Our Fundamental Doctrines

Our doctrines fit into four categories

1. God 

2. His Work in the World

3. Church and Its Mission

4. Blessed Hope

God

Who is God?

There is no way to fully explain who God is. Here are some of attributes that we believe to be the most important. 

Eternal- 

God is eternal, he has always existed. He has revelaed Himself as the eternally existant "I AM", the creator of heaven and earth, and the redeemer of mankind. 

Triune- Three and One

There is one God who exists in the form of three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Spirit. 

United- They never exsist, work, or are independent of the others. They work in perfect unity and harmony. They are never divided. They are always in perfect relationship and fellowship. 

Distinction- They are never identical or the same. The Father is not the Son nor the Spirit. The Son is not the Father nor the Spirit. The Spirit is not the Father nor the Son. They display differing levels of authority within the Godhead, the Son is from the Father, but the Father is not from the Son. The Holy Spirit comes from both the Father and the Son. 

Creator- 

God spoke all that exists out of nothing  into existance with the word of mouth. He also recreates and resurrects those who are spiritually dead back to life as the first fruits of the New Creation he will one day complete when Christ returns. 

Redeemer-

God, full of compassion and mercy to the humanity he created, works as the who frees people from captivity and brings them into rest. The work of Jesus Christ on the cross works as the redeeming act for humanity to be redeemed and saved from everlasting evil, torment, and torture. 

God's Work in the World

God inspired the Scriptures. 

God used faithful men to reveal himself and his work to us. 

The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are God's revelation to man, primarily as the way to salvation. It communicates perfect truth and contains no errors.  It communicates accurate dipictions of history and God's explanations of events. The Bible also contains God's commands for how humans should live according to His ways. He shows us  paths of righteousness and wisdom, making the Bible our authoritative rule of faith and conduct. 

2 Timothy 3:15-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21

Fall of Man

Man was created in the image of God. He was created good, righteous, and designed to live forever with God. Man voluntarily disobeyed God's command. Several consequences came as a result for all of humanity that would follow, most significanly was both physical and spiritual death. Physically returning to the ground from which God created them. Spiritually being seperated from him. 

The Bible tells the story of God's work to save humanity and the world he created that is still unfolding, the end has been partially revealed but has not been fully experienced. 

Genesis 1-3, Romans 5:12-19

Work of Christ and The Salvation of Man

While sin seperated us from God, God has faithfully worked to return to relationship with humanity. God made a promise to Abraham to bring one descendent who would bring blessing to all nations. 

Jesus Christ was the descendent God provided as the only back to him. Jesus, the second member of the Trinity, is the fully God and fully man Son of God, God made flesh. He was born of a virgin so he did not inherit sinful nature of Adam. He lived the sinless life we could not so that he could be presented to God as the perfect spotless, guiltless sacrifice for the forgiveness of human sin. As that perfect sacrifice, he was handed over to be killed by crucifixion and was buried. His death on that cross was an act of subsitution similar to the sacrifices in the Old Testament. Three days later he resurrected from the dead and lived 40 days with his followers overcoming and defeating death. Jesus ascended into heaven currently sitting at the right hand of God alive working to bring all of creation under his feet. On the day only the Father know, Christ will return to gather His people to be with them forever. 

Salvation comes to humans by faith in Christ and repentance of our sins. True believers experienced many internal and spiritual benefits and realities including having their sins forgiven, receiving the Holy Spirit, becoming heirs with Christ, and the hope of eternal life in the age to come. The testimony of this salvation is also experienced outward. It is evidenced by a life marked by righteousness and increasing holiness.

The Work of the Holy Spirit and the Sanctification of Man

As the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit has been present on Earth since before creation. The Holy Spirit is the mark of salvation. When man experiences salvation, God marks them as His by giving the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps guide the believer into truth and wisdom for daily living. He also guides the believer into daily forming them into the image of Jesus by helping them fight temptation and overcoming sin. The Spirit also gives supernatural gifts of power and service to believers for the work of the building and encouraging church until Christ returns. 

The Holy Spirit empowers the work of sancification. Sancitification is the work of turning from sin and being dediciated to righteousness, doing right in God's eyes, and holiness, devotion to God and his ways. 

The Church and Its Mission

The church is the body of Christ. It is composed of all of those who have experience newbirth of the Spirit. They gather to worship God through singing, preaching, teaching, and service to other beleivers. 

It is the place that Christ continues his ministry on Earth through natural and supernatural means. Using the Holy Spirit, he encourages, sustains, and empowers his people to evangelize and show compassion to a fallen world. 

Ordinances of the Church

When gathered the church and its members, the church experience two continuing ordinances: baptism and communion.

Baptism is an experince designed for confessing and repentant believers. The apostles ministry instructed new believers to "repent and be baptized." It symoblizes the partnership with Jesus in his death and resurrection. 

Communion is a continual remembrance and celebration meal to be observed by the Church. It is focused time for us to remember his death with all its sufferings and his joyous and victorous resurrection from the dead. It also reminds us of the hope that he will return again as he promised. 

Blessed Hope

On a day that no one knows, Jesus will bodily return as King to rule the nations. In the final days, he will defeat sin and death once and for all. He will unite heaven and earth with a final act of New Creation where will be and rule with God forever.  It will bring us back to the state of Eden just like it was at the beginning, the way God wanted it all along.