God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He exists
eternally in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
There is one God in three persons. (Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; 1
Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He lived a sinless human life and offered
Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a
cross. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power
over sin and death. He ascended into Heaven’s glory and will return to
earth again to rule as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Matthew
1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians
15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13)
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God, Jesus Christ.
He is present in the world to make us aware of our need for Jesus Christ.
He lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation and provides
Christians with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and
guidance in doing what is right. We seek to live under His control daily.
(2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16;
Ephesians 1:13-14; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18)
The Bible is God’s Word to all people, written by human authors under
the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of
truth for Christian beliefs and living. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2
Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105, 160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5)
People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Created in the spiritual
image of God, and born biologically as male or female, every life is sacred
and begins at the moment of conception. Although people have
tremendous potential for good, they are marred by an attitude of
disobedience toward God, called sin. This attitude separates people from
God. (Genesis 1:27, 2:7, 5:2; Psalm 8:3-6, 139:13, Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23;
Isaiah 59:1-2)
Salvation is by grace, through faith. It is a gift from God to all people. We
can never make up for our sins by self-improvement or good works. We are
saved from sin’s penalty by trusting in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice as
God’s offer of forgiveness. We show our faith publicly through baptism.
(Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26;
Romans 5:1)
Baptism is for anyone who has decided to trust Jesus Christ alone for
salvation. The word baptize means to “dip or immerse” under water. Jesus
modeled this form of baptism and commanded it, making baptism a
symbolic act of obedience and faith. Anyone who has professed faith in
Christ should be baptized at his or her conversion or soon after. (Matthew
3:16, Matthew 10:32, Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:35-38, Romans 6:3-4, 2
Corinthians 5:17)
Eternity is how long we were created to exist with God. We will either exist
eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God through
forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is hell. To be
eternally in union with him is heaven. Heaven and hell are places of eternal
existence. (John 3:16; 1 John 2:25, 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15)
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive
union. It is intended by God to be a permanent relationship and a witness
to the world of the relationship between Christ and His Church. We believe
that sexual intimacy was created by God and intended for a man and a
woman who are married to one another. Any sexual activity outside of this
exclusive union is considered sin. (Genesis 2:18-25, 1 Corinthians 6:18, 1
Corinthians 7:2-5, Ephesians 5:21-33, Hebrews 13:4)
The Church is the body of Christ on earth. It exists to communicate the
good news of new life in Jesus Christ to the world, to teach his followers to
obey his teachings, and to equip his followers for ministry. The church is
made up of those who have placed their faith in Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27;
Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:10; Ephesians 4:11-14; Acts 2:38)
