What We Believe

We believe in the inspiration of the 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books [traditional canon] of Scripture; that both the Old Testament and the New Testament are the infallible Word of God in all matters of life and doctrine; that the Bible is completely relevant today for every area of the human experience because it is living and active; that the Bible is the final authority for faith and lifestyle. It is to be believed, practiced, trusted, and hoped in. The Bible is the final authority on all matters to which it speaks. (1 Cor. 2:13, 2 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 4:12; 2 Pet. 1:21)

We believe that there is One true God, the eternally self-existing “I AM”, who has revealed Himself to us in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that the persons of the Trinity are co-eternal, co-equal, and yet with unique function. (Ex. 3:14; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 43:10, 11; Matt. 28; Jn. 8:58; 2 Cor. 13:14)

We believe Jesus Christ is the incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity. He is a distinct person from the Father and the Holy Spirit, yet of the same substance, two natures in One person (divine and human). We believe that Jesus Christ is God, the Son of God, who was incarnated as a human, was born of a virgin, was crucified, was buried, was resurrected, and is seated at the right hand of God on high. (Mt. 1:20; Mk. 16:19; Jn. 1:1, 14; 3:16; 20:1-2; 1 Cor. 15:3-5; Hebrews 2:17; Gal. 4:4 Phil. 2:8; 1 Pet. 3:22)

We believe the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. He is a distinct person from the Father and the Son. He is God, sent by the Father to equip the Body of Christ. He convicts the world of sin, regenerates sinners, and in him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted into the family of God. The Holy Spirit is received at salvation and assists us in our weaknesses by enabling us to live victorious, bold, Christ-like lives through ongoing filling. (Jn. 14:16-26; Rom. 8:9, 26; Eph. 4:30, 5:18; 1 Cor. 12:7-11; Heb. 10:29)

We believe that humankind was created in the image of God but voluntarily sinned when tempted by Satan and fell short of God’s righteousness. Sin is willful transgression of the law of God and is death. At the fall, humankind incurred spiritual death (which is spiritual separation from God) and physical death. All human beings are in union with Adam and are sinners by nature and by choice. Sin has alienated humankind from God and subjected it to his wrath. (Gen. 1:26, 27; 2:17; 3:6; Rom. 5:12-19)

Humankind’s hope of redemption is only possible through the life, ministry, death on the cross and the resurrection of Jesus. The redemption offered to humankind through the work of Christ must be received by repentance toward God and faith in Christ. Those who receive God’s offer of grace by faith are born again, justified, regenerated, adopted into the family of God, made heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, on-going filling with the Holy Spirit, and are partakers of eternal life to come. (John 3:3; Acts 4:12; Eph. 1:7; Rom. 5:10; 8:14-17; 10:9-10; Titus 3:5-6)

We believe that the Church is the Body of Jesus Christ, who is its Head. The Church is composed of all those who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. The Church is manifest in local churches. The Church is being built up and made into the Bride of Christ, fully matured and presentable at Jesus’s Second Coming. We believe the Church is a pillar of truth to the world because of the abiding story and presence of Jesus and the ongoing work and power of the Holy Spirit. The Church is an instrument of the Kingdom of God. We believe Jesus established his Kingdom through His life, ministry, death and resurrection and commissioned His Church to partner with Him in the renewal of all things. We live in the tension of the Kingdom ‘already and not yet;’ and we live expectantly, praying and partnering with God in seeing His Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. (Matt 6:9-13, Matt. 16:18, 1 Cor. 12:13, Rom. 5:1, 5; Eph. 1:22-23, 4:11-17, 5:27; 1 Pet 2:9, Rev. 2-3)

We believe that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church at Pentecost in power, baptizing believers into the Body of Christ and releasing the gifts of the Spirit to them. The Spirit brings the permanent indwelling presence of God to us for spiritual worship, personal sanctification, building up the Church, gifting us for ministry, and driving back the kingdom of Satan by the evangelization of the world through proclaiming the word of Jesus and doing the works of Jesus.

We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is our abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide. We believe in the filling and the empowering of the Holy Spirit for ministry today. We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit and in the exercise of all of the biblical gifts of the Spirit. The purpose of the gifts is to equip the Church to carry out its mission until Christ returns, as well as to be a foretaste of the life to come. Believers should seek God in prayer for the gifts of the Spirit to operate in their own lives and ministries and should not only agree to them theoretically, but practice them outwardly as the Spirit leads. (Rom. 1:11; 1 Cor. 1:5, 7; 12:1, 31; 1 Cor. 14:12; 2 Tim. 1:6-7; Heb. 6:5)

We believe that in order to truly step into the life God intends for us, we are called to be baptized in water and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Not as a ritual done for us as infants, but as a joyful and obedient response after we have made a personal decision to repent, believe in Jesus, and publicly declare our faith in Him.

(Matt. 28:18-20, Acts 2:36-38, Acts 10:46-47)

We believe in the personal, bodily, and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now of His coming, which time is unknown, upon Christ's return, Christ will bring judgment, separate the wheat from the chaff, renew the earth, and reign as King forever. We believe that God is creating a New Heavens and a New Earth where humans will dwell forever with God. The imminent coming of Christ should inspire godly living and commitment to the mission of the Gospel. (Isa. 65:17, Matt. 24:30, Acts 1:11, 1 Cor. 15:50-54, 1 Thess. 4:16-17, Rev. 19:11-22:21)

We believe in the existence of hell as a reality taught in Scripture. While recognizing that interpretations of hell may vary within the bounds of orthodoxy (e.g. annihilation/conditional immortality and eternal conscious torment), we reject views advocating for universal salvation or ultimate reconciliation, affirming instead the biblical doctrine of eternal consequences for unrepentant sin and spiritual death. We believe that those who reject God’s offer of grace and forgiveness and whose names are not found in the book of Life will be raised and judged in the resurrection of the wicked. (Matt. 25:46, Mark 9:43-48, Rev. 19:20, 20:11-15, 21:8)

We believe in unity among the essentials and liberty among non-essentials. We embrace diversity of opinions and theology, finding it more edifying and Christ-like to build bridges when it comes to peripheral doctrinal matters (i.e., eschatological interpretations, Calvinism/Arminianism, etc.) versus drawing lines of division. Because of this, our volunteers and leaders are comprised of diverse theological backgrounds and are encouraged to be respectful and inquiring toward one another in the spirit of Christian unity. (Ps. 133:1, Acts 15:1-21, Eph. 4:3, Phi. 2:2, 2 Cor. 13:11)