God
Our core belief is in the one God, Creator of all things, who eternally exists in unity in three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that this one true and living God is infinitely perfect both in his love and in his holiness. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has eternally purposed by his grace to redeem a people for himself, to restore his fallen creation, and to make all things new for the praise of his glory.
The Bible
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, revealing God’s character, humanity’s need of salvation, and God’s purposes in redemption and the renewal of all things. The Bible conveys God’s message of living hope, the gospel of salvation for humanity and restored creation in his coming kingdom. We believe that the Bible is sufficient for all that God requires for us to believe and do and authoritative over every domain of knowledge to which it speaks.
The Human Condition
Our sinful human condition resulted when Adam, created in the image of God and for perfect fellowship with him, distorted that image and forfeited his original blessedness by falling into sin through Satan’s temptation. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice and thus alienated from a holy God. The hope of all people is the undeserved love and grace of this same God, who alone can rescue and restore people to himself.
Jesus Christ
God purposed from eternity to save all those who by grace have faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. In love God commands and implores all people to repent and believe. In Jesus, the Word became flesh, fully God and fully man. He lived the only sinless human life in perfect obedience to his heavenly Father, performed miraculous signs, was crucified, arose bodily from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven where he sits as mediatorial King at the right hand of God the Father.
The Work of Christ
By Christ’s obedience and death, all those who believe in him by faith are justified. Through Christ’s sacrifice, he bore in our place the punishment due us for our sins, discharging our debt and making full satisfaction to God’s justice on our behalf. This justification is solely of free grace, not based on any human merit or works, so that both the full justice and rich grace of God might be revealed and honored.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that God’s justifying grace and sanctifying power and purpose are joined together and inseparable in the lives of believers. The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and the Son, applies salvation in the lives of God’s people and enables their sanctification. In persevering as followers of Jesus in this earthly life, sanctification empowered by the Holy Spirit is revealed to be the deep joy of obedience in becoming more like Christ. The Holy Spirit renews and sanctifies believers by indwelling, instructing, equipping, and empowering them for Christ-like living and service.
The Church
The church is the household of God and the body of Christ, comprised of all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith in Christ. This universal church is manifest in local churches. The church is the corporate dwelling place of God’s Spirit, and the continuing witness to God in the world. Above all, the church is distinguished by its love for God and its members’ love for one another and for the world.
Baptism & Communion
We believe that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordained by Jesus Christ himself. These ordinances visibly and tangibly express the gospel and provide for the spiritual confirmation and nurture of Christ’s followers. Baptism is a sign and assurance of our entrance into the community of believers. The Lord’s Supper, given and received by faith, is a sign of our ongoing remembrance and proclamation of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf to bring us into the family of God, and a partaking of our communion with him until he returns.
Christian Living
Believers are called to live with Christ’s light and life-giving presence in the world, neither withdrawing from the world nor becoming indistinguishable from it. Through redemption in Jesus Christ we are made new in his image and for his kingdom. In the coming kingdom of God, all creation will be restored and Christ will reign in love and righteousness. This kingdom is not only a future hope but a present reality in the world. Believers are called to live in the present in the way that is compatible with God’s promised future, because that future has already come in Jesus Christ. The mission of believers, then, is to be fully engaged by the power of the Holy Spirit in promoting the welfare, peace, healing, and wholeness of the world.