Our Beliefs

Ten Fundamental Beliefs We Hold to be True

1.  The Bible is the Word of God: We believe that the Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God, serving as the ultimate source of truth and guidance for faith and practice.

2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

2 Peter 1:20-21: “Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Isaiah 40:8: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

2.  Salvation is through Jesus Christ : We believe that salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone is the only way to salvation. Salvation requires personal repentance and acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior for salvation. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV): “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Romans 3:23-24 (NIV): “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Titus 2:11 (NIV): “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.”

Acts 15:11 (NIV): “No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

Romans 5:15 (NIV): “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!”

 

3.  Baptism by Immersion: We practice believer’s baptism by immersion, viewing it as a public declaration of one’s faith in Christ and identification with His death, burial, and resurrection.  Baptism is an act of obedience following  salvation.  We do not believe the act of baptism saves a person.

Romans 6:3-4 (ESV): “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

4.  Autonomy of the Local Church:  We believe in and  uphold the autonomy of each local church, meaning that each congregation is self-governing and makes its own decisions regarding matters of faith, practice, and administration.

Philippians 1:1-2 (ESV): “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Acts 14:23 (ESV): “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

5.  Priesthood of All Believers: We believe in the priesthood of all believers, affirming that every Christian has direct access to God through Jesus Christ and is called to participate in the ministry and mission of the church.

1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Revelation 1:5-6: “and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Hebrews 4:14-16: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

1 Timothy 2:5-6: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

Galatians 3:26-28: “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

6.  Evangelism and Mission: We prioritize evangelism and mission, believing in the Great Commission mandate to make disciples of all nations, sharing the gospel locally and globally.

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV): “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

7.  The Trinity: We affirm the doctrine of the Trinity, which teaches that there is one God who exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (This verse emphasizes the oneness of God, which is foundational to the doctrine of the Trinity.)

Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (This verse explicitly mentions the three persons of the Trinity.)

2 Corinthians 13:14: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (This verse mentions all three persons of the Trinity in one context.)

John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (This passage speaks of the Word, who is identified as Jesus Christ, being with God and being God, indicating the unity of the Father and the Son.)

John 14:16-17: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (Here, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as distinct from Himself and the Father, indicating the triune nature of God.)

1 Peter 1:2: “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” (This verse mentions the Father, the Spirit, and Jesus Christ in one context.)

8.  The Depravity of Humanity: We acknowledge the fallen nature of humanity due to sin, believing that every individual person is in need of salvation and reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 5:12: “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”

Ephesians 2:1-3: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

9.  Eternal Security: We adhere to the doctrine of eternal security, also known as “once saved, always saved.”  Those who are genuinely saved by faith in Christ cannot lose their salvation.

John 10:27-29: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

Romans 8:38-39: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ephesians 1:13-14: “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

Philippians 1:6: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Jude 24-25: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

10.  The Second Coming of Christ: We anticipate the second coming of Jesus Christ, affirming His eventual return to judge the world, establish His kingdom, and fulfill God’s ultimate purposes.

Matthew 24:30: “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Matthew 25:31: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.”

Acts 1:11: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8: “And to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”

2 Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”

Revelation 1:7: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”

The Second Coming of Christ, as affirmed in the Bible, is a pivotal event awaited by believers.  According to scripture, Jesus will return visibly and gloriously, heralded by heavenly signs.  He will descend from heaven with angelic hosts, assuming his rightful throne to judge the world.  Those who have died in faith will rise first, followed by living believers, who will be caught up to meet him in the air.  The return of Christ signifies the culmination of God’s redemptive plan, bringing both reward for the faithful and judgment for the unrepentant.  This event will mark the end of the present age, leading to the establishment of Christ’s eternal kingdom.  Scripture portrays his coming as sudden and unexpected, like a thief in the night, signaling the dissolution of the present heavens and earth.  Every eye will witness his return, and all nations will acknowledge his sovereignty. Ultimately, the Second Coming of Christ signifies the fulfillment of God’s ultimate purposes, bringing about the consummation of history and the establishment of his eternal reign.