What We Believe

Learn About Our Beliefs,
Distinctives, and Faith

Our Beliefs

Who is God?

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God (see Genesis 1:1, 1:26–27; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14). You have a Creator and a God who can be trusted.

Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father.

Jesus was both fully God and fully human, lived a sinless human life, and offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (see Matthew 1:22–23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1–5, 8:58, 14:10–30; Hebrews 4:14–15; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Romans 1:3–4; Acts 1:9–11; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 6:14–15; Titus 2:13).

Jesus, the Son of God, sacrificed Himself so you could have a relationship with God.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ.

He also lives in every Christian with power for living, understanding for spiritual truths, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily (see 2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7–13, 14:16–17; Acts 1:8, Ephesians 1:13, 5:18; Galatians 5:25).

As a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit working in you and through you.

What is the Bible?

The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without mixture of error (see 2 Timothy 1:13, 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Psalm 119:105, 119:160, 2:6; Proverbs 30:5). The Bible is your guide for what to believe and how to live.

Who are people?

People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation.

Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin.” This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life (see Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3–6; Isaiah 53:6, 59:6; Romans 3:23).

What is salvation?

Salvation is God’s free gift to us. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into His life by faith (see Romans 5:1, 6:23; Ephesians 2:9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26).

Sin separates us from God, but God has provided a way, through Jesus Christ, for us to have a restored relationship with Him.

What is eternal security?

People who have been saved can never lose their salvation. Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity.

If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” your salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-efforts of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security (see John 10:28–30; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:14;  1 Peter 1:3–5).

What about eternity?

God created people to exist forever in eternity.

We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation through Christ. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence (see John 3:16, 5:11–13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 1:8).

The choices you make now will have eternal significance for you personally.

Our
Distinctives

Baptism

People are baptized after they trust Jesus Christ with their lives.

Believer’s baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing a person’s faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior; death to sin; the burial of the old life; and the resurrection to walk in a new life under the lordship of Jesus Christ. It is visible evidence of a person’s faith in God and His promises, including the final resurrection of the dead.

Baptism by immersion is a requirement for church membership.

The Lord's Supper

The Lord’s Supper is a special, symbolic act of worship.

During the Lord’s Supper, Christian believers remember the death of Jesus Christ and anticipate His second coming by eating bread and drinking the fruit of the vine (see Matthew 3:13–17, 26:26–30, 28:19–20; Mark 1:9–11, 14:22–26; Luke 3:21–22, 22:19–20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41–42, 8:35-39, 16:30–33, 20:7; Romans 6:3–5; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 10:21, 11:23–29; Colossians 2:12).

The Church

As a Church member, you are a part of a community of believers. Being a church member means you have certain opportunities and responsibilities.

A New Testament Christian church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by a common faith in and community centered on the gospel. A local church observes Believer’s Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and is governed by the principles found in Scripture.

A local church is also responsible for exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges with which God has empowered its members through His Word. A local church always looks for ways to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ, which includes all believers from every time and place (see Matthew 16:15–19, 18:15–20; Acts 2:41–42, 2:47, 5:11–14, 6:3–6, 13:1–3, 14:23, 14:27, 15:1–30, 16:5, 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 3:16, 5:4–5, 7:17, 9:13–14, 9:12; Ephesians 1:22–23, 2:19–22, 3:8–11, 3:21, 5:22–32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9–14, 3:1–15, 4:14; Hebrews 11:39–40; 1 Peter 5:1–4; Revelation 2–3, 21:2–3).

Worship

As believers in Christ, we are called and privileged to worship both individually in our everyday lives and collectively as the Body of Christ.

We gather weekly as a church to focus our minds’ attention and hearts’ affection on Christ. Worship is central to our lives as believers.

About Our Faith Tradition

Learn more about the beliefs and doctrines we hold as essential to the Baptist tradition of faith and practice.