These are the core beliefs as followers of Jesus Christ who is the Son of God and came to us as man to teach about the Kingdom of God and to save those who believe in Him from our sins and give us eternal life through His death and resurrection.
There is only One True God (Deuteronomy 6:4) who is Holy and has revealed Himself in Scripture (the Bible) from the books of Genesis to Revelation in three Persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. All are fully God in One. (Matthew 28: 18-20) and all are equal and exist eternally, simultaneously in a three-fold relationship. (2 Corinthians 13:14) None is more powerful than the other. Each has a specific purpose, but all are unified in relationship within the Godhead. (Ephesians 4:4-7) The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were all present and co-creators of the universe and man in the beginning and existed infinitely before the beginning. (Genesis 1:1-2, 26; John 1:1-2, John 14:6, 16; John 17:24; Colossians 1:15-20, 2:9)
God desires an intimate relationship with His creation (Isaiah 62:5, Genesis 3:8-9)) and He is all-knowing (Isaiah 46:9-10), ever-present(Psalm 139:7-12, Romans 8:38), and all-powerful (Job 42:2, Genesis 1:3,6,9, Psalms 33:6) and will work all things to the good for those who love him.
Jesus is not created, but has been with the Father from the beginning and is eternal. (John 1:1-2) He became a man and was miraculously born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:20; Luck 1:35) through the power of the Holy Spirit. He lived without ceasing to be God, (John 14: 11) a sinless life, and performed many miracles to reveal His divinity and His compassion for us. Because He loves us, He died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice, paying the debt of our sins. (Mark 10:45) On the third day after His death, he arose from the dead redeeming believers by defeating satan, death, and sin. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) He appeared to His disciples and then ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God, serving as our mediator (Romans 8:34, Acts 7:55) . He will return again to judge the living and the dead. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 14: 3-6)
The Holy Spirit is God and part of the Father and Son. He was there in the beginning. (Genesis 1:3) We receive God's gift of the Holy Spirit and He dwells in us when we are born again of water and the Spirit -baptism. (John 3:6) He seals us with protection (Ephesians 6:17, Galatians 5:16-18) and is the seal that shows we are children of God. (2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians1:13-14, 1 John 4:13) The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts -talents and abilities, (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Romans 12:4-8) to be used to serve others and carry our God's will. The Holy Spirit is the power that transforms us to be more like Christ and have oneness with God. (Romans 8:29) We are given a choice to walk with the Spirit and have a relationship with God through His Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-18, Ephesians 5:30)
The Scriptures are so much a part of God and God so much a part of them, that the Bible is described as "His breath". It is the authority of teaching, rebuking, correcting training in God's will (2 Timothy 3:16), and helps us understand the character of God and understand ourselves. We believe the Bible is the perfect inspired Word of God and that the Holy Spirit is the author (2Peter 1:20-21) who guided the pens of the men who wrote down the words of Scripture. The Bible is the final authority in all things and is the (His)story of God's love for His creation and the story of His redemption for us.
Salvation (forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven) is found ONLY in Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God (John 14:6-7) and Lord of all (Matthew 28:18). We are saved ONLY by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8); because of the finished work of Jesus's death and resurrection (John 19:30). Our good works cannot save us, (Ephesians 2:9, James 1:22-24) but they are evidence that we have genuine faith in and love for Christ (John 14:6, 1John 4:19).
How can we receive this gift of grace from God and eternal life?
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