Our Beliefs

The Bible

The most complete and reliable way God has spoken to people is through the Bible. God directed certain people at specific times to write the Bible through His Spirit . This means that, in its original writing, the Bible is complete , and all of it is what God wanted it to say . It is also without error down to the forms of the words used . Although the original writings of the Bible are no longer available, God has promised to preserve His Word to the end of time . God has accomplished this through the preservation of reliable copies of the original writings. Since the Bible is from God, it is the ultimate authority in life and therefore directs our thinking and actions .

The Bible is divided into two major parts: the Old Testament (39 books) and the New Testament (27 books). The Old Testament was written before Jesus’ birth, and the New Testament was written after His birth. One of the key differences between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible is the Old Testament’s emphasis on God’s relationship with the Jewish nation of Israel and the New Testament’s emphasis on God’s relationship with the Church. Although the Church has become the focus of God’s work in this time, God will someday revive Israel spiritually and will fulfill the promises He made to them in the Old Testament .

The theme of the Bible is God’s ongoing pursuit of a love relationship with people, despite their rejection of Him and His standards. This theme is seen best in Jesus and His death for the sins of everyone .

( 2 Peter 1:20-21; Revelation 22:18-19; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 2:13 and Galatians 3:16; 1 Peter 1:25;
2 Timothy 3:16-17; Romans 11:25-29; 1 Peter 1:10-12)

God

God’s existence and loving nature are evident in the world around us . He is better understood by seeing how He is described in the Bible. However, since God is infinite, He is beyond our understanding . The Bible tells us there is one God , but describes Him as existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit .

God the Father

He is Father over creation and all people . He has a special fatherly relationship with Jesus and those who have trusted in Jesus .

God the Son

Jesus is the Son of God . When He became human, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, a virgin . Though He was fully human , He was fully God at the same time and never did anything sinful. He was executed on a cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all people . Three days after His death, He rose from the dead to establish that those who have trusted in Jesus will rise to eternal life . Jesus returned to Heaven and has been given a place of honor where He represents us before the Father . Someday He will return to take those who have trusted Him for forgiveness of their sins to Heaven with Him . Later, He will return to the Earth to judge all people and rule the Earth .

God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and is fully God . Although He was active prior to Jesus’ return to Heaven , He began working in new ways after that event that are both predicted by Jesus and described by His followers. Today, God sends the Holy Spirit to live in everyone who has trusted Jesus . It is through the Holy Spirit that God influences people in an unseen way. Living in us, He teaches us ; prays with us ; directs us ; assigns us work ; gives us new life ; guarantees our eternity with God ; and brings about positive changes in our attitudes . The Holy Spirit also gives us special abilities to accomplish His work . For the Holy Spirit to best do His work in us, we must give Him complete control of our lives . The Holy Spirit is also active in the world helping all people see that they need forgiveness from their sins .

Miraculous Languages

During the transitional period from the Old Testament into the New Testament, God demonstrated that the words of Jesus’ early followers were from God by performing many confirming miracles. This included a miraculous ability to speak in known languages that were unknown to the speaker. This ability was never common to all followers of Jesus or necessary to demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s presence in a person .

Descriptions of God’s character include loving , holy , and never changing . His abilities include knowing everything , being everywhere in Heaven and Earth at the same time , able to do anything , and always existing . God created everything ; God holds everything together ; and everything exists to bring Him pleasure . Everything we do should bring glory to God .

( Romans 1:18-20; Psalm 145:3; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; Ephesians 3:14-15; Acts 17:28-29; John 3:16; John 1:12; Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:18; Hebrews 2:14; John 1:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8:34; John 14:2-3; Matthew 25:31-34; Isaiah 6:8-9 and Acts 28:25-26; Genesis 1:2 and 41:38; John 14:16-26, 16:7-15; John 7:37-39; John 14:16-26, 16:7-15; Romans 8:26; Galatians 5:18; Acts 13:2; John 3:5-6; Ephesians 4:30; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Ephesians 5:18; John 14:16-26; 16:7-15; 1 Corinthians 12:30; 1 John 4:8; 1 Peter 1:16; Malachi 3:6; Psalm 147:4-5; Psalm 139:7-10; Matthew 19:26; Psalm 90:2; Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:17; Revelation 4:11; 1 Corinthians 10:31)

Satan and Demons

Satan is a being that was created by God . He was created to be one of God’s angels , but he along with 1/3 of the created angels rebelled against God by wanting to be equal with Him . They entice people to rebel against God as they did and deceive people from recognizing the truth . They battle against followers of God , and Satan accuses them of sins before God . God will one day punish them to eternal torment .

