We believe that God created this world and that humans can be in relationship with their creator and each other.
We believe that God exists in community as best explained by a trinity of Father, Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God in the flesh and believe that we model this in ministry to our community.
We believe that salvation is by God’s love and grace in Jesus. We respond to God’s love with faith/belief, repentance, confession, baptism, spiritual growth, and a continual life of Christian ministry and mission, in the steps outlined below:
- Hear the Gospel
- “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
- “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
- Believe in Jesus
- When the Philippian jailor asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:30-31).
- Jesus also said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).
- Repent of Sins
- “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,” (Acts 17:30).
- When the Jews on Pentecost Day learned from Peter that they had crucified the Son of God, they “were cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). They wanted to be forgiven of their sins, so they asked, “What shall we do?” They were told to “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (Acts 2:37-38).
- Confess Jesus as Lord
- Jesus said: “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).
- When Philip preached Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch, the eunuch asked, “What hinders me from being baptized?” Philip told him he could be baptized if he believed. The eunuch then confessed, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:35-38). We must make this confession in order to be saved.
- Be baptized (immersed) into Christ
- Jesus said: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).
- Those who believe in Jesus, repent of their sins, and confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God should be baptized for the remission of the sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, Acts 8:37-38).
- When one is baptized, or buried in water, according to the Scriptures, he/she is baptized into Christ’s death (Romans 6:3-4), added to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:41,47), saved (Mark 16:16; I Peter 3:21), born again (John 3:3-5), and in Christ where all spiritual blessings are to be found (Ephesians 1:3, Galatians 3:26-27).
- Live a faithful life, always striving to do God’s will, and be active in His kingdom
- “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
- “It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:11-13)