OUR FAITH
ABOUT Our Faith
We believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ for salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone as defined in John 3:16. We believe in the triune God who is the Creator of all things and to Whom we owe our life and existence.
— Genesis 1, Hebrews 1:2–3, Colossians 1:16
We believe that because of the fall of mankind in Adam, people are born sinners under the condemnation of God and continually live a life of disobedience to God's commands.
— John 3:18–20, Romans 3:10–18
We believe that God, in eternity past, prepared the plan of redemption and salvation through the Son Jesus Christ.
— John 1:29, Ephesians 1:7, Titus 3:5, 2 Timothy 1:9, 1 Peter 1:18–21
We believe that through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, His sinless life, sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection, God has extended His heavenly grace to redeem a people for His own possession.
— Matthew 1:21, Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 2:9
We believe that the moment we repent and place our faith in Jesus Christ, we receive forgiveness of sins; being justified, sanctified, and made righteous before Him.
— Romans 1:16–17, 5:1–2, 1 Corinthians 15:3–6, Colossians 1:19–23
We believe that believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit causing us to turn from our former sinful lifestyle and live in obedience to God's commands.
— John 14:26, Romans 15:13, Galatians 5:16, 22–23, 1 Corinthians 2:12–16, Ephesians 3:20, 1 John 2:3
We believe that grace, faith, and repentance are gifts from God to every believer and thus all glory is ascribed to God alone.
— Ephesians 2:8–9, Acts 11:18, 2 Peter 1:1; Psalm 115:1, Romans 11:36
We believe that believers are called the children of God and will receive eternal life, inheriting all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places with Jesus Christ our Lord and that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God.
— Ephesians 1, Romans 8:39
We believe that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
— Westminster Shorter Catechism
"For God so loved that world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Great I AM
The Gospel is literally the "good news" about Jesus Christ; who He is: fully God and fully man; and what He did to secure salvation for those who repent and place their faith in Him. It is the preeminent message in all of Scripture. The Apostle Paul stated that "it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." (Romans 1:16). To fully accept the Gospel, we must fully understand our need for salvation. Scripture tells us that all have sinned and that the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23, 6:23). All of humanity has been born with a "sin nature" and that sin nature itself has been passed down from Adam after he sinned in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3, Romans 5:12). However, because He is a merciful God, He did not leave Adam and Eve - or us - without hope. God gave a promise, the first Gospel promise as He spoke to the serpent:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
We know that "her offspring" is the Promised One, the Lord Jesus Christ. Mankind was condemned to die physically and suffer eternal separation from God spiritually because of sin. However, out of the riches of His mercy and grace, God sent His Son to bear the penalty that we deserved (Romans 8:3).
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”
In the midst of a fallen and sin-filled humanity, Jesus - God in the flesh - came and fulfilled God's law perfectly by living a sinless life, was crucified, buried, and resurrected. God's predetermined plan was for His Son to become a substitute for us - dying in our place - as the sacrificial Lamb of God to save His people from their sins!
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Because God's law requires death as the punishment for sin, there had to be a sacrifice to pay this penalty. In the Old Testament, God required an animal sacrifice so that He would pass over the sins of the people. Yet ultimately, this animal sacrifice could not remove sin (Hebrews 10:4). Someone greater had to die. Could this "good news" be anymore magnificent when we consider that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became the Lamb of God, sacrificed to satisfy the wrath of God for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world? (1 John 2:2)
“Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
Jesus came willingly to the cross in humble submission to the Father for us!
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Jesus' final words were "It is finished." The way of salvation was complete and is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The Gospel is good news indeed! God has made a way of salvation to all those who believe the Gospel: those who repent by turning from their sin and placing their full faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior (John 3:16, 14:6, Acts 16:31). Ephesians 2:8-9 makes clear that salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and not of works because it is all a gift of God. There is no room for anyone boasting in his meritorious works because salvation is initiated, confirmed, and completed by God alone (John 6:44, Philippians 1:6, Hebrews 12:2).
“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”
What makes this Gospel even more beautiful is that Jesus did not only die, He was raised from the dead! He now sits at the right hand of God as the one mediator and Advocate between God and man (Hebrews 1:3, 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 John 2:1). Christ conquered death and we have the promise that we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:5, 9-10, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Those who have placed their full faith in Jesus Christ have peace with God and are no longer under condemnation (Romans 5:1, 8:1). Once we truly believe, we are born again and become a new creation; we are united with Jesus Christ; we are given the Holy Spirit to indwell us, sanctify us, and seal us; we are given eternal life; and we are inheritors of all the promises of God (Romans 5:10, 8:12-39, Ephesians 1 & 2, 1 Peter 1:3-4).
What is our response to such magnificent news?
3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
- 1 Peter 1:3-6
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