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Our Church's Statement of Faith

We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as being inspired by God and completely inerrant in the original writings and of supreme and final authority in faith and life.

1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:15–17; 1 John 5:7; Ephesians 4:4–6

We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man.

Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35; 2:7, 11, 52; John 1:1–2

We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God; that human beings are born with a sinful nature.

Genesis 1:26; 3:1–3; 3:4–6; Romans 3:22–23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:12

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the basis of His shed blood.

Romans 3:24–25; 1 Peter 1:18–19; 2:24

We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into Heaven and His present life for us as High Priest and Advocate.

1 Peter 1:3–5; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1–2

We believe in "that blessed hope," which is for the personal return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Revelation 20:6; John 14:1–4

We believe that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith are born of the Holy Spirit, and thereby become children of God, a relationship in which they are eternally secure.

Ephesians 2:8–10; Titus 2:11–14; 1 Peter 1:5

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost.

Mark 9:43–48; Revelation 20:15; 22:3–5, 11

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

— 1 Corinthians 2:13

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

— 2 Timothy 3:16–17

²⁰Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. ²¹For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

— 2 Peter 1:20–21

¹⁵Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

¹⁶As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

— Matthew 3:15–17

For there are three that testify: . . .

— 1 John 5:7

⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

— Ephesians 4:4–6

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

— Isaiah 7:14

The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.' — Luke 1:35

. . . and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. — Luke 2:7

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. — Luke 2:11

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. — Luke 2:52

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.

— John 1:1–2

Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'

— Genesis 1:26

The Fall

³Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

²The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

— Genesis 3:1–3

⁴“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

— Genesis 3:4–6

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
— Romans 3:22–23

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. . . — Romans 5:12

. . remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

— Ephesians 2:12

. . . ²⁴and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — . . .

— Romans 3:24–25

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
— 1 Peter 1:18–19

"He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed."
— 1 Peter 2:24

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

— 1 Peter 1:3–5

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. — Hebrews 7:25

For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. — Hebrews 9:24

Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

— Romans 8:34

2 ¹My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

— 1 John 2:1–2

Believers Who Have Died

¹³Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.

— 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

— Revelation 20:6

Jesus Comforts His Disciples
14 ¹“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ²My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.”

— John 14:1–4

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

— Ephesians 2:8–10

¹¹For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹²It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³while we wait for the blessed hope — the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

— Titus 2:11–14

. . . who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

— 1 Peter 1:5

⁴³If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. [44] [Some manuscripts here include the words of v. 48.] ⁴⁵And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [46] [Some manuscripts here include the words of v. 48.] ⁴⁷And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸where
“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’"

— Mark 9:43–48

Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

— Revelation 20:15

³No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. ⁴They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
— Revelation 22:3–5

¹¹"Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”
— Revelation 22:11