Our Shared Beliefs
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. –Titus 2:1
We believe in the Triune God
We believe in One God Who has forever existed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Deut. 6:4; John 1:1; Romans 8:9).
We believe in the Centrality of Scripture
The Bible anchors our beliefs and actions to the Standard God has provided (Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12).
We believe God loves people
Every person bears God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27), is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14), and is loved by God with a Self-initiating, Self-sacrificing, and remarkably patient love (Romans 5:8; Luke 15).
We believe people should love one another
We do our best to love others as God loves us (Matthew 22:34-40; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Ephesians 5:1-2).
We believe simply identifying as Christian and pursuing Christlikeness aren’t the same thing
It’s possible to be really, really religious and miss the point (Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 22:34-40; Luke 3:8; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:1-2; James 1:26; 1 John 2:6).
We believe faith without works is dead
The good news and good deeds are inseparable (Luke 9:2; Acts 10:36-38). A commitment to the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) includes great attentiveness to helping others (Isaiah 58:1-14; Matthew 25:31-46; James 1:27; 1 John 3:17-18).
We affirm the necessity of God’s salvation
We confess that we are sinners (Romans 3:23; Romans 7:14-25; 1 John 1:8-9) and can’t save ourselves (Romans 6:23). God graciously offers to save us by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), adopt us as His sons and daughters (John 1:12), and make us more like Christ (Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
We affirm a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit fuels our witness (Acts 1:8) and provides both the desire and ability to become the people God created us to be (2 Thessalonians 2:13). The Spirit helps us (John 14:16-17), guides us (John 6:13; Galatians 5:18), gifts us (1 Corinthians 14:1) and transforms us (Galatians 5:22-23).
We affirm the pursuit of unity in Christ
The Bible warns against two extremes: unnecessary arguments and divisions (reflecting a failure to maintain unity —John 17:23; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Galatians 5:1) and unholy compromise and concessions (reflecting a failure to abide in Christ—Romans 6:1-4; Romans 12:1-2; Romans 14:1-23; Galatians 5:13-17; Titus 1:9).
Learn more about why we trust the Bible and outstanding resources that can help you understand it better.