Statement of Beliefs
| 1. | About the Bible The Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is God's Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because it is from God, it is the truth and without error. The Bible is the ultimate authority and standard for truth, faith, and morality. 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Ps. 119:9-11, 105,16 |
| 2. | God is the creator and ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. Gen. 1:1, 26, Ps. 90:2, 2 Cor. 13:14, Matt. 28:19 |
| 3. | About Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is eternal and coequal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Matt. 1:22-23, Isa. 9:6, Heb. 4:15, Heb. 1:2-4, I Cor. 15:3,4, Titus 2:13, Acts 4:12 |
| 4. | About the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is eternal and co-equal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit's ministry is to fill every believer and provide the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Holy Spirit gives power for godly living and is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives to every believer a spiritual gift when he or she is saved for the purpose of serving the body of Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:16,22,23,25; I Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 5:18 |
| 5. | About Human Beings People are the supreme object of God's creation and are created in His image. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are also marred by acts and attitudes of disobedience toward God called "sin". Sin separates people from God and causes many problems in life. Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1, 2 |
| 6. | About Salvation Salvation is God's free gift to us but we must accept it. Only by trusting in Jesus can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his or her life by faith. John 1:12; John 14:6; Rom. 5:1; Rom. 6:23; Eph 2:8-9 |
| 7. | About Eternity People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or we will exist eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally with God is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. John 3:16; John 14:17; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; 1 Cor. 2:7-9 |
| 8. | About Children Children are a gift from God. The Bible commands parents to raise their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. God has given parents, not the state, the responsibility for every area of their children's development, including education, spiritual training, and life preparation. Although parents can obtain assistance from, or delegate a portion of that responsibility to the church, institutions, organizations, and others, the ultimate responsibility remains with the parents. Psalm 127:3-5; Deuteronomy 6:5-7, 11:18-21; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:1-4 |
| 9. | About the Sanctity of Life From the moment of conception, each person is created in the image of God and points us to God's sovereign rule in this world. All human life is of inestimable worth and significance in all its dimensions, including the unborn, the aged, the widowed, the mentally handicapped, the unattractive, the physically challenged and every other condition in which humanness is expressed from conception to the grave. Genesis 1:26, 27, 5:1; Psalm 139: 13-16; Exodus 20:13; Psalm 127:3 |
| 10. | About Marriage Marriage is a sacred and social union ordained by God to be a life-long, sexually exclusive relationship between one man and one woman. Sexual relationships outside of marriage, including, but not limited to, adultery, promiscuity, and homosexuality, are forbidden in Scripture. Genesis 2:22-25; Matthew 19:3-6, 9; Hebrews 13:4; Ephesians 5:3; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 18-20; Exodus 20:14; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 |