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​Our Statement of Faith

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​​​God

​We believe there is one holy, living, and true God- the eternally existent, having no beginning and no end -who is personal and knowable. God is the Creator of all things, sovereign, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, and perfect in all of His attributes. Within the nature of the one true God, there simultaneously exist three Persons; namely God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal in all attributes of the divine nature and execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, redemption. and sanctification.

 

​God, the Father is an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love.  We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully with the affairs of men, that He hears and answers our prayers, and that He saves from sin and eternal condemnation all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.

 

​God, the Son, Christ Jesus, is fully God and fully man; perfect Diety and true humanity united in one person forever. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe that He willingly sacrificed His life to atone for the sins of humanity by dying on a cross as our substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and securing salvation for all who believe and put their trust in Him. We believe that Jesus rose from the dead in the same body in which He lived, and that He ascended into heaven where He now, as our Great High Priest and advocate with the Father, perpetually intercedes for those who are His. We believe that this Jesus is the one and only Savior of mankind and that He will personally and visibly return to judge the deeds of all people and to rule and reign on Earth as the eternal King of kings and Lord of lords.

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God, the Holy Spirit is sent from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, and to regenerate and sanctify all who come to faith in Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, these faithful are baptized into union with Christ and are adopted as heirs into the family of God. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer and seals them at the moment of salvation. As their abiding helper, guide, and teacher, He illuminates, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and that the biblical gifts of the Spirit are available to believers today.

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​The Bible​

We believe that the Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, and written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the complete revelation of God, the supreme authority in all matters of faith, life, and Christian conduct. We further believe that Jesus is the Word embodied.

 

It must be our humble and constant prayer, as believers, that the Spirit of God would illuminate us as to the proper study, interpretation, and application of the Word.

 

​​​​​Humanity​​​

​We believe that humankind was created by God to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him and an eternal life of fulfillment and purpose on earth. However, because of the rebellion of the first man, Adam (and his wife, Eve), sin entered the world and has since infected all of humanity; alienating us from God, rendering us spiritually dead and destined for physical death. 

 

Sin​

To sin is to miss the mark; to fall short of God’s divine standard. It is to think or live in rebellion against God; to break His laws, to live by our own rules and go our own way. Such rebellion has ripple effects. There are always detrimental consequences to sin, and its impact is rarely confined to the sinner. Our sin nature corrupts our relationships, the world around us, and even our understanding of the seriousness of sin itself. Furthermore, because of our sinfulness, all of humanity is under condemnation, guilty before God, and subject to his righteous judgement.

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Salvation​

We believe that salvation from sin, wrath, and eternal condemnation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Salvation is a gift from God that cannot be earned through any human effort. It is based solely upon the finished, sacrificial, atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross and is available to all who believe and put their trust in Him. This incomparable and wholly undeserved gift demonstrates the immensity of God's love for wayward humanity.

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Saving faith requires humility, personal repentance, and sorrow over sin. It results in a pattern of good works in the believer’s life and the pursuit of obedience to God's commandments; to his designs for living. 

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The Christ-Centered Life

Christians are by no means perfect people. Rather, we are forgiven sinners on a journey of transformation, guided and empowered by the Spirit of God, to become more like Jesus in terms of how we live, think, view the world, and treat other people. Since we are convinced that the author of life knows best how to live it, our journey involves surrendering our will to His every day. It is a life-long process of refinement that is both individual and communal.

 

The Christ-centered life, like salvation, is open to everyone, but there are more who will refuse it than choose it. Much like training for an Olympic sport or swimming up stream, choosing the way of Christ requires the resolve to persevere, with determination and discipline, through the inevitable and often difficult challenges of doing so. As with any journey, there are hills, valleys, pitfalls, and triumphs. However, for those who follow Jesus, the journey has a sure and immovable foundation in the only one who embodies perfect love and perfect humanity. In Christ, we have consistent access to peace, the power to resist sin, a hope that does not disappoint, and the promise of a blessed and eternal destination.​​​

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Eternity​

We believe that because He is both sovereign and just, God will judge sin; that He will do so by His divine standards and not by any human notion of what is right and wrong, good or evil. While it is the heart of God that all would come to repentance and salvation, he does not and will not usurp human choice. Everyone is free to choose to live for or against him. 

 

Jesus speaks plenty about heaven and hell in the Gospels; not as constructs but as real places. Per His teachings, we believe that heaven is a place where God’s presence and blessings are fully and eternally enjoyed by all who choose to put their faith and trust in Jesus. We believe that hell is a place of eternal judgement; a place of “outer darkness,” devoid of the light and goodness of God. It is reserved for all who choose to reject God and the gift of salvation that comes through Jesus.

 

The Church

The church is not a building. The church of Jesus Christ consists of all people, across time and nations, who have placed their faith in Him and are fully committed to His Lordship. It is God's intention that we grow deeper in faith and in spiritual maturity as part of a community of believers who routinely fellowship, serve, inspire, and encourage one another. Furthermore, the church is the primary means through which God has chosen to extend the message of salvation to a lost world. It is therefore the call and responsibility of those within the church to live out God-honoring lives, albeit imperfectly, as Christ's ambassadors so that unbelievers, by the work of the Spirit, might glorify God and come to saving faith in Jesus.

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We also believe and take very seriously that the church will be held accountable by God for acts of willful and unrepentant misrepresentation of the Scriptures and, in particular,  the message of the Gospel.

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Marriage​

We believe that God is the originator of marriage and that he designed it from the beginning to be a sacred, covenantal relationship between one man and one woman as biologically determined at birth. We believe that biblically defined marriage is the only divinely sanctioned context for sexual fulfillment and procreation. We believe that such activity outside of marriage is contrary to God's design and are thus expressions of human sin. As with all of the created order, we believe that God was (and still is) intentional in the particulars of design and purpose when it comes to the institution of marriage, the differences between men and women, and the gift of sexuality. 

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We recognize that there are biblical prescriptions for marriage that have been misunderstood, abused, and considered by some to be outdated for our time. These scriptures require more in depth study from a posture of humility and a  desire on the part of men and women to truly seek understanding of God's heart and specific instructions for marriage in light of (and in addition to) all other divine commands that speak to how we are to view and relate to people in general (especially to fellow believers and regardless of biological gender). As with any other area of life, we desire to pursue wisdom and the consistent practice of submitting to God's correction.  See more