The purpose of this section is not to provide an exhaustive theological argument for the following beliefs.  Rather, it is presented as a brief synopsis of fundamental aspects of our faith for the purpose of clarity and doctrinal unity.

ABOUT GOD…
There is one true God. He is the Creator and Ruler of everything, seen and unseen. He exists eternally as one Being revealed to us in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born to the virgin Mary. He came as God in the flesh. He lived a sinless life, offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins by His death on the cross, and rose from the grave three days later, showing His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven and will return again someday to reign as King over all the earth.

After Jesus returned to His place in heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent to counsel, comfort, convict, and empower believers. When a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior, the Holy Spirit begins to live in them. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is an additional experience, available to every Christian, that further empowers them to live a holy life and serve more effectively.

ABOUT THE BIBLE…
We believe that God verbally inspired the writing of the Bible. The Holy Spirit directed the various authors to write God’s truth, working with and through their personalities and writing styles to produce one coherent and error-free work. We believe the canon of Scripture, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the complete written revelation of God to man. It is from God’s Word that we draw all of our other beliefs.

ABOUT PEOPLE…
The pinnacle of God’s creation was mankind, handcrafted in His image, to reflect His glory, to live in fellowship with Him, and to care for His creation. Satan, the enemy of God and man, tempted the first humans to choose to follow their own way instead of God’s, and humanity, through a willful choice, decided to act against God. As a result, sin and evil entered creation, severing the perfect fellowship between God and man, between individual people, and between man and the rest of creation. Physical and spiritual death became the new reality. Each person has a broken relationship with God and is guilty of sin.

God, in His infinite love, did not abandon mankind in its brokenness. He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay for our sins by His own death. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross made a restored relationship with God available for every person. This salvation is not something that can be earned by trying to be a better person or by doing more good things, it is God’s free gift. When we recognize Jesus’ death as the payment for our sins and accept Him into our lives, we receive eternal life. From that point on, the Holy Spirit works in us to help us obey God’s commands and to become more like our Savior.