What We Believe

God

We believe in The Trinity One God in Three Persons  

• We believe in God the Father – Creator of heaven and earth and of all that is visible and invisible.
• We believe in God the Son – Jesus Christ is God the Son who came in the flesh to suffer death on the cross and to rise again to life…in order to provide victory over sin and death for ALL mankind.  Through Him alone are we saved.
• We believe in God the Holy Spirit – Who creates, builds, and nourishes our faith; and who calls and sanctifies us through God Word to be God’s holy people. 
• Each is unique in person and role but one in substance, glory, and power.
• Trinity is mankind’s explanation of the incomprehensible things God has revealed to us about Himself through Scripture                                                                                   

God’s Word

We believe that the 66 books known as the Holy Bible are the divinely inspired and inerrant Word of God. 

• We take our teachings, our values, and our doctrines from the Bible alone.
• We do not make God’s Word fit our desire and opinions; rather, we let God’s Word shape us in thought, word, and deed.

Salvation

We believe we are saved only by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

• Man is a fallen sinner who, in no way, can save himself from the damning consequences of sin.  (Ephesians 2:1-3)
• Son of God left his heavenly throne and took on human flesh out of his divine mercy in order to redeem lost and sinful mankind. (Luke 1:35)
• Jesus’ perfect and sinless life, His sacrificial death upon the cross to pay our debt of sin, and His resurrection that confirmed His truthfulness and success, is mankind's ONLY source of hope and salvation. (Isaiah 53:4-5; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
• It is only by God's grace through faith we receive the benefits of Christ's cross – restoring man to a right relationship with God and guaranteeing to all who believe, the blessings of forgiveness, life, and eternal salvation.  (Galatians 2:20)

Christian Life

We believe that in response to the salvation we receive in Jesus Christ, it is our duty and privilege to live as God’s called and redeemed people.

• Our good works and obedience to the Law do not save us, but we joyfully strive to live a God pleasing life because God has made us a new creation through Christ our Lord.  (Ephesians 2:8-10; 4:1-6; Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:5-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17)
• God calls for a total commitment on the part of all who are His and that we are all God's evangelists.  (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 10:42; Rom. 10:15)
• All of our time, talents, and treasures are gifts from God and should be used to honor and glorify Christ.  (Ephesians 2:10)

Word and Sacraments

We believe that God works through His means of grace (Word and Sacraments) to create and strengthen faith in a person’s heart. 

• God’s Word has power to save because “faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10:17).
• The Sacrament of Holy Baptism combines the physical element of water with God’s promise of forgiveness. 
  • Baptism is a sacred act that Jesus himself commanded us to do.  (Matthew 28:19-20)
  • Through baptism we are united Christ’s death and resurrection.  (Romans 6:3-5)
  • We are buried with Him as we die to sin, and just as He rose from the grave, we are reborn as children of God and heirs to heaven. 
  • Although human hands are involved in this sacred act, it is God who does the work of killing and making alive.  (Titus 3:5-7)
  • God offers this gift to all people for the forgiveness of sins.  (2 Peter 3:9)
• We practice infant baptism because…
  • Baptism is for all people.  (Matt. 28:19)
  • All mankind is born sinful and needs forgiveness.  (Gen. 8:21; John 3:5-6; Eph. 2:3; Rom. 3:23)
  • Jesus invites little children to come to Him.  (Mark 10:13-15)
  • Babies are able to have faith.  (Matt. 18:6; Luke 1:15, 41-44)
• The Sacrament of the Altar offers Christ’s true body and blood, under the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of sins.
  • As Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples on the night he was betrayed and arrested, He instituted the Lord’s Supper.  (Matt. 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–25; Luke 22:14–20; 1 Cor.11:17–29)
  • This is not merely a symbol, but the actual body and blood of Christ that is present in a supernatural way in, with, and under the visible elements of bread and wine. 
  • While we may not understand how the body and blood of Christ can be truly present in this meal, we receive it in faith because we trust in the truthfulness of Christ, who said, “This is my body… This is my blood.”
  • This meal is a remembrance of what Christ did for us on the cross, a confession of our faith, and a foretaste of the feast to come in Paradise.  (1 Corinthians 11:25-26)
• We practice closed (close) communion because…
  • It is the historical practice of the early Church.
  • Being in communion with each other requires that we believe and confess the same things.  (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 10:17; 11:26)
  • We desire to protect people from taking it to their condemnation rather than the blessing it is intended to be.  (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). 

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