What We Believe
The Bible
We believe the Bible is true, complete and trustworthy. As God’s revelation to
us, it includes everything we need to know about what to believe and how to live. As a consequence, in our church we ask: What does the Bible say? (Psalm 19:7-12; 119; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
God the Father
We believe that God the Father is revealed in Scripture as the Almighty Creator. Perfect in every aspect of His character, He is both transcendent and imminent. In other words, God is far beyond us, and yet He comes near to us. God is eternal. That is, He was not created and will never be destroyed. God has eternally existed as a Triunity of one being in three persons. (Genesis 1:1; 1 Peter 4:19; 2 Samuel 22:31; Matthew 5:48; Isaiah 40:28; Acts 17:27; James 4:8; Genesis 1:26)
God the Son
We believe that God the Son is revealed in Scripture as the second person of the triune God. Also eternal and perfect, God the Son became human at His incarnation. Jesus became a man to carry out the plan of the triune God to bring salvation to humanity. As a human being, Jesus never sinned, thus completing the Father’s righteous demand that His law be kept. Although He had not sinned and so did not deserve to die, the Father put the Son to death as a means of paying the price accrued by those who had sinned. Jesus, then, is the only one who is able to save. (John 1:1-14; Philippians 2:4-11; Hebrews 1; Isaiah 53; John 14:6; Acts 4:12)
God the Spirit
We believe that God the Spirit is revealed as the third person of the triune God. God the Spirit applies the saving benefit of the finished work of Christ to those who believe by faith. He seals the believer by indwelling the life of the believer. His work is not limited to believers however, as He also convinces all mankind of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Spirit of God also serves the church in helping her to recall all the words of Jesus’s teaching and empowering believers to serve. (Acts 5:3-4; John 15:25; Ephesians 1:13; 4:8, 30; 1 Corinthians 14:12)
Mankind and Sin
We believe that God created people as the crowning work of His creative activity. As His special creation, made uniquely in His image, people were born to enjoy a relationship with their God. But as a result of sin, the entire mass of humanity has been separated from God. We believe that sin is inherited from Adam. Through his original sin, all people are born sinners. We believe that although none of are as bad as we could be, the sinfulness extends to every aspect of our being; our mind, will, emotions and activities are all affected by sin. As sinners, we cannot approach a holy God, thus demonstrating our need of salvation through Jesus. Since we are sinners, we believe that it is impossible for any human to produce the righteous deeds needed to please God and merit His salvation. (Genesis 1:27; 3:1-19; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:1-11; 5:12-21)
Salvation
We believe that because of the pervasive nature of sin, we are all born in need of saving. That salvation occurs when we believe the truth regarding the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf: that He was physically born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death on the cross, and then, on the third day was physically raised from the dead; and we place our faith in Him alone for salvation. Repentant sinners turn from their sin and as an act of faith, accept that Jesus is the only one who can save them. Then, because God is gracious, He forgives sinners, justifying them on the basis of Christ’s death. (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16; Titus 3:4-7)
Church
We believe the church is an assembly of baptized believers who are covenanted together in a particular place, living out their faith in Jesus as a redeemed community. The church has two observances: baptism and the Lord’s supper. It has two offices: elder and deacon. The local church is intended by God to be self-governing and independent from denominational control. (Philippians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Acts 2:42-47)
The End of Time
We believe that Jesus will one day return from heaven to receive those who know Him and take them to heaven to be with Him. The future, known to God and planned by Him, will culminate in the eternal state, in which all true believers live under the gracious rule of Christ in the new heaven and the new earth. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 21)
