What We Believe
While there are diverse ideas, backgrounds, and cultures within our church, we focus on the basics of the Christian faith to find agreement.The Apostle’s Creed is the most universally received statement of the Christian faith. It has its origins around the second century A.D. and is attributed to the apostles themselves. The Apostle’s Creed is not exhaustive, nor is it meant to be; rather it is a summary of the essentials of the Christian faith. Outside of these, we follow the motto of St. Augustine, “In essentials, unity; in matters of opinions, liberty; in all things, love.”
Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God the Father almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Christ Jesus, his only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, buried; the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand
of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come
and judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the universal Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
“In essentials, unity; in matters of opinions, liberty; in all things, love.” - St. Augustine
The Bible
God is the creator of all things. Additionally, God is the sustaining force of all things. The entire Bible gives evidence of these facts. (Col 1:16-17) The Bible is the written Word of God. It was penned by men who were divinely inspired by the Spirit of God. It is perfect and has been preserved throughout history. The Scriptures are entirely true with no error present. The Word of God is totally authoritative in the life of man; it is both inerrant and infallible. It makes clear the character of God and the standard by what man should be judged by, namely Jesus Christ. Christ is the focus of all Scripture as He is the fulfillment of it.
God (Father, Son, Spirit)
There is one God and one God only. He has made himself known to man throughout history in very distinct and clear ways. God is triune; Father, Son, Spirit. God is revealed to man as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; each has distinct personal attributes and characteristics, but there is no division of essence, nature, or being. The Bible states that God is holy (set apart) and commands man to be holy as God is holy.
God the Father is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, all loving, and all wise. He is righteous and just. He rules and reigns with care over all creation. As I read Scripture the ultimate end for which the world was made is to Glorify God. The ultimate purpose of man is to give glory to God.
God the Son is Jesus Christ. He is the eternal Son of God. Conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. His life fully revealed and did the will of God. He is fully human and fully God. He dealt with the struggles, temptations, and limitations of manhood yet did not sin. He lived a perfect and sinless life. He was crushed for the iniquities of man through crucifixion and suffered a horrible death. He died, was buried, but three days after death he was resurrected. He spent time giving witness to His deity after the resurrection and then ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. He now functions as man’s greatest mediator having fulfilled the reconciliation of man and God through His personal sacrifice. He is Savior and Lord to every believer. His return (second coming) is forthcoming, and when he comes he will come in his full glory. Christ is both Savior and Lord; daily guiding, directing, and giving purpose to life.
God the Spirit is fully God. He is the means by which men of old were inspired to write the text of the Holy Bible. He is the one who convicts men of sin, He opens men’s eyes to see truth and understand the Scriptures. He is the one who prompts and calls men and women to come to Christ. He is responsible for the regeneration of man and at that time He effectively brings every believer into the Body of Christ through baptism of the Spirit of God. He is known in Scripture as the comforter, the one who gives spiritual gifts, and the growth agent for the believers. He seals every believer until the final day of redemption. He is the promise and guarantee of sanctification. He is integral in evangelism on both sides, the one sharing truth and the one hearing the truth.
Salvation
Salvation is the act and process by which God, through Jesus, reconciles man to Himself. Man’s sin has separated him from God. Scripture teaches that all humans have sinned and need reconciliation with God. The work of Salvation is started, maintained, and fulfilled by God and God alone. The Bible states in John 6:44 that in order for a man to come to Christ God must first call him. Scripture states that man is utterly helpless outside of the Grace of God and the gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ. The work of Christ, scripturally speaking, is something totally outside of man and is offered to man based on the character of God, and is not contingent on man in any way.
A person is saved through faith in Christ and repentance. A person must have faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ and must also repent of sin and their sinful ways. Upon salvation the entire person is redeemed for eternity. Salvation only comes through Jesus Christ.
The Church
The local church is to be an autonomous congregation of believers that have been baptized, by immersion, and regularly observe the Lord’s Supper. The church is to be governed by the authority of the Word of God. Within the church there will be diversity in gifting among the members, but doctrinally the body should be biblically sound and in agreement with one another. The church must be marked by a clear demonstration of the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). The church will have several distinct focuses; discipleship, worship, prayer, evangelism, fellowship, ministry, missions, etc. The church will be led by a pastor or group of pastors.
*For more detailed statement of beliefs please see The Baptist Faith and Message 2000
