WHAT WE BELIEVE
::: The Story of God’s Saving Love
The Bible tells the story of a God who created people to love, in hope that they would love him in return. But because love must be freely given (or it is not really love) God gave us the freedom to choose. And we chose to go our own way. “Sin” is our rejection of God, it is our attitude of disobedience, our desire to be free from the claims of our Creator. As a result of sin, we have been separated from God and our history on earth has been filled with death and destruction. But the story does not end there. Though we rejected God, God did not stop loving us. He sent His Son into the world to pay the penalty of our sins with His own flesh and blood. His sacrifice is the only means of restoring the paradise God originally intended for us to enjoy. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
::: In Essentials: Unity
There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
::: In Non-Essentials: Acceptance
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters…. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand…. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another…. Whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. (Romans 14:1, 4, 13, 22)
::: In All Things: Love
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2-3)
We must always demonstrate love to those who either reject the essential truths of Christianity or whose opinion on non-essential matters differs from ours. Love is greater than knowledge.
::: About God
God is eternal. He has always existed. God created the world and He rules everything in it. God is, therefore, the ultimate truth of the universe. He is the one and only eternal, immortal and invisible being. The one God exists in three ”personalities:” Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (See Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1-2; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Timothy 1:17)
::: About Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God: the eternal God in human flesh. In His incarnation, God became human and lived a sinless life on earth. In His crucifixion and resurrection from the dead, He became our Savior. In His ascension to glory He is our Lord. In His ultimate return, He is our hope. (See John 1:1, 14; 6:35; 8:12, 23, 56-59; 14:6-9; Colossians 1:13-20; 1 Timothy 6:14-16; Hebrews 1:1-3; Philippians 2:5-11)
::: About the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the “third personality” of the eternal God, equal with the Father and the Son. He acts in the world to make people aware of their need for God. He is present in Christians to guide us, to instruct us, to comfort us, to purify us and to strengthen us for daily living. (See Matthew 28:19; John 16:7-14; Acts 2:38; Romans 8:10-11, 14, 26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Peter 1:2; Galatians 5:22)
::: About People
People are God’s highest creation, made in God’s own”image.” The GOOD NEWS is that people share many of God’s own characteristics: our ability to reason, our knowledge of right and wrong, our creativity, our capacity for love and our desire for meaning and purpose in life. The BAD NEWS is that the image of God in us has been marred by an attitude of disobedience called “sin.” Every person has two insoluble problems: (1) a problem with sin, and (2) a problem with death. God solved these two problems for us by sending Jesus Christ into the world. (See Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Romans 3:10-23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 11-12)
::: About the Bible
The Bible is God’s word to his people. It is the result of divine-human cooperation: God’s message in human language. Because the Bible comes from God, it answers our most important questions with authority: Who is God? What is life about? What is my purpose? (See 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 19:7-11; 109; 105; John 17:17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 24:35)
::: About Salvation
Salvation is God’s free gift. We cannot earn it. In Jesus Christ God solved our two greatest problems. His death on the cross provides forgiveness for our sins. His resurrection gives us hope beyond the grave. Salvation is offered freely to any who will receive it by believing the good news about Jesus Christ, by turning away from sins and by being baptized into Christ. (See John 3:16; 14:6; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38-39; 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 1:16; 5:6-9; 6:3-8; Titus 3:5-7)
::: About The Church
The church is God’s family; the people who have been born again through Jesus Christ. The church is the body-Christ is the head. The church is the bride-Christ is the groom. The church is the flock-Christ is the shepherd. The church represents Christ in the world and seeks to fulfill Jesus’ commission to preach the good news to all nations. If you belong to Christ you also belong to His church. (See Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 1:21-23; 3:20-21; 5:25-26; 1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31)
::: About Hope
In Jesus Christ God offers us immortality. Sin results in death, but in Christ God give us eternal life. Those who receive Christ in this life look forward to bodily resurrection and eternity with God (heaven). The consequence of rejecting Christ is separation from God (hell). (See John 11:25-26; Matthew 25:31-46; Romans 8:23-25; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
