Articles of Faith

What We Believe

1. The Bible is the inspired Word of God. All scripture is true. It is impossible for God to lie. (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 6:18; John 17:17)

2. There is only one God. He has always existed and will always exist. He is the creator of the universe. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Exodus 20:2-3; Isaiah 43:10-11)

3. While there is only one God, he exists eternally in three Persons in relationship.

• The Father is called God (2 Thessalonians 1:2)

• The Son (Jesus) is called God (John 1:1-5; 10:30-33; 20:28; Hebrews 1:8; Philippians 2:9-11)

• The Holy Spirit is called God (Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 3:17)

4. When Adam sinned he died spiritually and his relationship with God was severed. We are born with a sinful nature we inherited from Adam. We are sinful and cannot please God by our own good works alone. We can never be good enough. (Psalm 51:5; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10-12 and 3:20)

5. Jesus the Christ

• Jesus the Christ was born of a virgin, miraculously conceived by a supernatural conception. God interrupted the natural birth process so Jesus did not inherit a sin nature. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:26-35)

• Jesus the Christ is perfect without sin and has the ability to represent us before God. (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22)

• Jesus the Christ is both God and Man. God, while retaining his full God nature, became a perfect man in Christ to bridge the separation and mediate between God and mankind. (1 Timothy 2:5; John 1:1; 1:14 Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8; 2:14; Phil 2:7-8)

6. God, and God alone, is able to rescue us from sin. By God’s grace, undeserving people will be united in fellowship with him and avoid judgement. Without God’s grace no one could come into relationship with him. Relationship with God is peace, joy, and eternal life. (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 15:5; Titus 3:5-7; Romans 9:16)

7. Faith, not works, connects us to God. Faith is trusting that God can and will save us. Faith is an act on our part, but it is not a work. (John 17:3; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 11:6; Romans 4:5)

8. Only Christ’s sinless life, sacrificial death and bodily resurrection can bring us to God. The penalty for sin is death – not only physical death (separation of the spirit from the body), but also spiritual death (separation of ourselves from God). The penalty we owe to God was paid by Christ through his death on the cross. The acceptable death had to be perfect, complete, and without fault. Christ the perfect man gave himself in our place, so that whoever believes in him will not die (physically and spiritually) but have everlasting life (John 3:16; 14:6; Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18)

9. Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave, showing proof that he conquered death by being physically resurrected in the same body. All of humanity will be resurrected and live forever with God or separated from God. (John 2:19-21; Luke 24:39; Romans 4:25; 10:9; Matthew 25:41, 46)

10. After spending forty days in his resurrected body on earth, Jesus ascended body and spirit to God in heaven. Because Christ has ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit now dwells with believers providing guidance and comfort. (Luke 24:50-51; John 16:7; Acts 1:10-10)

11. Jesus the Christ is our mediator before God. Jesus defends us before God against the accusations of Satan. (Revelation 12:10; Hebrews 1:3; 4:15; 7:25; 1 John 2:1)

12. Jesus will return to the world soon. When he returns, dead believers will receive their immortal resurrected bodies and believers who are alive will receive their immortal transformed bodies. Believers will live with God forever and those who do not believe will be separated from God’s goodness forever. (Matthew 24:30; Revelation 21:3-4; 22:12, 20; Colossians 3:3-4; Luke 12:40; John 3:36)