THEOLOGY MATTERS

About Salvation

Every person desperately needs to be saved from their sin. The wages of sin is spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God. We need our sins to be forgiven by God because God alone has the power to save and declare us forgiven. This salvation and forgiveness only comes through faith in Jesus and by God’s grace. We must trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus for salvation and turn from our sins as proof of true faith. There is no other way for a person to receive an eternal friendship with God. Jesus alone has brought the sufficient payment for humanity's sin. Salvation isn’t a reward but a free gift. It isn’t earned by good works, but it is validated by the witness of a transformed life. We are saved through faith, by grace, and in Jesus Christ ALONE.

Ephesians 2:8-10. Romans 3:10. Romans 3:23. Romans 6:23. Romans 5:8. Romans 10:9-10. John 3:16.

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About God

There is One True Living God: The Lord. The Lord alone is The Creator, Judge, true King, and rightful owner of the universe. There is no other God besides the Lord. All other gods are merely idols. We believe God alone is eternal, all- powerful, all-knowing, omnipresent, immutable, self-sufficient, uncreated, sovereign, and perfect in every way. 1 Timothy 1:17. John 17:3. Jeremiah 10:10. Isaiah 43:11. Isaiah 45:5. 

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About The Godhead

God is one divine being. In Scripture, we see God the Father, we see the eternal word emanating from the Father (the Son), and we see the Spirit of God. These three are not each other. There is sameness, yet a degree of distinction. Father, Son and Spirit are equally and perfectly God. These three compose the divine Godhead. They share the same divine nature, and essence. Within the Godhead, there is perfect harmony, agreement, unity, and love. We are not poly-theist, but we do see the divine nature of God has having multiple dimensions that are incomprehensible from our current limited perspective. John 17:3. John 17:20-21. John 14:11.  

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About The Father

God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, yet they are both equally divine along with God's Spirit. God is a loving Father to all who are adopted into His family through the work of Jesus Christ. The Father desires all people to come to Him by faith in the Lord Jesus. 1 Corinthians 8:6. Ephesians 4:6. Matthew 23:9. Isaiah 64:8

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About The Son (Jesus)

Jesus is the only-begotten Son of the Father. He is fully God and fully man. He is the eternal word emanating from the Father who has been alongside the Father for all eternity. Jesus did not set aside His deity when He was born into our world as a man. He has always been God and can never stop being God. He is the only method of salvation and the only way to the Father. Jesus alone accomplished our salvation completely. He came to earth as an actual human being in the flesh, He was born of the virgin Mary, He lived a perfect, sinless life, He met the Law we could not, He paid our sin-debt on the cross, He endured the wrath and consequences of the world’s sins, He was crucified in our place, He took our death, and raised back to life three days later in power. He actually rose to life bodily and conquered death through His resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:28. Psalm 2:7. Hebrews 1:5. Matthew 3:17. Matthew 17:5

 

About The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God's very Spirit. He applies the work of salvation to the believer and delivers to us the blessings of God that come through faith in Christ. His presence assures us of our relationship with Christ. He guides believers into all truth and exalts Jesus. He is our helper. He convicts people of their sin, God’s righteousness, and the coming judgment. He comforts us, gives us spiritual gifts, and makes us more like Christ. Evidence of the Holy Spirit is seen in the fruits of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, and His activity of our life.

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About Man

Humanity is made in the image of God. From the beginning, God intended humanity to rule the earth alongside Him and under His divine authority. But, humanity sinned and violated their perfect relationship with God. Through sinful disobedience, humanity was spiritually separated from God. Every human is uniquely created, possesses dignity, and is worthy of respect. But, every human has also sinned. Because of our sin, we fall short of the glorious perfection of God, but through Christ we can be restored to God.

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About Sin

Sin came into the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden. Sin has corrupted this world. Sin is simply missing the mark of perfection. It is falling short of God’s perfect standard seen in the Law. One sin keeps us from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. One sin makes us miss the entire Law of God and sin must be paid for. Death comes through sin. There is a penalty for sin and it is death. This spiritual death is eternal separation from our loving God. And, all sin has been paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ. But, if we refuse His gift of salvation, we will pay for our sin by eternal separation from God.

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About The Church

Jesus Christ has a body which is composed of every single Christian across time. This is His church. Every Christian plays a necessary part in accomplishing God’s perfect plan alongside the rest of His church. We are gifted by Christ to play our part in His body, because He moves through His church to accomplish things. Christ’s church is His bride. We will be presented as spotless and blameless to Christ in His glorious Kingdom. Every Christian is a part of a local community of believers unified through faith in Christ. The Church works together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ. We don’t simply go to church. We are the church.

