What We Believe
The Bible The Bible is the infallible word of God, the only standard for faith, and the authority for salvation and Christian living. (See Timothy 3:15-17) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (See John 1:1) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (See Colossians 3:16)
One God Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God is one being who exists in three distinct persons eternally and created all things. God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, justice, and mercy, and has revealed Himself as Father; through His Son, in redemption; and as the Holy Spirit, who will live in us and teach us all things after we become born again. (See Genesis 1:26 Deuteronomy 6:4; Ephesians 4:4-6; Colossians 2:9; I Timothy 3:16.)
The Father Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (See 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Jesus Christ the Son Jesus Christ is both God and man, and is the image of the invisible God. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for sins, and was raised from the dead. The Scriptures declare His virgin birth (See Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31; Luke 1:35), His sinless life (See Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22), His miracles (See Acts 2:22; Acts 10:38), His finished work on the cross (See 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21), His bodily resurrection from the dead (See Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:4), His exaltation to the right hand of God (See Acts 1:9; Acts 1:11; Acts 2:33; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3). That man was created good and upright, for God said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” But man, by voluntary transgression, fell, and his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ the Son of God (See Genesis 1:26-31: 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21). Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life (See Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; Titus 3:5-7).
Holy Spirit The Helper The Holy Spirit is a divine person with a mind, emotions, and a will. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and is an equal part of God. Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (See John 14:26) Peter equates the Holy Spirit with God himself, saying that Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit and thus lied to God. (See Acts 5:3-5)
The Lord’s Supper The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. (See Corinthians 11 17-34)
Spiritual Gifts Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually has he wills. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (See Corinthians 12)
Salvation There is no one else who has the power to save us, for there is only one name to whom God has given authority by which we must experience salvation: the name of Jesus, repentance, and a new birth, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life. (See Acts 4:12; Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; Titus 3:5-7). The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (See Romans 8:16). The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness (See Ephesians 4:24; Titus 2:12).
Water And Spiritual Baptism Jesus says, "I baptize you with water for repentance". We become baptized with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Jesus commands that people be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. After we confess our faith in Jesus, decide in our hearts to love and follow Christ, we become "born of water and the Spirit" which refers to spiritual birth, which cleanses from sin and brings spiritual transformation. Through our outward expression of faith by being fully immersed in water. We become one with Christ, we put off the old man and become a new creation in the love of God. We believe upon following spiritual baptism, you will display evidence by spiritual gifts given by God, which includes the gifts of healing and speaking in tongues. We believe all believers have access to these gifts, given according to Gods will, and have authority and power to trample over the enemy by casting out demons. (See Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; John 3:5; Romans 6:3-4)
Judgment Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. (See John 5:25) “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (See John 5:28) Truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (See Revelation 20:12-15)
Christ's Return “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (See Matthew 24:36–44) “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (See Luke 21:25–28)