Statements of Faith
We believe that there is one true God. He is eternal and exists as three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three manifestations are equal in every way and are each uniquely revealed to humanity.
God the Father reveals Himself through His Word. He is personal and desires a loving relationship with each one of us. He listens to and answers our prayers. He is concerned with the affairs of men and is perfect, holy, and just in everything.
God the Son reveals Himself through His sacrifice. Born of a virgin, the Son came to Earth as a man named Jesus to die in order to pay the price for sin. Jesus is both fully man and fully God, and He lived the perfect, sinless life (a fulfillment of the requirement that God had set, but that we never could achieve because of our sin). It is through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection that we are able to enter into relationship with God the Father.
God the Holy Spirit reveals Himself through His power. The Holy Spirit enters into every person that believes in Jesus Christ. He is a teacher, helper, and comforter who can convict people of their sins, provide understanding about God’s Word, empower people to perform mighty feats for God’s glory, and equip people with spiritual gifts that can be used in service to God’s kingdom.
The Bible is the infallible Word of God. The writings of the Old and New Testaments were written by men that God chose; through inspiration, He instructed them in what to write. Because of this, we believe that what the Bible says is literal, and that if we study the Bible as being literal, we can accurately understand who God is. The Bible was given to us as a historical record, a guide on how to live out God’s ways, a source of comfort, and most of all, a way to reveal God’s character to us. It is without mistakes in the original writings, and is as relevant today as when it was first written.
Sin is the cause of separation. Sin is anything that we think, say, or do that doesn’t align with God, and it is present in everyone. Because God, being perfect, is pure by nature, He cannot be tainted with anything that is different than Himself. Humanity’s sinful nature, therefore, severs us from being in relationship with Him.
Salvation is a free gift. God wanted individual relationships with humanity, but since sin keeps us from that relationship, His plan for the world included a way to save us from our sin. God came down to earth as Jesus Christ–fully God and fully man–to live a perfect, sinless life. Even though He didn’t deserve the punishment, He was offered up as a sacrifice in our place to pay for all of humanity’s sins. If a person confesses that they have sinned, believes that Jesus paid the price for that sin, and turns away from their sinful lifestyle, they can receive the gift of salvation.
Communion and baptism are ordinances given by Jesus. Communion is process of believers’ self-evaluation, repentance, and remembrance of Jesus’ sacrificial love. Baptism is an outward, public demonstration of a believer’s inward choice to accept Jesus’ gift of salvation. Both are symbolic presentations, both are reserved for followers of Christ, and neither are necessary for salvation.
The Body of Christ is the “capital-C” Church (i.e., the worldwide collection of people who put their faith in Jesus Christ as their lord and savior). The Bible describes Jesus’ followers as being like different parts of a body, each with a specific function. Just as the human body has many different parts that are necessary for the body to function properly, each believer has a role in God’s kingdom that is necessary for the Church to function properly. The “head,” or the leader, is therefore Christ.
Going to church is not a requirement or something to check off a list. We love church! And we go because we recognize our need to be refreshed. We do not want an opinion of who God is or a philosophy of what He wants if it’s comes from anything apart from His Word. That is why it is important for us to take a step back from the pressures of the world, come alongside like-minded people, and study the Bible together. Gathering at church on a regular basis is a way for us to have a supportive community that will teach us, encourage us, care for us, discipline us, and hold us accountable so that we can be spiritually, mentally, and emotionally healthy. We believe that God is a God of love and of community, so building relationships with others is a vital part of growing in our individual walks with Him–especially when we have a KNOW > LOVE > LIVE kind of mindset!
When the Bible speaks of eternal life, it is not only speaking about life in heaven after death, but it is talking about the quality of life we can have here on earth when we enter into relationship with God. Eternal life begins the moment someone accepts salvation. Heaven and hell, on the other hand, are literal places. Heaven is promised for those who put their faith, hope, and trust in Jesus Christ. Hell is the place designated for those people who refuse to accept the free gift of salvation. Just as a marriage proposal can change the trajectory of the rest of a person’s life, our present acceptance or rejection of relationship with God can determine where we spend eternity.
Spiritual beings–including Satan, angels, and demons–are actual entities that exist in the spiritual realm and can influence people. Some spiritual beings serve God, whereas others have rebelled against Him. Satan has present dominion over this world, but his power is inhibited by God, who will restore His own dominion over the Earth at Christ’s second coming.
What Genesis says about the creation process is literal. God created all things through His spoken word (save for man and woman, which he formed out of the dust and from a rib, respectively) in six actual days. Then He rested on day seven. This model of working six days and resting one was established for people to follow and is verified in the teachings of Jesus and his apostles.
The rapture is a literal event that will take place before the seven-year Tribulation that is explained in the Bible. This event is unique from the second coming of Christ, which will take place after the Tribulation has ended.
Jesus Christ will return after the Tribulation period with His raptured people and defeat the armies of Satan. This will lead to the establishment of a new kingdom that will be on Earth for a thousand-year period. During this time, Satan will be bound and there will be peace on the Earth.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN AND TO KNOW GOD?
If you’ve found yourself here, wondering what it means to have a relationship with God, then this page is for you…
THE FACT IS, GOD WANTS YOU TO KNOW WHO HE IS.
However, there is something that has hindered our relationship with Him: Sin.
Sin isn’t just something arbitrarily “bad.” It is the rejection of God’s ways in favor of our own ways. Because God is pure in perfection, He cannot be tainted with anything that is separate from Himself. When we sin by rejecting God’s perfect ways, we are cut off from being with Him.
Sin isn’t just from the worst of the worst, though. Everyone, to some degree or another, has preferred themselves over God. Sin has been passed down through the generations; it’s part of our nature. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
“ALL” MEANS EVERYONE.
When you walk away from the One who gives you life, you will naturally die. Death–both physical and spiritual–is the ultimate consequence of sin. In the Old Testament, God set up methods for people to atone for their sin, but no matter how much we sacrificed or how many laws we followed, no good deed we did could ever measure up to the perfection of God.
Thankfully, God understood that, and He sent His Son, Jesus, as both the perfect example and the perfect sacrifice. Jesus lived the sinless life impossible for us to live, and paid the ultimate price by dying on the cross. Because of His perfect union with God, death could not contain Him, and He rose from the grave. Now He reconciles us to God! Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT.
Eternal life isn’t just reserved for when we die, either. That new spiritual life starts here on earth! Our reconciliation to God was for the purpose of relationship with Him, and that can begin instantly. Once we are saved, we begin transforming into more Christlike people–not because we are trying to do good deeds in order to earn God’s favor. Jesus already earned it for us! We are transformed because we are free from the sin that separated us from God, and now we have relationship with Him!
Ephesians 2:8 says, “It is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the free gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
That is all that is required to begin your relationship with God. Simply call out to Him, and ask Him to forgive you by accepting Jesus’ sacrifice. He is offering it to you freely, no matter how far gone you might feel. Repenting from sin means that you recognize that His ways are better, and that you want His ways rather than your own ways. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you, and submit yourself to Him and His ways. This is the start of a new way of living; a “rebirth,” in other words. That is what it means to be a born-again Christian.
If you’ve made this decision already, or if you feel like you want to, it’s important that you have fellowship with other Christians, so please reach out to us on our contact page, or talk to someone who you know is Christian. We’d love to talk with you, pray with you, help you in any way we can, and celebrate your entrance into the family of God.