There is only one true God. He is the Creator of all life and the Supreme Ruler of the universe. He has always been (He is eternal) and co-exists equally in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. We learn about God through His creation, His Word, and His Son. God loves us more than we can imagine.

Genesis 1:26-27; Deuteronomy 6:4; Job 38:1-41:34; Matthew 3:13-17; John 3:16; 

Romans 1:19-20; Ephesians 4:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14

Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God. Co-equal with God the Father and God the Spirit, He came to earth and became man. He was completely God while at the same time being fully man. He revealed to us who God is. His miraculous acts, sinless life, and life-changing teachings all confirm the fact that He is God’s Son. His purpose for coming to Earth was to show God’s love by dying on a cross, taking the sins of everyone on Himself, and paying the penalty for our sins. His bodily resurrection from the grave and His promise to return someday are testimonies to the fact that He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus desires the deepest relationship with every person.

Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1,14,18; Acts 10:37-43;

Ephesians 2:4-8; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-21; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. He dwells in each member of God’s family as a Helper and Guide. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that a person comes to salvation. At the point of salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our physical bodies as His home and He begins the work of sanctification in us. Though we will never be sinless in this life the Holy Spirit does help us sin less as we conform more to the image of Christ. The works of the flesh begin to fade and the fruit of the Spirit begins to appear as we allow God’s spirit to lead us on a daily basis.

John 14:16-17; John 16:7-13; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 3:16-20; 

Ephesians 5:18; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:19-25; Romans 8:13,14

The Bible is God’s written Word. The process that God used to give us His Word is called inspiration, which means God-breathed. The Word of God is without error and is truth. It tells us who God is, why He loves us, and what His plans are for us. The Bible is the authority or standard for living our lives according to God’s will for us.

Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:105, 160; John 17:17;

1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21

There are no perfect people here. We’re all broken and relying on God’s grace to keep us moving forward. Because God has accepted us, we accept one another. We seek to extend and receive forgiveness. We strive to treat others the way we desire to be treated. Our goal is to love each other as Christ loves us. The Church is God’s spiritual family. It is made up of all those who have chosen to place their trust and faith in Jesus and who are His followers (disciples). The Church is not a building or one particular group of believers. To belong to the Church is to belong to Jesus. The Bible uses the analogy that Jesus is the Head of the Church, which is His body. God’s will is for the Church to gather regularly to worship, to use its various gifts and abilities to serve, to love and encourage those who are in the body, and to work diligently to maintain the unity of the body. As the members of His Church if we love one another and maintain unity of purpose and relationship, the world around us will recognize that we belong to Jesus. The Church or body is to seek to do the will of God, which includes making and growing followers of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16:15-18; John 17:20-23; John 13:34-35; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-10

We need salvation because we have sinned. Sin separates us from God who desires a relationship with us. It is impossible for anyone to restore that broken relationship with God by any amount of earned merit, of personal goodness, religious deeds, by belonging to a religious organization, or by our own efforts. The death of Jesus was not an accident. It was God’s plan from the beginning to save us from our sins through the death of Jesus Christ. The Bible calls God’s act of love, grace. His grace is His gift to us. The way we receive His gift is by entering into a covenant relationship with Jesus by placing our trust and faith in Him. When we decide that we will follow Jesus for the rest of our lives, we demonstrate our trust in Jesus by obeying His command to be immersed (baptized) in water demonstrating the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Isaiah 59:2; John 3:16; John 14:6; Acts 2:37-39; Romans 3:10, 11, 23; Romans 6:3-4; 

Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Baptism into Christ is faith responding to the Good News of Jesus and is repeatedly instructed in the New Testament to obey. Don’t just take our word for it – study the New Testament for yourself. There is no instance in scripture of anyone being added to The Body of Christ without it. Baptism is a word that means immersion in water. For believers who understand that only the blood of Jesus can wash away sins, it is the seminal point where faith, a decision, and action come together to add someone to the Church. Our burial in water unites us with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and declares that our sins have been forgiven and our new life has begun.

Matthew 3:16; 28:19-20; Romans 6:1-8; Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:3-5; 

Acts 2:38; 8:38; 22:16; John 3:5; Galatians 3:26-27

We are created in the spiritual likeness or image of God. God gave us free will; we have the ability to choose to love as God loves, to choose to do right in the likeness of God’s righteousness and to choose to value what God values. God created us because He wants a family who will love Him because we want to love Him, and not because we have to love Him. The first man and woman chose to sin, and now every person lives in an imperfect creation with an imperfect spiritual nature. As a result, every person will eventually choose to sin and subsequently become separated from God.

Genesis 1:27; Genesis 3:1-24; Psalm 8:3-6; John 4:24; Ephesians 1:4-6; Romans 3:23