- There is a heaven and a hell and God wants you to spend eternity with him in heaven.
- Every one of us sins. We reject what God wants for us and pursue what we want for ourselves. The just and right punishment for our sin is death–eternal separation from God.
- God loved us so much, he came to earth as a man–Jesus Christ. His primary work on earth was to spread the good news–that despite our sin we can be reconciled with God. Jesus was put on trial by men, and although he never committed any sin or wrongdoing, was crucified on a cross.
- At his death, Jesus took the sins of all mankind–past, present and future–on himself and, with his sinless sacrifice, suffered the punishment for our sin.
- Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus is mightier than death and, through belief in him, our sins can be forgiven instead of punished and we can live eternally with God. Jesus is alive in heaven and is preparing a place for everyone who believes in him and accepts the reality of his sacrifice.
- Through Christ, your life has value and purpose. God has a plan for you–to grow in Christlikeness and to spread this good news to others in this world who are literally dying apart from Christ.
- When you decide to follow Jesus, you are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, the person of God who lives within you to teach you and remind you of what Christ taught.
- Our aim in this statement is to communicate our understanding of biblical truths that are core elements of our faith. These truths are not unique to us–they reflect 20 centuries of historic and biblical understanding of “the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 3)
- We seek to be unified in the essentials of the Christian faith, but recognize that there exist certain non-essentials around which followers of Jesus differ. We don’t allow those non-essential doctrines to divide us. We rely on the Spirit of God to lead individuals in those matters. Our clear aim is to be united under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and God’s revealed Word as found in the Bible.
12 Core Beliefs
- The Trinity: We believe in one God who exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
- God the Creator: We believe God created and sustains the universe by His power (Genesis 1:1).
- God’s Nature: We believe God in His fundamental nature is Spirit; He is eternal and all-powerful. Most importantly He is holy and He is love (John 4:24, 1 Timothy 1:17, Jeremiah 32:17, Leviticus 19:2, 1 John 4:7-8).
- Jesus Christ both God and Human: We believe Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human (John 1:1, 14).
- The Holy Spirit as Jesus’ Presence with Us: We believe the moment we receive Jesus as Lord He lives in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-11).
- The Authority of the Bible: We believe the Bible is God’s Word and the final authority in faith and life for us as individuals and for the church (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
- Human Nature: We believe God created people in His image and all have worth, but human beings sin and are thereby separated from God (Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 3:23).
- Salvation: We believe that a person comes into a right relationship with God by faith in Jesus Christ alone solely by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- The Church: We believe that the church is God’s chosen people and Jesus’ body on earth (1 Peter 2:9-10, Romans 12:4-5).
- The Sacraments: We believe that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are Jesus’ visible signs to us of His grace (Acts 2:38-39, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). (Note: for further explanation see the pamphlets from the elders on Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.)
- Spiritual Gifts: We believe each believer has received spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit and is responsible to use those gifts in service to the church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
- Jesus’ Return: We believe Jesus Christ will return to earth soon to judge the world and usher in the Kingdom of God in all its fullness (Hebrews 9:27-28).
