What We Believe

In a world that encourages us to believe whatever we want, we choose to let the Word of God guide our doctrine and daily lives. We understand that what we profess to believe will be tested in the way we live, so we take seriously the call to know what we believe and to explain our hope with gentleness and respect. “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.” (1 Peter 3:15–16, NLT)

We believe in the one living God, the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He is holy and loving and exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Genesis 12:2–3; Exodus 3:13–14; Exodus 20:1–6; Psalm 25:4–10; John 1:14, 18; Galatians 2:20

We believe that Jesus Christ is God's fullest revelation of Himself to humanity. He is fully God and fully human. In Jesus, we see who God is and what God is like. Jesus walked on the earth and taught the will of the Father. He willingly died on the cross to make forgiveness of sin possible, rose from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven, and will return to gather the Church to dwell with Him forever.
Mark 14:36; Romans 1:3–4; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:13–22; Philippians 2:5–8; Colossians 1:15–17; Hebrews 1:1–3; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:21

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and is one with God in His essence. He works in harmony with the Bible in revelation and with the Church in mission. The Holy Spirit is God's abiding presence in the Church. He guides believers in faithfulness to Christ, calls people to repentance, convicts them of sin, and leads them in the way of righteousness. The Holy Spirit is given to believers when they receive Christ as the guarantee of redemption.
Psalm 104:30; Isaiah 63:10; Joel 2:28–29; John 16:8–10; John 3:5; Acts 4:24–31; Romans 8:26–27; Ephesians 1:13–14

We believe the Bible is God's Word, written for us through human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It can be fully trusted for teaching, correction, and training in righteousness. We recognize Scripture as the authoritative source and standard for preaching and teaching about faith and life, distinguishing truth from error, discerning good from evil, and guiding prayer and worship.
Psalm 119; Jeremiah 30:2; Matthew 5:17; John 1:14; John 5:39–47; Galatians 1:11–12; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; Hebrews 4:2–8, 12; 2 Peter 1:21

We believe that people are made in the image of God and are called to reflect His character. Humanity holds a cherished place within God's creation, but human nature has been corrupted through disobedience to God. We call this sin. Sin separates people from God and places everyone in need of His mercy and grace.
Genesis 1:26–27; Psalm 8:5–8; Psalm 139:13–18; Romans 1:21–23; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 5:21–23

We believe that, because of God's love for humanity, He has brought salvation through Jesus Christ and offers it freely to all who receive Him. We cannot earn salvation through our own works. Salvation comes only by trusting completely in Jesus Christ and believing that His life, death, and resurrection were necessary to restore the relationship with God that sin destroyed.
Deuteronomy 6:20–23; Psalm 74:12; Matthew 26:28; Romans 3:24–25; Romans 5:1–11; Romans 8:2; 1 Corinthians 3:18

We believe that the salvation God provides begins the moment a person surrenders their life in trust to Jesus Christ. This salvation gives believers the assurance that they will dwell with God forever in heaven. Those who do not receive Christ will remain separated from God's presence forever in hell. Heaven and hell are not metaphors but actual places of eternal existence.
Matthew 5:10–12; Matthew 8:10–12; Matthew 24:32–51; John 5:28–29; 1 Corinthians 15:12–19