The Living God

The God of the Bible alone is the living God—the first, unlimited, spiritual Reality. God exists forever as three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is the creator. God cares for his world. God is in charge of all things, guiding everything—including our lives—according to his plan.

God is great and good. He’s great because he’s all-knowing, almighty, and infinity. He’s good in that he is faithful and just, patient and loving

The Holy Bible

In the Bible, God opens his heart to us. Since the Spirit guided the Bible’s authors, its teachings are completely true and its effects are powerful. The Bible is our final authority—it trumps other sources of truth regarding God and his plan for us. The Bible teaches us how to believe and behave, and shapes our hearts and lives.

Humanity in Sin

At the climax of his creation, God beautifully created us. His purpose was that we would live in love relationships with him. Nothing matters to God more than people.

But sin entered human existence through Adam and Eve. It infects each of us to the core, including heart, character, and actions. This means that we are desperately in need of God’s salvation and powerless to save ourselves.

The Sufficiency of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is divine, the second person of the Trinity. He became human to show us God’s love in the most powerful way. The best way to reveal God is to show up on earth. That’s exactly what Christ did!

Christ’s teachings, his life, and his death all matter—but his death is most important. When Jesus died on Good Friday, he took the weight of our sin on himself and paid the penalty of our sin. Thus the cross is the central symbol of our faith.

Christ’s death is sufficient for our spiritual rescue. We can’t add anything to it—he did it all! When Jesus arose on Easter Sunday, he defeated the forces of evil and paved the way for our eternal life.

The Necessity of Spiritual Growth

We deeply desire God, and God wants us to love him. Only God can really satisfy our need for love. But due to sin, we never seek God. God makes the first move to rescue and restore us. He offers to forgive our sins and heal our wounds.

The Good News—the Gospel—is that God offers us this gift of salvation. Salvation begins with a decision to receive a gift of spiritual rebirth. Salvation is a relationship with God through Christ’s death and by the Spirit’s power. God’s work to implement this plan is the central theme of the Bible, of our lives, and of world history.

Freedom in Christ

By giving our lives to follow Christ, we accept him as our Leader. We forsake our own selfish agendas and submit ourselves to his wisdom. But submission to Christ brings true freedom for we’re not under obligation to the unrealistic expectations of other people and their causes. We commit to obeying Christ in all things. Within this commitment, we live in joy-filled freedom.

Depending on the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a divine person, the third member of the Trinity. He lives in and with us. The Spirit gradually brings moral excellence to our hearts (spiritual fruit) and gives us spiritual skills to serve others (spiritual gifts). We depend on the Holy Spirit for daily power and guidance.

Church—a Fellowship of Believers

The church is not a building. It’s made up of the people who accept the message of the Bible and live by its truth. By living spiritually together, Christ-followers become a church. The church is a mission. It honors God by loving people and reaching beyond itself to serve the world.

Eternal Life with God

Salvation is totally God’s work. It is 100% by grace—unmerited and unearned. This is the gift of eternal life. Eternal life begins now; earthly life is lived in light of eternity. If we receive eternal life, we go to heaven—the experience of rich, active love relationship with God forever.