THE BIBLE

We affirm that the Bible is the word of God, with 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. The Bible is like no other book, the 66 book Bible canon having been written by over forty different authors spanning a period of 1,600 years. Each author wrote as inspired by the Holy Spirit, directing them to compose divine revelations from God to disclose to His children supernatural understandings. This knowledge documents how everything came to be, historical records, words from God Himself, and instructions on how to live a righteous and holy life. 2 Tim. 3:16 While in the Old Testament God spoke through the mouth of Israelite patriarchs, prophets, and various other people, the New Testament has God speaking to us through His Son Jesus Christ and His apostles. Scripture and biblical truth can only be properly comprehended and discerned by those who have been born of the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:14 In summary, Jesus said this about the Holy Scriptures in John 5:39, "You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!".

ONE GOD IS TRIUNE

There is one God, Mark 12:29 who is eternal, perfect, omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. God has three witnesses within Himself who testify of His unified Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one. 1 John 5:7-8 God exists in these three, each being fully God, co-existent, co-equal, co-eternal, and yet distinct Persons.

GOD THE FATHER

God the Father is the eternal, self-sufficient sovereign Creator who, through His Word, brought into existence from nothing the heavens, the earth, and continues to sustain them by His power. Col. 1:15-17 No one has ever seen Him. His will cannot be thwarted. He is faithful to fulfill all His promises and covenants. There is no variance in the Father, there is no darkness in Him, and He is holy in all His ways. Psalm 18:30 All things were created for His good pleasure, for His praise, and for His honor.

GOD THE SON

God the Son is Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God and the only begotten of the Father. He was with the Father in the beginning and through Him all things were created. Creation is held together in His power. He was made flesh, supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. Mathew 1:18 He is both fully God and fully man, the image of the invisible Father. In Him is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. While on earth He was sinless, perfectly obedient to the Father, and taught in submission to the Father's will. Philippians 2:6-11He is the only Savior of the world, dying on the cross for the sins of all people. His purpose was to reconcile humanity to the Father by the shedding of His blood for the remission and forgiveness of our sins. Three days after His burial He rose bodily from the dead, appeared to many witnesses, and then ascended into heaven. 1 Cor. 15:3-9 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him by the Father, including judgement of the world at the last day. In Him alone is everlasting life. John 14:6 He now sits as Lord at the right hand of God making intercession for His Church, which is His Body and whom are the redeemed people He cleansed with His blood. Mat. 26:28

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

God the Holy Spirit is eternal, proceeding from the Father and the Son. He is the Spirit of truth, convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement. He brings people to repent of their sins and to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. His purpose is to glorify the Son, initiate the new birth by regenerating believers, and guide those who believe into truths of the faith. By Him the scriptures were written through the men He inspired. Without Him believers could not understand the will of God revealed in scripture. He resides within the bodies of all believers as a witness to the eternal life given to them by the Son. The Holy Spirit is active in sanctifying believers and conforming them into the image of Jesus Christ by producing the qualities of the Son in their lives. He empowers believers for Christian witness and service, allowing them to obey God's commandments and resist sin. He also imparts varying supernatural gifts to believers for the edification of the Body of Christ. God the Holy Spirit desires to lead Christians into righteousness and holiness by filling them with His power so that the Son and the Father are honored by everything they do.

HUMANITY

God created humanity - male and female - in His image to have intimate fellowship with Him. The first humans had eternal life, walked with God, and lived in a state of perfection. However, when tempted by Satan they disobeyed God bringing spiritual and physical death into the world through sin. Since then humanity has been separated by sin from God, accountable to Him, and subject to His divine wrath. All people became inwardly depraved, their wills bent towards evil, making them incapable of living for God. This depravity is pervasive and causes all to be controlled by sin. Humanity is at enmity with God, hostile, rebellious, and hateful towards Him and His commandments. Without God's mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ all people would be condemned to hell, a place of eternal punishment after their physical deaths.

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

The Gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ, that He can save us from our sins. By His death on the cross He made atonement through His blood for the sins of the world, taking upon Himself the due punishment and the wrath of God that we deserve as sinners. He was the perfect sacrifice, innocent and sinless, able to lay down His life as an offering to the Father on the behalf of fallen humanity. He was buried and three days later He physically rose from the dead. God glorified His Son through the resurrection, displaying His authority and victory over death. Death has no power over Christ, who now sits at the right hand of the Father holding the keys of death and hell. The resurrection testifies to the promise of everlasting life for all those who repent of their sins and believe in the Gospel. A person is justified and made right before God by His grace through faith in Christ, the righteousness of Jesus imputed to all those who trust in Him. There is no other name given to people by which they can be saved, for Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father and the only mediator between humanity and God. In Christ one is forgiven the debt of their sin and is born again by God's Holy Spirit, liberating them from the law of sin and death. If one believes in their heart that Christ rose from the dead and they confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord then they shall be saved, for none who have believed in Him shall be ashamed. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

THE CHURCH 

Those who who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior make up the Church. The Church is the body of Christ, not a building, religious organization, or a denomination within Christianity. When one is born again by the Spirit of God they pass from death into life, becoming part of the body of Christ. Each believer is a living stone in the Church, the cornerstone being Christ Himself. Christ is the head of the Church, holding it together by His Spirit, and through the scriptures He nourishes each believer. The Church is commissioned by Jesus Christ to preach His Gospel, make disciples, baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach those who come to the faith to observe His commandments. Each believer is given gifts by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the body of Christ. In Christ no believer is more important than one another, all believers being essential to the body.

THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ, as promised in scripture, will personally return to earth in glory to judge the world in righteousness. The coming of Christ will bring the fullness of the Kingdom of God to the earth. The dead shall be resurrected, the Church shall be united with Christ as His bride, the just and the unjust will be judged, and the saints of God will be rewarded. Satan and all his dark forces will be defeated and cast into eternal punishment in the lake of fire. All those whose names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be eternally punished in the lake of fire. Believers in Jesus Christ will be glorified in incorruptible bodies and will reign with Him forever and ever. A new heaven and new earth will be created by God and all who have faith in Christ will see God face to face, worshipping Him and serving Him for eternity.