our BELIEFS and VALUES

Jesus said, "You will know a tree by its fruit." In short, "external" behavior is always produced by "internal" beliefs. These beliefs produce values and these values are lived out in everyday life. Although this brief discussion does not cover all that we affirm and believe, it does cover the core truths that shape all others.

the question of TRUTH

Since the Bible is foundation on which all our other beliefs are built, we begin with it. We believe that the Bible (The Written Word, the Scriptures) is the only true revelation of God's truth written in human language. For this reason, we affirm three basic things about the Bible:

1 | We believe the Bible is inspired or "breathed-out by God." Even though the Bible was recorded by means of its human authors, the ultimate author is God who moved in the hearts and minds of the men who wrote the Bible so that their works carry His approval and authority.
2 | We believe the Bible is inerrant in that it contains no errors in what it reveals. Because of this, the Bible is the faithful and reliable revelation of truth. It reveals the World the way it really is.
3 | We believe that the Bible is infallible. In other words, we believe that the Bible does not fail and will never fail in revealing the reality of life.

This Written Word of the Bible guides us and leads us to The Living Word - Jesus Christ. Jesus is the final and supreme revelation of God as He truly is. There is only one God and one mediator between God and humanity - Jesus. All of our other beliefs build from here with the Jesus central to all our thoughts. 2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:12-21; 2 Timothy 2:1-7

the question of GOD'S EXISTENCE and IDENTITY

We believe that the one true God revealed in the Bible exists as three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the great mystery of the Trinity. Each Divine Person knows, loves and serves the others. This Triune God is perfect in knowledge, wisdom, and power; He is perfect in all that He is. He is incomprehensible in His perfection (we will never be able to get our minds "around" Him) but He is known in His self-revelation, particularly His holy love revealed in both grace and righteous wrath.

| The Source of All Life |
Everything that exists was created by the one true God working through Jesus Christ. Because He is the Creator, all living things derive their life from Him. He desires that His creation know Him in order to love Him and worship Him and serve Him in order to find true freedom and true life. We were created by Jesus, through Jesus, for Jesus. Acts 17:24-28; Colossians 1:15-16

| The Reality of Divine Love |
Because God has always existed in relationship, He is love and expresses His unique love in His actions. By love, we do not mean a feeling, but an attitude of valuing others that results in service, even self-sacrificial service. God reveals this love most clearly in the giving of His one unique Son - Jesus. Jesus has come to lead us back to the Father so that we can be completely immersed in their eternal love. John 3:16-20; John 17

| The Source of All that is True, Good and Glorious |
The Scriptures reveal God as holy. This means that He is separate, different from all else. This holiness is revealed, however, in His perfect love, justice, grace and wrath. Because God is glorious in His very being, He is the source of all that is true, good and glorious (beautiful). When He is truly known, worship is the only reasonable response. Psalm 8, 27, 95; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

the question of JESUS' IDENTITY

We believe that Jesus is God (the Eternal Son) in human flesh. He is both fully God and fully man. The Eternal Son enters human history, being born like any other person, taking on human nature, as Jesus. Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit however and not by a human father. Therefore Jesus was born free from the inherited corruption of Adam's sin and qualified to be both the final and perfect sacrifice for sin and our Savior. Luke 1:26-38; Hebrews 1:1-3; Philippians 2:3-11

the question of ORIGIN

We believe that God created all things through the Lord Jesus Christ for the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, all things were originally good, designed for God's greater glorious purposes. However, because Satan led a rebellion in Heaven that then came to the earth through the Fall of Adam, God's originally good creation was subjected to the futility of sin, shame and death.

| The Origin of Humanity |
Humanity was created to be the image and likeness of God on Earth, reflecting and revealing His truth, goodness and glory. Our Creator built into us three basic desires that drive us: the desire for Significance, the desire for Security, and the desire for Satisfaction. Our glorious Creator designed us to look to Him and fellowship with Him in order to satisfy these desires. Something, however, went terribly wrong. Genesis 1-2

| The Origin of Evil |
Although we do not know all the details, we do know that in the Heavenly realm, one of God's most powerful angels (a spirit created to serve God) rebelled against God and drew many other angels away in his fall. This angelic leader is known as Satan (the Adversary) or the Devil (the Slanderer) among other names. These fallen spirits are now demons who are also the authorities and powers that stand behind the affairs of this World, warring against God and His purposes. But make no mistake, these forces are not equal to God; He will prevail in the end. Through this angelic rebellion, sin and evil entered the Creation. Revelation 12; 2 Timothy 3:5-6

| The Origin of our Human Predicament |
Although the first man and woman were created good - without any defects - they nevertheless rebelled against God. Tempted by the Adversary- the Devil, Satan - the first man Adam (and his wife Eve) chose self-rule rather than submitting to God's rule and thus sin, death and corruption entered the human experience. The Rebellion of Satan in Heaven and the Rebellion of the first man Adam on Earth brought war to our World. Because Adam was our "first father" - the father of us all - his choice determined our path and we are each born into this world under the dark dominion of the Enemy, dead in sin and hostile to God. Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-3

the question of SALVATION

We believe that God desires for all people to come to Him through Jesus Christ to find true life satisfying their desires for significance, security and satisfaction in Him. These God given desires were meant to direct us to God as the source of our life, but they have been warped and twisted by sin and lead us away from Him in our fallen condition.

