Beliefs

/Beliefs
Beliefs 2018-01-25T17:03:52-07:00

Without any effort to be exhaustive in setting forth the things we believe, but rather to provide an accurate summary of our faith system, we affirm belief in the following areas:

God. We affirm our belief in the one eternal God, Creator, Lord, and Savior of the world, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who governs all things according to the purpose of His will.

The Bible. We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness, and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures of the original writings in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

Man. We affirm that all men and women are unique individuals, created in God’s image, capable of intimate fellowship with Him and with the potential for personal fulfillment and positive social good. We further affirm that all men and women, by virtue of Adam’s sin and their own personal rebellion, are sinners demonstrating their sinfulness in numerous personal and social dimensions. We affirm that babies are born innocent and are guiltless of sin, theirs and Adam’s. They are born with a sinful nature that gives them the inclination and weakness toward sin.

Salvation through Christ. We affirm that there is only one Savior and only one gospel. Jesus Christ, being Himself the only God-man (that is being fully, 100% God and 100% man), who gave Himself as the full payment for the payment of guilt for sin by His death on the cross, is the only mediator between God and man. Jesus is God’s only means to rescue people from eternal destruction.

Salvation by Grace Through Faith. We affirm that Jesus rescues all who trust in Him. This response of faith necessarily involves turning away from living under the rule of sin and turning to Jesus as Master – submitting to follow Him and learn life from Him, publicly confessing Him as Lord of their life, and being immersed in water in His name. This public act of baptism is the acknowledgment of dependence upon and submission to the Jesus Christ as Lord. It is referred to as the process by which one is buried with Christ into His death and raised by God to live a new life, thus, he/she is born again of water and Spirit. It is this “one baptism” – water/spirit baptism where one is promised forgiveness, the Spirit, salvation, to be in Christ, salvation.

The Church. We affirm that the church is the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, the community of believers, and primary manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth. The well-being of the believer, the progress of the gospel, and the health of society at large are promoted by the vital functioning of Christian congregations in every level of society.

Evangelism. We affirm that Christ sends His people into the world as the Father sent Him, and that this calls for a similar deep and costly penetration of the world. World evangelization requires the whole church to take the message of good news of Jesus to the whole world.

Christian Unity. We affirm that division is a hindrance to the work of evangelism and we recognize that Christ prayed that His followers might all be one. As a result, we firmly advocate the restoration of the church revealed in the Scriptures as the only sure way to achieve Christian unity.

Social Responsibility. We affirm that God is both Creator and the Judge of all men. We therefore should share His concern for justice and reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of men from every kind of oppression. We also affirm that the people of God are to love and serve people as if they were Jesus Himself. Our commitment to and value for each other are how the world will tell we are true followers of Jesus.

The Power of the Holy Spirit. We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent His Spirit to bear witness to His Son; without His witness ours is futile. Conviction of sin, faith in Christ, new birth, and Christian growth are all His work. We believe that the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) is the primary evidence of the Spirit’s work in the believer’s life. We affirm that the Spirit empowers the people of Jesus with various gifts to serve and build up the body of believers to mature love and the full stature of Christ.

The Return of Christ. We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly, in power and glory to consummate His salvation and His judgment. Our Christian confidence is that God will perfect His kingdom, and we look forward with eager anticipation to that day and to the new heaven and earth in which righteousness will dwell and God will reign forever. At His return, Jesus will judge every person who has ever lived and grant to those to whom He has forgiven by His own blood eternal life in service to and with Him; and those who are separated from God by their own sins He will condemn to an eternity separated from God, who is Eternal, Infinite Love. This is best described as being thrown into a lake of fire where torment and destruction are eternal.