What We Believe
About God – We believe there is one God in three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
God the Father is the focus in the Old Testament. For the most part, He is shrouded in mystery. He reveals His will and ways primarily through dreams and visions. For a greater clarity, we must look at Jesus who was in the image of the Father.
Jesus Christ, the Son takes center stage in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Born into this life, Jesus encountered all the physical, emotional, and spiritual experiences of humanity. Because of this, He understands every aspect of the lives that we all live. Due to His great love for us, He allowed himself to be crucified on a Roman cross in order that we might be restored into a right relationship with God. By His Resurrection, we have crowning proof that He was more than just an average human, a good teacher, a miracle worker, or just another martyr for a cause. He was, is, and always will be God the Son.
The Holy Spirit is available to everyone who has been restored into a proper relationship with God. His mission has many aspects. He first draws us towards God, can and will comfort during times of stress and loss, helps us to understand the Bible, and goes on to enable every believer to overcome temptation and live a life pleasing to God, to grant the gifts and abilities necessary for the child of God to accomplish whatever task or mission that God should call them to, and to empower every believer to love one another as Jesus loves us.
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About Human Beings - We believe man was created in the image of God. As a result of Adam and Eve's fall, every person since has been born with a tendency for selfishness and to rebel against authority of any type. Because of this tendency, all humans have sinned. The result of sin is the decline and destruction of people and/or their relationships with one another and their relationship with God. We believe that all people are loved by God unconditionally, regardless of their past, and can find forgiveness and restoration with God through Christ and the Holy Spirit.
About Sin - Visit ten different churches and you will most likely find ten different definitions of what sin is, possibly including one that says there is no such thing as sin. The Bible says otherwise! Rather than go through a list, we believe there is one common trait that everything the Bible calls sin carries. If left uncorrected, sin will always lead to deterioration, decay and ultimately some form of death.
How many times can a person lie to you or about you or steal from you before any relationship you may have with that person is totally destroyed (or put to death?) How many marriages have been killed by infidelity? How many lives, families have been ruined because of alcohol or drug abuse? And the list could go on but I think you have the idea. The question is how do we deal with sin? The only real answer is through forgiveness granted by Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary!
About Salvation - We believe that the only means of forgiveness and restoration into a right relationship with God is through Jesus and His sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary. To receive this forgiveness, we must:
Admit that we have done wrong (sinned) and do so with a genuine sorrow in regards to the past and a firm commitment not to follow the same pathway in the future. We must ask God to forgive us, accept His forgiveness, and then live in the new life that He makes available to us.
The Christian Life - A person is saved or rescued from the eternal consequences of their sin the instant he or she admits their sin, asks God to forgive them, and accepts that forgiveness. That person then enters into their salvation or "lifestyle of being saved". Salvation, or this new lifestyle, is both a journey and a process. As one walks with God, their relationship with God grows and the details of the person's life...such as marriage, family, career, role in the community and in the church develop as the relationship matures. An open invitation to the Holy Spirit to enter into the believer's life in the Spirit's fullness results in accelerated growth and a new empowerment to overcome the trials and temptations of this life. The ultimate goal is to live life to the highest standards of Christ's love and the example He set while He lived in the world. The final reward is eternity with God in Heaven.