Our beliefs are summarized in The Apostles Creed. The Apostles Creed for us is the clearest, most unifying, and concise statement of historic Christian orthodoxy. It is the baseline ‘story’ that summarizes the essence of Christian teaching and has been used for Christian instruction and worship since the very earliest days of the Church. This is the story we seek to live by as a community while also encouraging lively dialogue along the way about other matters of belief and practice.
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We believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Church universal, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Church universal, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.
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We unpack these beliefs in the following ways.
- God: We believe in one God who exists in three distinct equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the creator of the universe, never changing, eternal, all-powerful, and unending in love. (Genesis 1:1; Matthew 3:16-17; 1 John 5:7-8)
- Jesus Christ: We believe Jesus Christ with the Son of God, became flesh to reveal God to man and rescue the world from evil. He, being fully God yet fully man, is the only person to live a sinless life. He was born of a virgin and took the weight of sin and evil in the world on the cross so mankind could be free from the penalty of sin and creation would be redeemed. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory. (Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:18; John 1:1, 14; 3:16; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:15)
- The Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit was given, after Jesus ascended into heaven, to edify and empower every individual believer and the Church to accomplish God’s purposes in the world. The Holy Spirit is alive and active today. (Acts 1:5, 8; Ephesians 3:16)
- The Bible: We believe the entire Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God. It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. It, alone, is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. (Proverbs 30:5-6; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
- Humankind: We believe that man and woman were created in the image of God in perfect fellowship with Him, but became alienated from that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, humankind is totally incapable of coming back into a right relationship with God by his own effort. (Genesis 1:26, Romans 3:23)
- Salvation: We believe that the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is a free gift and occurs when a person repents and places their faith in Jesus as the sufficient payment for sin. (Luke 24:46-47; John 1:29; Acts 3:19; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 1:7-9; Revelation 5:9)
- The Christian Life: We believe that every Christian is to live for Jesus and not for themselves to be examples of the love of God in the world. By devotion to the way of Jesus, obedience to the Bible, participation in a community of faith, and daily yielding to the Holy Spirit, every believer matures and becomes conformed to the image of Christ. (Matthew 16:24; John 14:23; Galatians 5:25; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 10:23-25)
- The Church:We believe that the church is the family of God on the earth. Those who have trusted, by faith, the finished work of Christ are adopted into the family. The church is to partner with God in bringing about His purposes of hope, redemption, and grace in the world.(1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 1:22-23)
- The End:We believe in the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of believers, the reality of heaven and hell, the final judgment, and all things being made right in the new heaven and the new earth. Only the Father knows the time of Jesus’ return.(Matthew 24:30, 36; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 21:1-2)