Beliefs

Our Beliefs

What We Believe About God

About the Personhood of God:

We believe that there is only One True God (Isa. 44:8; Ex. 20:2-3). He is holy, the Creator of all that is and He is almighty in power, wisdom, strength, and glory. We believe in the Trinity: three distinct Persons within one Godhead. Those three Persons are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost (John 1:1; 2 Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:2-4). We believe the fullness of the Trinity is the fullness of God, indivisible and co-equal, and the three equate to one God (Deut. 6:4; I John 5:7) In God’s mathematics, 1 + 1 + 1 = God.

 

About the Nature of God:

We believe that God is a Spirit (John 4:24). He has all power (Omnipotent, Gen. 18:14), all knowledge (Omniscient, Acts 15:8) and He is ever-present in every place and in all things at once (Omnipresent, Ps 139:7-12).

We believe God is absolutely holy and perfect in every aspect of His being (Isa. 6:3; Isa. 43:15). He is perfectly wise, perfectly loving, perfectly just, perfectly righteous, perfectly self-existence, perfectly merciful, etc. (Deut. 32:4; II Sam. 22:31; Ps. 18:30).

We also believe that the holiness and perfections of God set Him apart from mankind, angels, and any other being within His creation. This is called the “transcendence” of God (Isa.46:5; Jer. 10:6).

What We Believe About Jesus

About the Deity of Jesus Christ:

We believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, Savior and the Redeemer of mankind. We believe that Jesus Christ was on earth as both God and Man (Phil. 2:6-8; Rom. 8:3). God became like men in the person of Jesus Christ (Heb. 2:14-17). He was a man of flesh and bones like all men (John 1:14), yet He was God in that He existed before time began, as God (John 1:1-2). He entered earth by being born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:20), and He was on earth, God in the form of a man.

 

About the Earthly Ministry of Jesus Christ:

We believe that Jesus came to earth for the purpose of providing salvation to those who are lost (Luke 19:10). Man without Christ was lost and apart from God because of sin. Jesus’ ministry on earth was to bring man back to God by dying and thus paying the penalty for the sins of all men (I Pet. 3:18). Though man sinned, Jesus died in ‘our’ place. All who accept His death as payment for their sins shall be saved and redeemed back to fellowship with God. His death and resurrection makes him both Savior and Lord (Romans 5:9-10).

 

About the Eternal and Heavenly Ministry of Jesus Christ:

We believe that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. His ministry, even now, is to intercede on behalf of mankind (Heb. 7:25). As believers continue to wrestle with sins of the flesh, Jesus serves as our Advocated and Mediator, forever declaring His righteousness, which covers

What We Believe About The Holy Spirit

About the Deity of the Holy Spirit:

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead (Trinity) and is just as much God as in the Father and the Son. He is commonly referred to and rightly so, as the Spirit of God (I Cor. 3:16; Eph. 1:13; I John 4:2), the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9; I Peter 1:11), and the Spirit of the Lord (II Cor. 3:18). These interchanging titles show the Holy Spirit’s connections within the Trinity. We believe that the Holy Spirit has personality and is a Person, not a thing (John 14:16; 16:7-8;15:26; 16:13). We believe that the Holy Spirit has personality and is a person. He leads, directs, teaches and He lives.

 

About the Holy Spirit’s Ministry to Mankind:

We believe that the Holy Spirit serves a variety of functions to mankind. His primary ministry to unbelievers is to convict them of sin and convince them of the truth of the gospel of Christ. His ministry to the believer is manifold. He empowers believers (Acts 1:8), He sanctifies them (II Thes. 2:13; I Pet. 1:2), He imparts gifts to them according to His will (I Cor. 12:4;I Cor. 12:11; Heb. 2:4), He provides assurance and security of salvation (assurance – I John.3:24, security – Eph. 1:13-14, and He intercedes in prayer for them according to the will of God (Rom. 8:27). He also dwells in them (I Cor. 3:16) and fills them (Acts 4:31; Eph. 5:18). There are also many other functions that the Spirit serves and provides for the believer.

All believers are instructed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, guided and controlled by Him in all actions and involvements of their lives (Eph. 5:18). We believe that the Spirit-filled believer will yield to God’s will (Gal. 5:16), express the fruit of the Spirit in their daily lifestyle (Gal. 5:22), and practice a life that boldly witnesses for Jesus Christ through their words and deeds (Acts 4:31). In essence, we believe that the evidence of a Spirit-filled believer will be manifested in their daily lifestyle by their exhibition of Spiritual fruit, their daily yielding to the will and power of the Holy Spirit, and their personal and daily witness for Christ.

 

About the Holy Spirit’s Inspiration of Scripture:

We believe that the Holy Spirit inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures – The Holy Bible. We believe that the Holy Bible contains the full revelation of God and it is the final and absolute authority in all matters related to the church (II Pet. 1:21) as well the personal life of the believer. The Holy Spirit served as the superintendent over the process of biblical writings and doctrine. All scripture was written by the precise direction of the Holy Spirit, and was recorded under his guidance. Without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures would have never been written, and without the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures would never be understood (John 16:12-13; I Cor. 2:12-14; II Cor. 4:3-6).