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About Creation

God created the universe and everything in it, by the power of His word. God alone is credited with the creation of all things. Creation was deemed good by God, but through Adam and Eve, sin plagued and corrupted God’s good creation. Our universe is not an accident, nor is humanity the product of evolution. God intentionally created this universe and everything in it with unique purpose. Creation will be made brand new when Jesus comes back to establish His Kingdom. Jesus will bring about a new heaven and a new earth. He will unite Heaven and Earth under His reign. Creation might be broken now, but it will be restored at the second coming of our King.

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About Scripture

The Bible is God’s Word to all people. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because it was inspired by God, the Bible is truth without any mixture of error and is completely relevant to our daily lives. We believe the word of God is perfect to accomplish God's intended purposes.

2 Timothy 3:16 | Matthew 24:35 | Matthew 5:17-19 | Isaiah 40:8 | 2 Peter 1:20-21 Psalm 19:7-9

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About The Law

We believe that the entire Law of God has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. God’s general law has been written into the conscience of every person and His specific law has been revealed in His word. The Law is good but cannot save us. It can only expose our sin and point us to Jesus. Jesus met the Law perfectly on our behalf. We obey God’s moral law out of love, and not to be saved. Through faith in Jesus, we can meet the requirements of God's Law because He extends to us His own perfection. And, this law gets written on our hearts when we come to faith so that our new hearts are sensitive to God's ways and we can walk in obedience to God's Laws.

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About Baptism

We believe in water baptism as a sign of true repentance and genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Water baptism doesn’t add to the atoning work of Christ. Water baptism doesn't achieve salvation. It is the first act of obedience to Christ as His disciple. Jesus commands His disciples to follow in His footsteps and be baptized as He was, in order to show their loyalty to God. Water baptism is a symbol of the inward reality of spiritual baptism. Through our faith, we are baptized into the Holy Spirit, we are cleansed (washed) of all sin, we are immersed into the life, death, and burial of Jesus, and we are brought into fellowship with God. Water Baptism is an action that demonstrates these realities. Water Baptism in the new covenant functions the way circumcision functioned in the old covenant. Both are outward signs of an inward faith. 

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About Repentance

We believe that a true Christian will experience a change of heart (and mind) that results in a transformed life over time. Saving faith and repentance go hand in hand. They can't be separated. There is no genuine, saving faith without repentance. Repentance is turning away from sin, in order to turn back to God and His Laws. When we repent, we forsake our old, sinful way of life when we come to Jesus in faith. This doesn’t mean we live perfectly but we are progressively transforming into Christ’s image. Repentance is not a meritorious work that earns us salvation. It is part of true, saving faith. Matthew 4:17. Acts 17:30. Acts 3:19-20. Matthew 3:8

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About Communion

We believe in partaking of the Lord’s supper. Jesus tells His disciples to share a communion meal in remembrance of His finished work on the cross. The bread represents His broken body and the wine represents His spilled blood for our sins. We believe it is honorable to the Lord and helps us to continually remember all He has done for us as we gather together in His name. Matthew 26:26-28. John 6:53-58. 1 Corinthians 11:23-27. 

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Exclusivity of Christ

Jesus is exclusive. He is the only possible way for us to be saved from our sins and restored back to friendship with God. There is only one way back to the Father and it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Not all roads lead to Heaven. There is only one way, because only one person has fulfilled the law, paid our debt, suffered our death and resurrected from the dead. His name alone grants forgiveness of sins.

John 3:16 | John 1:14 | Hebrews 5:5 | Acts 4:12

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Sufficiency of Christ

Jesus Christ fully satisfied the wrath of God against the sins of humanity. He has provided full payment for all sin across all time. As Christians, there is no debt left for us to pay. There’s no punishment left for us to experience. Jesus took every ounce of punishment and every last drop of God’s righteous wrath against sin. He became sin on the cross, and in His flesh, sin itself was dealt with fully and perfectly. His sacrifice was completely sufficient for us to be made perfect in the sight of God. We just receive His work through faith by trusting in God’s grace. Jesus’ atonement is more than sufficient to make us acceptable in God's sight as beloved children.

Romans 8:1-4 | 1 John 2:2 | 1 Peter 3:18 | Romans 3:25-26

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Secondary Theological Beliefs

- Don't identify with Calvinism or Armenianism. More of a traditional provisionist in theology.

- Don't believe a true born-again child of God can reject, walk away from, or forfeit their salvation.

- Do believe in a version of eternal security but not necessarily the typical view of OSAS

- Do believe that the gifts of the Spirit are still active in the body of Christ. Continuationist not Cessationist