What We BElieve
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.
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 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."
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.