( Colossians 1:16; Ezekiel 28:14; Isaiah 14:12-17, Revelation 12:4; Genesis 3:1-15; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Job 2:7 and Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 12:10; Revelation 20:10)

Humanity

God created the first man and woman. Unlike the other parts of God’s creation, He created them in His likeness . This similarity to God is the reason human life is valued above other forms of life , and we are commanded to love the people around us . God created the first man and woman with the freewill to choose obedience to Him or rebellion against Him, and they chose rebellion . This began a process of spiritual and physical death in them and their descendants. It also caused all their descendants to be born with an inability to successfully obey God in both attitude and action .

( Genesis 1:26-27 and 2:7; Genesis 9:6; James 3:9; Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 5:12-19)

Sin and Its Remedy

Any action or inaction, thought, or motive that fails to meet God’s perfect standard is sin, and all people sin . God’s holiness will not allow Him to overlook even a single sin , thus preventing all people from being with God. God solved this problem by sending His Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty of death for the sins of all humanity . When people believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection and trust in Jesus’ payment for their sins, they are forgiven for all their sins and receive eternal life as a gift from God . At death, the souls of those who have trusted in Jesus immediately enjoy being in His presence . God promises that our forgiveness and eternal life can never be lost . He also tells us that there is no other method for being with God except through trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins .

( Romans 3:23; Revelation 21:27; Isaiah 53:6, Romans 5:9-18 and 1 Peter 2:24; John 3:16, Romans 3:22 and 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8; John 5:24 and 10:28-29; John 14:6 and Acts 4:12)

The Church

The Church is made up of all the people who have trusted in Jesus . The purpose of the Church is to be Christ’s body, carrying out God’s work in the world today. His work is done through His people (the Church); by the power of the Holy Spirit, under God’s direction; and in obedience to Christ, who is the head of the Church . This work includes inviting others to be followers of Jesus ; gathering to help each other grow closer to God ; guiding people to God’s truth in the Bible ; using our God-given abilities for the benefit of the entire body of Christ ; meeting the needs of those around
us ; and attracting others to Jesus through unity and right actions .

The Church is commanded to perform two significant practices: baptism and communion . Both are symbolic of our dependence on Jesus’ death for the forgiveness of sin but are not a means of receiving that forgiveness.

( 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Colossians 1:18; Matthew 28:19-20; Hebrews 10:24-25; Ephesians 4:11-14; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; James 1:27; John 17:20-21; Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

The Future

The Bible describes many future events. Given God’s history of fulfilled prophecies as well as His control and knowledge of all things, we know these prophecies will come true. Jesus will one day gather His followers and take them to Heaven. This will include those who have already died and those who are living . All who are taken to Heaven will be given new bodies, like Jesus, reuniting body, soul, and spirit to live with Him forever . Following this, those left on the Earth will experience the worst time of suffering ever known . The suffering will come in the form of natural disasters and unrestrained evil . This time will come to an end when Jesus returns to establish His Kingdom on Earth for one thousand years . At the end of the thousand year reign of Christ, Satan will be loosed and a short time of rebellion will occur. Then Christ will destroy all in rebellion with the fire of His judgement , and Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire and tormented forever . Every person who has ever lived will be judged. Those who have not received God’s gift of forgiveness will be separated from God and punished for eternity . God’s people will enjoy eternity with Him .

( 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Philippians 3:20-21; Matthew 24:15-22; Revelation 6-19; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-7; Revelation 19:11-20:7; Revelation 20:7-9; Revelation 20:10; Revelation 20:11-15; Matthew 25:46 and Revelation 21:1-7)