Our
Beliefs
The Bible is the only
source of knowledge about God and His forgiveness. We
can discover things about God by observing the beauty of
creation or the orderly nature of the human body. The
Bible’s god is this creator God, and it also tells us much
more about Him. Only in the Bible do we learn that while God
is a just God who punishes sin, He is also a merciful God
who forgives our sin at no cost to us.
It is through the Bible that God speaks to us today, giving
us the rule and norm for all we do and say. Since it was
written by men as they were directed and guided by God's
Holy Spirit, the Bible is true and without error.
There is only one true God. Contrary to public
opinion, only one spiritual path leads to heaven. And that
path passes through the God of the Bible, who has revealed
Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God the Father is the Creator and sustainer of the
universe. When God first made the universe, He was
pleased with everything He created. And when He created
mankind—Adam and Eve—the Bible tells us God said they were
“very good!” By giving them each a soul, God’s desire was
that they would reflect His image, live in fellowship with
Him and care for His creation. But Adam and Eve doubted that
God would provide and care for them in the best way
possible. So they rebelled against God. Once they broke that
relationship, their natures became selfish and
self-centered.
Now every human being is born with a self-centered
(sinful) nature and a tendency for evil that violates God's
will and desire. Attempts to change human nature or to
please God with our own good are doomed to failure, for God
demands perfection. No matter how hard we try, we are not
and can never be perfect. Therefore, all of us are in the
same boat: we need to be forgiven. That total and real
forgiveness is found only in Jesus.
Jesus Christ is God the Son.
Jesus Christ was God in the flesh—He was 100% human and 100%
God, all in one. As such, He experienced all the pain,
suffering, and temptation we do. But because He was God, He
dealt with it all in perfect, sinless ways. He did what none
of us can do: He never sinned.
After three years of publicly teaching and demonstrating
that He was God, He allowed Himself to be crucified on a
cross, paying the price for the sin of the world. Through
His crucifixion, the debt we owe for our sin has been
forgiven. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead testifies to
this fact.
God the Holy Spirit gives us this new relationship with
Jesus. It’s a relationship built on faith, a simple word
that speaks more about heart-knowledge than head-knowledge.
“To have faith in Jesus” means “Jesus has saved and forgiven
me...and I trust in that fact.” It’s the Spirit who gives us
that relationship. That same Spirit constantly reminds us of
what Jesus has done, encouraging and empowering us to mature
in this relationship with God.
The Church is the fellowship of everyone God has brought
to faith. The Church is more than one congregation or
denomination. It consists of everyone who trusts in Jesus
Christ as Savior and Lord.
God has given His Church two great gifts to continue its
growth: Baptism and The Lord's Supper.
In Baptism, God establishes a relationship with us, marking
us as members of His Family and promising to always be our
God. While baptism is a simple act of washing with water in
the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, its power
lies in God’s Word as He gives us a new name—His.
The power of the Lord’s Supper is also found in the Word of
God when Jesus promises that “this (bread) is my body...this
(wine) is my blood.” While the Supper is a simple act
consisting of bread and wine and involving all of our
senses, the Word of God insures that Jesus’ body and blood
are also present, in and with the bread and wine, for the
strengthening of our relationship with Him.
A Christian is a member of the Church not because of what
she has done or who he is, but because God has brought him
into a relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
It’s a very one-sided thing: God has forgiven our sin
because of Jesus’ death on the cross; now His Spirit brings
us into God’s Family so that what Jesus did, He did for us
personally. So even though our imperfections remain with us
while here on earth, thanks to Jesus we are already perfect
in God's eyes.
Christians are called to live for Jesus, seeking to serve
and honor Him in all facets of life. Life cannot be
divided into compartments, some where Jesus is present,
others where He is not, for He is the author and Lord of all
of life.
To guide us in how to live, God gave the Ten Commandments.
The first three of these commandments address our
relationship with God: He wants and deserves to be first in
our lives; we are to treat Him and His name with respect;
worship of Him should be a regular part of life.
The last seven commandments address our relationships with
people. This group covers the waterfront and forms the basis
for an orderly society: authority is to be respected,
beginning in the parent/child relationship; life should be
protected, not intentionally taken; sexual intimacy is a
gift to be shared only between husband and wife; treat a
person’s property, name, and relationships with respect.
Jesus condensed these commandments into two: “Love the Lord
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with
all your mind,” and, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
The tension in the Christian walk is that we are called to
love people deeply and obey God fully. Thankfully, God
forgives us when we fail and gives us His forgiveness and
love to share with others!
Death is no longer something to be feared. Rather,
all those who trust in Jesus will live in joy with Him in
heaven for eternity. Death is now simply a doorway to
another level of intimacy with God.
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