Our Beliefs
Our beliefs are firmly rooted in Scripture, and they guide every decision we make and every action we take as His Church.
Preface:
The vastness of the true faith cannot be limited to statements or creeds; however, there are those we will attempt to state clearly as they are central to our identity in Christ. We are in constant pursuit of the Holy Spirit that helps us become more like Jesus everyday. We simply want to be like Him—holy, set apart unto God, and fully surrendered to the Refiner’s fire. We know the closer we get to Him, the more we become like Him.
WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT?
Jesus was asked, “what is the greatest commandment?”
Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31
WHO IS THE LORD GOD?
We believe in one eternally existing God, who created all things, and by whom all things exist. God has revealed Himself to us as our Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and as the Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature or being. Jesus Christ is God displayed in flesh. He is both God and man. Jesus Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. God has given us His Son for Salvation and the Holy Spirit to guide our lives into all Truth.
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Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29; Isaiah 9:6; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 5:19; Col. 1:15, 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:16; Rev. 1:8, 17-18, 22:16; Jn 10:30; Jn 14:10; Exo 3:14; Jn 8:24
WHO IS JESUS?
Jesus Christ is fully God embodied in flesh—an expression of humanity, offspring of the Holy Spirit, thus he was called the Son of God, "God with us."
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Jesus came to deliver grace and truth to a lost world and save His people from their sins
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Jesus Christ in his humanity had to become like us in every way but remained without sin in order to break the penalty of the law for us which required death (Romans 8:1-3, 2 Cor 5:21, Heb 4:15). In his humanity, Jesus prayed, slept, wept, became weak, and even died. But as God embodied in flesh (incarnate), He healed the sick, cast out demons, calmed the storm, fed the multitudes, forgave sins, and raised the dead. This dual nature in Christ was incomparable to any other person that has ever walked the earth but necessary to be a sacrifice for our sins unto death and be raised to new life again.
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"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
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Matt 1:18-23; Gal. 4:4; 1 Tim. 3:16; Col1:15, 2:9-10; John 1:14, 17; Romans 8:1-3; 2 Cor. 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; John 8:24; John 12:45; John 20:27-29
IMPORTANCE OF FAITH
But without faith, it is impossible to please God; in order to come to God, one must believe that 'He is' and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
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Simply stated, faith is belief + action. You believe something to the point that guides the way you think, feel, and act.
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We can never make up for our sin by good works. Salvation comes from faith in Christ alone.
Hebrews 11:6; Ephesians 2:8-9; James 2:14-24
SIN AND SALVATION
We are all sinners in need of salvation. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men; teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."
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Romans 3:23; Titus 2:11-12; Matt 28:19; Luke 24:45-49; Mark 16:14-18; John 20:21-23;
Matt. 16:18-19; Acts 1:8, 2:14-41; Acts 10:44-47
THE GOOD NEWS:
DEATH, BURIAL & RESURRECTION
The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. We express our belief in the gospel through our obedience to the gospel. We obey the gospel and apply it to our lives by repenting of our sins (death to sin), being baptized in water for the remission of sins (burial), and receiving the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (resurrection). This threefold experience is the consistent pattern of initiation into the church and proof of conversion in the early church.
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1 Cor. 15:1-4; Luke 24:47-49; Acts 2:38;
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the power at work that accompanies the believer for his or her Christian service in gift and ability. The presence of the Holy Spirit in one’s life is exemplified by surrendering to the transformative power that guides our thinking and behavior.
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Jn 7:37-39; Lk 24:47-49; John 16:7; Acts 1:4-5, 8; Acts 2:1-4, 14-18, 36-47; Acts 8:12-17; Acts 10:44-48; Acts 11:13-18; Acts 19:1-7; Eph 1:14; Gal 5:16-18, 24-25
BAPTISM
We believe that our faith in Jesus, is expressed by calling on His name in the waters of baptism. Baptism is the loving command of Christ and believers should act in joyful obedience, identifying with Jesus in death to sin, burial of the old nature, and resurrection to new life.
(Mat 28:19; Acts 2:38, 8:12, 16, 36-38, 10:48, 16:33, 19:5, 22:16; Mk 16:16; Rom 6:4; Col 2:12)
SECOND COMING
We are eagerly awaiting Jesus’ second coming where the Lord Himself descends from heaven to earth with a shout, and the sound of a trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first and then those who are alive and remain will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
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We all should be “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
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1 Thes. 4:16; Titus 2:13
