A life in Christ is a life based on truth, because He is the truth. (John 14:6) Because of this, we have certain truths that we hold as absolutely fundamental to life in Christ. Without them it is impossible to know Him as He designed.

The Church has always recognized the 66 books of the Old Testament and New Testament to be the definitive teaching of the prophets and the apostles. As such, the Bible is the full and complete Word of God. It was breathed out by the inspiration of Holy Spirit, written down by specially chosen human authors, and has no errors. Its purpose, from Genesis to Revelation, is to bear witness to God’s plan of salvation in Christ Jesus. Because the Bible is the Word of God, it must be properly understood and obeyed in its entirety. The Bible is the final authority in everything the Church practices and teaches.

Psalm 19:7-10, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 2:20-21, Hebrews 4:12

… the Holy Spirit dwells in believers and empowers them to live Godly lives

God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, also known as the Trinity. The Trinity is three distinct persons, but inseparable in nature, essence or being.God’s essential characteristics are true of the entire Trinity. He is eternal by nature. He is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. He is all powerful and all knowing; His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future.The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are love and do all things in perfect agreement with one another.

Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19, John 1:1-3, John 16:12-15, 1 John 5:6-8

The church was established by Jesus himself as the visible representation of the movement he unleashed on the earth through his death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit. As such, the church is not a building, an organization, or a club. It is the collective assembly of all those who are saved, baptized, and have made a covenant to worship and work together to further God’s kingdom. The church is united by the teaching of the Apostles and in reaching those far from God with the Gospel to know and follow Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16:18-19, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:42-47, 1 Peter 2:9-10, Ephesians 4:1-16

Salvation is God’s idea. He takes full responsibility for initiating salvation and carrying it to its eternal completion. All three persons of the Trinity are actively involved in salvation. There are four necessary parts of salvation that are true of every believing child of God.

John 15:13-16, Romans 5:8, John 6:44, Ephesians 2:1-5

1. Regeneration

All people are born dead in their sins and unable to reach out to God for salvation. Salvation begins when God supernaturally awakens a dead spirit so that person can hear the Gospel, respond with belief in the Gospel, repent from his sins, and embrace Jesus as Lord. John 3, Colossians 2:13 Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 1:3, 1 Peter 1:23, 1 John 5:1

2. Justification

No person is saved by anything he does on his own merit. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. The saved are declared justified before God at His judgment seat because of the sinless life of Jesus, his death as a substitute for our punishment on the cross, and his resurrection to secure the finality of victory over sin. Genesis 15:6, Romans 3-5, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 1:3-10, 1 John 2:2 

3. Sanctification

Because Jesus has already accomplished victory over sin, every person who belongs to Jesus is guaranteed to be able to battle sin in his own life. Through the Holy Spirit’s work in our ongoing battle against sin, every Christian is being made more like Jesus in our desires, thoughts, and actions. Romans 6:1-8:16, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:1-10, 1 John 3:9

4. Glorification

The culmination of our salvation and sanctification will occur with the return of Jesus to earth. He will rule the earth in full glory and the Church (all of those who are saved) will rule alongside him as his specially chosen bride. Romans 8:17-25, Ephesians 1:11-14, Philippians 1:6, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18