The Bible We believe that the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are God’s Word, that God gave it to mankind without error in the original writings, and that it alone is the sufficient source of authority for all belief and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). God We believe in one God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present and never changing. There is one God who exists in three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14). We believe that God created the universe out of nothing apart from the process of evolution (Genesis 1:1-31; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3). God is holy and perfect and requires from us to be perfect and holy (1 Peter 1:15-16; Matthew 5:48). God created people, loves them, and desires that everyone lives in a loving relationship with Him (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 22:37). Jesus Christ We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was born of a virgin, sent to solve the sin problem, and is God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14; 5:18; 10:30; Hebrews 1:3a). Jesus lived the perfect life and therefore could satisfy God’s requirement for perfection (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 8:29). Jesus died on the cross to pay for the penalty and punishment for sin (1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 5:8) and he rose again expressing His power over sin and death and to prove that God accepted His death as payment for sin (Romans 4:25). We believe that Jesus is the only way to God the Father (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit We believe that the Holy Spirit is the agent of the new birth through conviction and regeneration and that He seals, indwells, and baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ at the moment of conversion. He also fills, empowers, and distributes service gifts to believers. During the Apostolic Period, God used the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit to authenticate the Gospel message (John 3:5; Ephesians 1:13; Romans 6:3-5; 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 5:18; 4:11-12; Romans 12:6-8; Hebrews 2:3-4; Ephesians 2:20). Humankind ​ We believe that humankind was created good and able to have a loving relationship with God. They chose to disobey (Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:10-11) and they have failed to bring glory to God because of this disobedience (Romans 3:23). As a result, humankind cannot be accepted by a holy God and therefore deserves God’s judgement (Hebrews 9:27) and eternal death (John 3:36; Romans 6:23a). In this state, humankind cannot save itself (James 2:10; Ephesians 2:8-9). ​ Grace & Mercy ​ We believe that God has expressed both his grace and mercy through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God shows us His grace by giving us the free gift of eternal life with him through Christ. God shows us His mercy by allowing our deserved punishment to be payed for by Christ's perfect sacrifice. Because Jesus is God, His death can be the substitute for people by which his salvation is offered as a free gift to everyone; it is not earned or deserved (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23). ​ Faith A person becomes a true Christian by receiving God’s free gift of forgiveness through belief, faith, or trust (John 1:12). This means that a person must abandon all reliance on their own efforts and depend on Jesus Christ alone for salvation. This salvation is not obtained by anything they can do themselves - saying a prayer, being baptized, reading the Bible, going to church, or doing good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), rather it is given as a free gift to those who repent and have faith. ​ End Times We believe in the imminent coming of Jesus Christ for His church, a time of great tribulation on this earth for unbelievers, and God's eternal reign in a new heaven and new earth (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 24:4-31; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:1-22:5). Baptism & The Lord’s Supper We believe in and practice two ordinances: Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. Baptism is commanded by Jesus to his disciples (Matthew 28:19) and is a symbol of our union with Him in his death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4). Baptism is a testimony to the world as an outward expression of an inward reality (Galatians 3:27) for those who have placed their faith in Christ (Acts 2:41). The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus (Matthew 26:26-29) for all believers to remember His atonement for our sins through his broken body and shed blood (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The Lord’s Supper is a public proclamation of the Lord’s saving grace in your life through His atoning death on the cross for your sins (John 6:53-57; Romans 3:25). ​ The Church We believe that all genuine believers are members of the body of Christ, who are commanded to meet together in local assemblies. We believe that the local church is a group of baptized believers meeting together for the purpose of worship, instruction from the Bible, and fellowship; all are commanded by Jesus Christ to live godly lives and to tell others about God's free gift of salvation. We believe that the local church should be self-governing, yet willing to cooperate with other churches in contending for the faith and furtherance of the gospel. However, no association should be made with those who have compromised the truth of God's Word. We believe that there are two ordinances of the local church: 1) scriptural baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, which is a public testimony of one's faith in Christ, picturing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and, 2) the Lord's Supper, which is a remembrance of Christ's death until He comes again (1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:36-39; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).