HOLY BIBLE

The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. We believe that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments were all written by human beings under the divine inspiration of God the Holy Spirit; that they are inerrant and infallible in the original documents; and that the Bible is the authority to guide the faith and practice of each individual believer and each church, or corporate assembly of believers. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26 Hebrews 4:12).

God-Trinity     

There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe God is the only infinite, all-knowing, all-powerful and personal spiritual being; perfect in holiness, wisdom and love; who is the intelligent Creator and Sustainer of all that is. God exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal and work in perfect harmony with one another. ( John 20:17; John 10:30; John 4:24; I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11).

God the Father

God the Father is the Creator of heaven and earth. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-wise. By his Word and for his glory, he freely and supernaturally created the world from nothing. Through the same Word he daily sustains all his creatures. He rules over all and is the only Sovereign. His plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. He is faithful to every promise, works all things together for good to those who love him, and in his unfathomable grace gave his Son, Jesus Christ, for mankind’s redemption. He made man for fellowship with himself, and intended that all creation should live to the praise of his glory. His very nature is love. (Genesis 1:1, Matthew 6:9; Romans 8:14,15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Corinthians 15:24 Romans 8:28, 1 John 4:8 John 3:16)

God the Son, Jesus Christ— (John 3:16; I Cor. 6:11; Luke 4:18-21; Philip. 2:10)

Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary’s womb; therefore, He is the Son of God (Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35). On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He taught about the Kingdom of Heaven, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind and paid the penalty for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory. He is the long-sought Messiah (Christ) of Israel and the Savior of the world. (John 1:1,14, 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5).

The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death (I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29).

Humanity and Redemption

Humankind was created good and upright in the likeness and image of God but by voluntary disobedience fell, resulting in a broken relationship with God and spiritual death. That spiritual death has been passed on to each subsequent generation of humans (original sin). The only hope of redemption (being made right again with God and spiritually alive) is God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Gen. 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21; Gen.1: 27; Rom.3: 23; I Cor.15: 22)

Salvation    

The shed blood and death of Jesus is the only sufficient price for the sin of any human being. Salvation is by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ; no one can be good enough to earn salvation, it is a gift to be accepted and received. Making the choice to accept the sacrifice of Jesus as payment for ones sins is the only way for a person to be spiritually reborn, to be reconciled to God, and to enjoy the benefits, blessings, and rewards of citizenship in the Kingdom of God, both now and forever. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22 ; Acts 4:12; John 1:17; John 3:16; Eph.2: 5; II Cor. 5:18).

Repentance

Repentance is the conscious decision to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to submit to and follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be reborn by the Holy Spirit. Through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and salvation (Acts 2:21, 3:19; I John 1:9).

Jesus Christ Indwells All Believers

Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to him thus making Jesus the Lord of their life as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead (John 1:12; John 14:17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelation 3:20).

Sanctification

Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life (I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; II Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18, II Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11).

God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, Jesus spoke of the gift of the Holy Spirit and the role He would play in our lives. (John 14: 16-17, 26; John 15:26). Given at Pentecost, the Spirit is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth (Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5,2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6).

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the good news that through Jesus we can be forgiven and made right with God. The Bible’s lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters. (Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:16; I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6-7; I Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; I Peter 4:10).

THE CHURCH

Christ is the head of the church, the church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit. Every person who is born of the Spirit through salvation in Jesus, becomes a citizen of the Kingdom of God and is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. The mission of the church is to fulfill the desire of Jesus by actively loving God, loving others, living for His Kingdom, and fulfilling the great commission: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 18-20). Local believers meet together, grow and learn together, and use their spiritual gifts to build up and strengthen one another and the body of Christ. Believers are empowered by God to do the miinistries that God calls them to do. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23; Matt. 16:18; Eph.5: 23; Eph.4: 25; Jas.1: 22-25; I Cor.14: 26, 40).