| Jesus Our Savior |
Jesus Christ entered the human condition to save us. At the core of His saving acts is His death and resurrection. The Bible affirms that Jesus died for our sins to free us from their guilt and consequences. In this way Jesus redeems us (sets us free) by pouring out His blood. Jesus was also resurrected from the dead to show that He was granted power over death itself, the final enemy. Now all those who come to Jesus, trusting Him as Savior, take on this same shape of life: we die to our old way of life - enslaved to sin and death - in order to be raised new in Christ. God's saving acts are accomplished in and through Jesus, but the benefits of this salvation are applied to all who believe in or trust Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Romans 3:21-26; 5:1-11

| The Process of Salvation |
We experience this salvation in four major ways:
1 | New Spiritual Birth: By the Spirit of God, all who are dead in sin, lost, and hostile to God are reborn so that they may see and enter the Kingdom of the Beloved Son. Without this spiritual rebirth, we would remain lost in the darkness of sin and corruption. John 1:9-13, 3:1-14; 1 John 5:1-13
2 | Justification: God declares that all who believe in, trust in Jesus Christ have done the right thing and thus have right relationship with Him. Now in right relationship with God, He begins to transform us into children who are truly lovable and able to love as He loves us. Romans 3:24, 5:1
3 | Sanctification: This is the process by which God the Father working in Christ through the Holy Spirit transforms us into the people that He desires us to be. We are set apart once for all time by our faith in Christ, but until we see Christ face to face we will be transformed step by step according to the pattern of His perfection. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
4 | Glorification: The final step in our salvation will be completed only when we finally see Christ. In that moment, we will be completely changed, perfected to reflect His glory completely. We will take on the fully reality of His resurrection life, fit to live in eternal fellowship with Him. Although this is a future event, we have complete confidence that this will come to pass because He will be faithful to complete the work that He has begun in us. Philippians 1:6; 1 John 3:1-3

the question of DESTINY

We believe that all things have their conclusion in Jesus Christ. Everything will be "summed up" or brought together in Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus will be the judge of all people. Those who have believed in God and trusted Christ as Savior will be granted what they have desired: an eternal life in God's glorious presence. Those who have rejected God and His good desires for them will inherit exactly what they have desired: eternal existence apart from God's presence and His provision. Ephesians 1:9-10; Colossians 1:17-23; Daniel 12:2-3; 2 Corinthians 5:9

We believe that Jesus is in Heaven now, ruling as King, yet awaiting the time when He will return to set all things right. Although all who belong to Christ, those who are "in Christ," have now been spiritually raised with Christ in His heavenly reign, we hope toward the day when He will return to the Earth to gather us to Himself and rule. At the end of this earthly reign Jesus will put an end to all suffering and pain and establish the New Heavens and the New Earth, free of all sin, death and corruption. Matthew 28:18-20; Revelation 20-22

the question of PURPOSE

We believe that God designed humanity to exist for His pleasure and for His glory - to know and be included in His divine love. He designed us to experience this love by overseeing this earth in His image and likeness. Now, in the present age, God desires for all to come to know Him through the work of Jesus. When we turn to Jesus, focusing upon Him and trusting Him as our Creator, Savior, and King we are transformed into the people that we were designed to be.

| Called to Be Apprentices of Jesus |
We believe that the highest call for any person is to follow Jesus the Master Teacher as His disciple or apprentice. Salvation is not just a one time event, but a lifelong experience of cooperating with the Spirit of God as He seeks to form the virtue of Christ within us, expressed in our actions and activities. This process is a lifelong experience of dying to ourselves, while coming alive with abundant life in Christ. We hope toward the day when Jesus our King will be revealed from Heaven, and the full awesome reality of our life in Him will be fully revealed and we will take on the glory of His life. Matthew 28:18-20; Colossians 3:1-4

| Gifted to Serve our King |
We believe that God has designed and gifted every one who is "in Christ" for a significant and indispensable ministry within the Church, which is the Body of Christ. As we walk together, following Christ, we become the agents of His mission here on Earth. The only hope that our world has is found in the life of Jesus Christ being expressed in His people. 1 Corinthians 12-13; Ephesians 4:1-15; 1 Timothy 3:14-15