, to love. Because human beings are created in the image of God, we value human life from the time of conception until the grave. (Gen 1:26-28)

Human Sin: We believe that God created humankind good. However, the first man and woman chose to rebel against the goodness of God by disobeying him. Through their first sin, sin was passed on to all of the generations of the human race after them like a spiritual disease. Sin affects our whole human nature—our willing, our feeling, our thinking and our believing—so that we all are sinners. Because sin has affected our nature in this way, the image of God in us had been damaged like a shattered mirror. However, it has not been completely destroyed. Human beings still bear the image of God in their sinful condition. (Gen 3; Rom 5:12)

The Cross: We believe that God is both fully loving and fully merciful as well as fully holy and fully just. Because he is holy and just, he will always judge those who sin. Because he is loving and merciful he has made a way for men and women to escape his judgment for sin. The cross is that way of escape. Jesus was the one and only sinless human being. Because he was sinless he could pay the penalty for sin that we should have had to pay. When Jesus died on the cross, God transferred the sins of all humanity to his shoulders. When Jesus died on the cross God poured out his judgment for human sin upon his Only Begotten Son. When he died on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for sin that sinful human beings should have had to pay. (John 3:16; Hab 1:13; Isa 53:4-6; Rom 3:24-25; 1Pe 2:24.)

Salvation by Grace through Faith: Jesus’ death upon the cross was Gods act of saving grace toward sinful humankind. Everything that needs to be done for human salvation has been done through Christ. What remains is that men and women place their faith in Christ. This means that we must receive him by confessing him as Lord, and that we place our faith in his completed work upon the cross. When we do this, God gives to us the gift of righteousness. In other words, God relates to us as though we were totally righteous and sinless. (Eph 2:8-9; Rom 5:1, 8:1, 10:9-10; 2Co 5:21)

New Birth by the Holy Spirit: We believe that when a person receives Christ, he or she becomes indwelt by the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes to live within us he renews us in our innermost being. Whereas before we had no desire to please God, now our heart desires to please him. This renewal of the person from within is called the "new birth." Sometimes it has been referred to as being "born again." It is the Holy Spirit who both gives us the desire to do God’s will and the power to carry it out. Therefore, true faith will always result in a transformed life. (John 3:3, 5)

The Church: We believe in the universal church and the local church. The universal church consists of all those everywhere who have received Christ and confessed him as Lord and who have experienced the new birth through the Spirit. The local church is the local assembly of believers who gather for worship and mission. True believers will express their faith through uniting with a local assembly of believers. If we love Christ we will love his church. (Acts 2:42-47; Eph 1:22-23)

Christ’s Return to the Earth: We believe that Jesus Christ will one day return bodily to the earth. When Jesus returns from the earth, believers will receive a new body which will not be subject to sin, disease, deformity, decay or death. Though there are many interpretations regarding the details of Christ’s return to the earth, we agree with all Christians everywhere that he will return visibly and bodily to the earth. (Mat 24; Mark 13; 1Th 4:16-17)

Final Judgment: We believe that there will be a final judgment of all humanity. All human beings will be judged according to their relationship to Jesus Christ. Those who have placed their faith in him will live forever in God’s kingdom. Those who have not placed their faith in him will be separated from God forever. Those who have received Christ and who have been given eternal life will be rewarded by Christ for their service to him. (John 3:16, 18; Rev 20:11-15; 2Co 5:9-10)