Our Core Beliefs are intended to be a basis of fellowship. There will always be peripheral doctrines that committed Christians disagree upon, but the core beliefs of Christianity are non-negotiable. Below is a list of our core beliefs:
- There is one true God
- The Bible is the Inspired Word of God
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God
- The Fall of Man
- The Salvation of Man
- The Ordinances of the Church
- The Church and Its Mission
- The Holy Spirit
- The Second Coming of Jesus
There is one true God
God is called by many different names because of the different
dimensions of His personality, but God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is
super-dimensional and eternally self-existent (Jn. 8:54-59). God is
omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. He is the creator of the
heavens and the earth (Genesis 1&2). While God is one, He has
revealed Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew
28:19).
The Bible is the Inspired Word of God
The Old and New Testament are verbally inspired by God, the only written revelation from God to man. The Bible is infallible and the authoritative rule of faith and conduct for mankind (II Timothy 3:15-17, I Thessalonians 2:13 & II Peter 1:21).
Jesus Christ is the Son of God
Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of
God. The Scripture declares his virgin birth (Matthew 1:18-23); His
sinless life (Hebrews 7:26 & I Peter 2:22 & I John 3:4,5); His
miracles (Acts 2:22 & 10:37-38); His substitutionary death on the
cross (II Corinthians 5:21 & I Peter 2:24 & I Corinthians 15:4);
His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:1-6 & I
Corinthians 15:4); His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9,11
& Philippians 2:9-11).
The Fall of Man
Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). However, by a
voluntary act of the will, Adam and Eve disobeyed God (Genesis 3:6).
That first sin had several repercussions. Man was excommunicated from
the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23), a curse was pronounced (Genesis
3:14-19), the process of physical death began (Genesis 2:17), and man
died spiritually (Romans 5:12-19). Sin separated humankind from God
(Ephesians 2:11-18) and left man in a fallen or sinful condition (Romans
3:23).
The Salvation of Man
The only means of salvation is Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12 & John 14:6).
He died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins (I Peter 2:24). He offers each of us a pardon for our sins (Hebrews 9:26) and wants us to become children of God (John 1:12).
When we believe in the finished work of Christ, it triggers a spiritual chain reaction. We become the Temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 6:19). Our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 3:5). We become citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20-21). We are given eternal life (John 3:16). We are adopted and become children of God (Gal. 4:4-7). Our sins are forgiven and forgotten (Heb. 8:12). We are credited with the righteousness of Christ (Rom. 4:4-5). We are born-again (John 3:3). God takes ownership of us (I Cor. 6:20). We receive an eternal inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14 & I Peter 1:3-5).
The evidence of salvation is two-fold. The internal evidence is the
direct witness of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16). The external evidence
is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23). We become a new
creation (II Cor. 5:17) and are transformed into the image of Christ (II
Cor. 3:18).
The Ordinances of the Church
- Baptism in Water - The Scripture teaches that all who repent and believe in Christ are to be baptized by immersion (Matthew 28:19). Baptism is a public profession of faith in Christ. It is symbolic of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. It is a declaration to the world that we have died to sin and have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
- Communion - The Lord's table consists of two elements: the bread and cup. Those elements are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ. Communion is a memorial of Christ's sufferings on the cross and a celebration of our salvation.
The Church and Its Mission
The Church is the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:12-27) and has a
three-fold purpose: To evangelize the world (Acts 1:8 & Mark
16:15-16), to worship God (I Cor. 12:13), and to equip for ministry
(Ephesians 4:11-16 & I Cor. 12:28, 14:12).
The Holy Spirit
The nine fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) are the by-product of a
Spirit-filled life and evidence of spiritual maturity. The nine gifts of
the Spirit are different manifestations of the Spirit to build up the
body (I Cor. 12:1-11). We are instructed to diligently seek the gifts (I
Cor. 12:31, 14:1), but they must be exercised in an orderly way (I Cor.
14:26-33) in the context of love (I Cor. 13:1-13).
The Second Coming of Jesus
We affirm the bodily, personal, second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the Saints, the Millennium, and final judgment which will seal the eternal status of both saints and unbelievers based on their relationship with Jesus Christ. We affirm with the Bible the final state of the New Heaven and New Earth.
For more information on our church polity (style of government) please see