What We Believe About The Holy Scripture

About the Scriptures as the Word of God:

We believe that the Holy Bible contains the full revelation of God and it should be the final and absolute authority in the church, our actions and decisions, and our daily lives. We believe that he Scriptures have one Divine Author (God), and specific human writers. Holy men of God wrote as they were moved and guided by the Holy Spirit (II Pet. 1:20-21). God, who authors Scripture, is perfect and the truths that the Scriptures contain are perfect as well (Ps. 19:8-9). We do not believe that any other books or writing are to be considered as Scripture except the writing recorded in the Holy Bible. Therefore, we believe that the Bible is the only holy and perfect record of God’s revelation to man. It is without any mixture of error and is completely infallible (Ps. 119:128; John 17:17).

 

About the Scripture as the Standard of Life:

We believe that the Bible should serve as the standard by which Christians should live their lives. No other influence should be greater in the life of a believer than the influences, doctrines and belief systems of Scripture (Gal. 1:6-9). All Christian and moral conduct persuasions, and lifestyles should measure up with, and be guided by the precepts and principles of the Word of God (Ps. 119:11-24; Ps. 119:105-106, Rom. 15:4).

 

About the Scriptures as the Standard of Church Ministry:

We believe that the Bible also serves as the standard by which the Church is governed and operated (I Tim. 3:14-15). The ministry of the Church, as a whole, should meet the test of Scripture and be measured in value and worth by its agreement with the Word of God. We also believe that the preaching and teaching of the Church are to be based solely upon the truths and doctrines of the Word of God (I Pet. 4:11). The scriptures serve as the foundation for all teachings, convictions, correction and instruction (II Tim. 3:16-17).

What We Believe About Salvation

About the Work of Salvation:

We believe that salvation, or the “New Birth” experience, is a gift that can only be reached by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, and acceptance of His death on the cross as payment for our sins (Rom. 5:1-2; Rom. 10:8-10). We believe that salvation is granted to man as a work of God’s free grace, or unmerited favor (Eph. 2:8-9). It cannot be earned, bought, or given as a reward for one’s service (Rom. 3:26-28). We also believe that when one is saved, or born again, there is an inner change that is brought about in the heart. True repentance, genuine faith, and dependence upon Jesus Christ for salvation must accompany this change or regeneration. Once one’s heart has been changed by faith they are no longer the same. Christ makes them new. (2Cor. 5:17)

“ONCE ONE’S HEART HAS BEEN CHANGED BY FAITH THEY ARE NO LONGER THE SAME. CHRIST MAKES THEM NEW.”

About the Process of Salvation:

We believe that every believer is called, or elected, and chosen to be saved “according to the forknowledge of God the Father” (I Pet. 1:2; Rom. 8:29-31). The Bible teaches that there is a process that one who is called will complete in recognition of his call and acknowledgement of his salvation. 

  • REPENT

    First, one must admit that he/she is a sinner and must repent and change from his/her sins  The Bible says that we are to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of our sins.  To repent means to turn away from the sin in your life. (Acts 2:38).

     
  •  BELIEVE

    The next step is to believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came in flesh, died on the cross of our sins, and God raised Him from the dead (I Pet. 3:18). The Scriptures declare that any man who believes in his heart, and openly confesses Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord, will be saved (Rom. 10:9).

     
  •  CONFESS

    The final portion of this process is to acknowledge that the penalty of his/her sins is death (Rom: 6:23) and then confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior who paid the penalty in full on His cross. (Ps. 51:3-4; Rom. 3:23). (Gal. 2:19-20)

By these simple steps, one acknowledges what Christ did for mankind on the cross by shedding His blood and dying in our place; and he/she recognizes the call of salvation given by the Father through the working of His free grace, and thereby accepts that call through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

What We Believe About The Return Of Jesus Christ

About “Why” He Shall Return:

We believe that our Lord will return for the purpose of gathering His Church and taking them out of the earth to live eternally with Him in the Kingdom of God (Heaven) (John 14:3; Rev. 21:2-3). We also believe that Christ shall return for the purpose of completely perfecting His saints. We shall be perfected and changed in body, character, and morality when He shall return (I John 3:2). We also believe that we will be transformed in an instant from mortal life to immortal life, free of sickness and disease, pain, trials, or death (I Cor. 15:51-53; Rev. 21:3-4).

 

About “When” He Shall Return:

We believe that the time of the promise of the return of Jesus Christ is unpredictable. We do not ‘know when the Lord shall come again’ (Matt. 24:42b). We believe that His return will surely happen, and it will come without announcement (Matt 24:44; I Thess 5:2).

 

About “How” He Shall Return:

We believe that the Bible clearly teaches what manner the Lord shall return for His Church. It teaches that He shall return at a day unexpected (I Thess 5:2; II Pet. 3:10). We believe that those who have died before Christ’s appearing shall be resurrected from the dead first (I Thess. 4:15-16; I Cor. 15:52-53). Then, those believers who are still living shall be ‘caught up’ to meet Christ in the air (I Thess 4:17). This is commonly referred to as the ‘rapture of the church.’ It is at this time that those who have accepted Christ as Savior and are ‘saved’ shall enter into the joys of heaven to live forever with the Lord (Matt. 25:21, 23, 34; Rev. 22:14). We also believe that there will be a time of judgment and ‘tribulation’ for those who will not participate in the ‘rapture of the Church’ because of their rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord (I Thess. 5:2-3; Matt. 24:4-13; 21-24). This Tribulation Period will be missed by the Church (Luke 21:35-36; I Thess 5:9), who shall return with Christ to establish His Kingdom on the earth (Rev. 21:1-3).

THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST WILL SURELY HAPPEN, AND IT WILL COME WITHOUT ANNOUNCEMENT.