BELIEFS

There is one True and Living God who has always existed and always will exist. God is a spirit with personality, not an “idea” or a “force”. God exists in three Persons: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Son, who came to Earth with the primary purpose of becoming the one and only way for human salvation. The Holy Spirit is a person, not an impersonal force or influence. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in the believer after salvation and helps the believer to understand and apply Scripture. These three are distinct and yet one. God directly and immediately created all that is. God is distinct from all that He has created and is sovereign over all creation. God’s natural attributes include unlimited knowledge, unlimited power, being everywhere at once and never changing. God’s moral attributes include holiness, love, justice, mercy, goodness, faithfulness, and kindness.

It is imperative that every believer worship God and seek to love him wholeheartedly.
John 1:1-3; Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11; 1 Kings 8:27; Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; Colossians 1:16-17; John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Psalms 136:1-6; Psalms 147:5; Romans 11:33; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 John 3:20; Genesis 18:14; Psalms 115:3; Genesis 17:1; Isaiah 26:4; Matthew 19:26; Psalms 139:7-10; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Acts 17:27-28; Psalms 102:27; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17; Isaiah 6:3; Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:15; Revelation 4:8; John 17:24; Romans 15:30; 1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:8; 1 Peter 4:19; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Matthew 22:36-38

The Holy Spirit is God, God the Spirit, and as such possesses all the attributes of God. He is a person, not an impersonal “force” or “influence”. He is the Author of Scripture. The Holy Spirit is active in salvation of people by bringing conviction of sin, testifying to the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ, giving life to those who trust in Christ and placing the believer into the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in the life of the believer. He helps the believer by creating a desire to live for God, empowering them to live for God, helping them to understand and apply Scripture and giving them assurance of salvation. Only when we are daily looking to God for grace and strength to live the Christian life can we be said to be “being filled” by the Holy Spirit.

Scripture admonishes us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. This is done as a Christian lives in an independent manner from God or a disobedient one—the first being much more subtle.
Acts 5:3-4; Genesis 1:2; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Ephesians 3:2-5; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Peter 3:5-6; John 14:16-17; John 15:7-11; Titus 3:5; John 3:3-8; Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19; John 14:16; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Matthew 28:18; Romans 8:26-27; Romans 8:16; Ephesians 4:30; Ephesians 5:18

Man is a direct and unique creation of God in that he alone is created in the image of God and possesses an everlasting soul. Adam was the first man, Eve the first woman and all mankind descended from this pair. Man was created innocent, chose to sin and hence became sinful. All people are now born with a sinful nature and choose to sin regardless of their environment. Because of sin, people are separated from God, do not naturally seek after God and without God’s loving intervention are hopelessly and eternally lost.

All individuals need to understand that they have willingly chosen to sin against God and are responsible for their sins.
Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 5:1; Genesis 9:6; James 3:9; Genesis 1:3; Timothy 2:14; Genesis 3:6; Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 5:12; Romans 5:18; Ephesians 2:1; Romans 3:10-12; Romans 3:23; Romans 1:18-23; John 3:19-21

We understand that God created an innumerable company of sinless beings known as angels. Many of these continue in their holy state and are the ministers of God. Lucifer, now known as Satan or the Devil, led a rebellion against his Creator, having enlisted many other angels with him. These angels are now referred to as “fallen angels” or demons. These fallen angels glory in continuing to oppose God, His followers, and His work at every point. Satan and all fallen angels will, ultimately, be judged by God and cast into the lake of fire prepared for them.

The only power Satan or a demon has over a believer is that which the believer yields to him. “Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
Psalms 148:2-5; Colossians 1:16; 1 Peter 3:22; Hebrews 1:5-6; Hebrews 1:13-14; Hebrews 2:5-9; Psalms 103:20; Matthew 28:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Revelation 20:1-3; Jude 1:8-9; Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 12:7-9; Matthew 6:10-13; Matthew 13:14; Matthew 18:10; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:14; 1 John 5:19; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-17; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 6:11-13; 2 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; Daniel 10:13; Zechariah 3:1; Revelation 20:9-10; Matthew 12:22-30; Psalms 89:7; Hebrews 1:14; Acts 12:7-11; James 4:7-8; 1 Peter 5:8-10

God exhorts every Christian to be salt and light to the world. One key way this is accomplished is through lifestyle. “Holy living” is the antithesis of “worldly living” which, Biblically defines, would be a practice or attitude that stands in opposition to God and his standard of righteousness. Holiness is embracing God and His ways. All moral standards need to be tested and affirmed through the Bible for it alone is the standard for right (moral) and wrong (immoral/anti-God). Every believer is responsible to establish and test his convictions and personal standards by God’s Word and the principles it sets forth. Every believer will some day give an account of his life to Jesus Christ at the bema judgement, at which time they will be rewarded accordingly or suffer the loss therof.

The primary way a believer glorifies God is by how he lives his life. It is essential that every genuine believer live by Biblical principles.
Romans 12:1-2; John 2:15-17; 1 Peter 1:13-16; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 1 John 1:6-7; Hebrews 12:14; Romans 6:12-16; Romans 14:1-23; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10; Matthew 5:13-16; John 14:21-24