Affirmation of Faith

Affirmation of Faith

The Holy Bible The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is 100% the Word of God. It, alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. The Bible, in its original writing, is both inspired and inerrant. (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1: 20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26)

The Trinity In one God there are three distinct persons: The Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. They are all co-equal and co-eternal. (I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11)

Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. (John 1:1, 14, 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6;Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5)

Virgin Birth Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary’s womb; therefore He is the Son of God. (Matthew 1:18, 30; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23;Luke 1:27-35)

Repentance All believers are called by God to repent and believe in the gospel.  Repentance is a commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ (Acts 2:38, 3:19, 1 John 1:9).

Salvation Salvation is a free gift of God and is the result of a relationship with the living Christ.  Through salvation we become “born again” and children of God.  Saving faith is accompanied by assurance given by the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer. (John 1:12-13; 3:3-21; Romans 10:9-10; Galatians 4:3-7; Ephesians 2:8-10, II Corinthians 1:21-22.)

Sanctification The ongoing process of yielding to God in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. (I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; II Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18; II Thessalonians 2:1-3; Romans 8:29, 12:1-2; Hebrews 2:11)

Jesus’ Blood The blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse man of all sins. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for the sins we have committed, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death. (I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29)

Jesus Christ Indwells All Believers Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them. They are putting their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead. (John 1:12, 14:17-22, 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelations 3:20)

Baptism in the Holy Spirit Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His ascension, to empower the Church to fulfill its mission throughout the whole earth. We believe that the gift of speaking in tongues is frequently released when Christians are baptized in the Holy Spirit. This happens to bring edification to believers and to enhance their prayer lives. (Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5, 8, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6; I Corinthians 14:1-9; Jude 20.)

Gifts of the Spirit Every believer who is baptized with the Holy Spirit is given spiritual gifts to be used in ministry under Christ’s direction. (I Corinthians 12:4-11; Romans 12:4-8; Hebrews 2:4)

The Church The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Holy Spirit, established on earth for the fulfillment of Jesus’ Great Commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the Church, gifted and appointed as Christ wills, as a part of His body. (Matthew 28:19-20;Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 12:12-28; Hebrews 12:23)

Healing of the Sick Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a gift to believers and a sign to unbelievers that the Gospel true.(Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16.)

Resurrection Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. One day, all believers in Christ will also be physically resurrected in their glorified bodies to their eternal reward in Heaven with God. (John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:14-16; I Corinthians 15; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21)

Marriage We believe that marriage is a creation of God not men.  He established it, the union of one biological man and one biological woman, to be a life-long covenant and to serve as the foundation of healthy families and societies. Sexual involvement with any person outside of the context of marriage is prohibited by God in scripture. (Genesis 2:21-24; Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18; Proverbs 5:18-19; Romans 1:18-27; Hebrews 13:4)

Gender Identity We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female.  These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God.  Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Right To Life We are committed to protecting and enhancing the quality of life of all persons from conception to natural death. (Exodus 20:13; Psalm 139:13-16; Proverbs 31:8; Luke 1:41-44.)

Heaven After living one life on earth, believers will be received into Heaven where they will be eternally present with God.  Heaven is the eternal dwelling place of all who believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 5:3, 12, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; Luke 16:19-31; John 17:24; II Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:13-16; I Peter 1:4, Revelation 21:1-5.)

Second Coming Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to the earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures. (Matthew 24:36-41, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:13-18: 5:1-2;Revelation 1:7)

Hell After living one life on earth, unbelievers will be judged by God because they have rejected Christ as savior and sent to Hell where they will be eternally separated from God. (Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:6-8)

Water Baptism Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, a new Christian is commanded by Christ to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This is a public confession of Christ and an act of obedience to His command.  Baptism alone does not impart salvation (Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9, 16:16, Luke 9:26;Acts 2:38, 8:12, 26-38, 10:47-48, Romans 6:4; I Corinthians 12:13.)

The Lord’s Supper: A unique time of communion with Christ and His church when the elements of bread and wine or grape juice (representing the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. This is a celebration of Christ’s victory over sin, death and all evil which Jesus instructed his followers to observe.(Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 16:16; I Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:23-32)

Stewardship As Christians we believe that we belong to God.  We are His servants and He is our master.  This means that our whole lives-our time on Earth, our talents, our relationships and material possessions-are at His disposal.  Stewardship is the awareness that God has charged us to wisely use what He has given us, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to bring glory to Him and advance His kingdom on the Earth. (Genesis 1:28-31; Malachi 3:6-18; Matthew 25:14-30; Mark 12:41-44; Luke 12:35-48; Luke 16:10-12; Romans 14:7-9; I Corinthians 6:19-20.)

Discipleship We believe that every Christian is called to become a true disciple of Christ.  Discipleship involves a proactive lifetime commitment to learn and submit to all Jesus Christ taught.  This includes a determination to replicate His character in every area of life.  The passion of every true Christian desciple is to authentically and faithfully represent Jesus to all people. (Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 10:25; Ephesians 4:11-13; Ephesians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 9:23-26; 1 Peter 2:21.)