The following is not a comprehensive statement of what we believe. Rather, it is a brief outline of some of the major beliefs we hold. If you would like clarification on any point or want to know what we believe about something which is not mentioned, please contact us.

We believe that God exists. He is all-powerful, omnipresent, and eternal. He has no beginning or end. He is good and He is love.

We believe that God is outside of nature. He not only created the universe out of nothing but, also, matter and time.

We believe that God created mankind and made us different than the animals by making us like Himself. In other words, He gave us a spiritual nature. We are able to distinguish and to choose between right and wrong, good and evil.

We believe that God desires to have fellowship with mankind. To this end, He reveals Himself to us through nature, the written Word (the Bible) and, especially, through the person of Jesus Christ.

We believe the Bible is God’s Word in written form. Though written through the agency of many people over a long period of time, God inspired them with the words to write through His own Holy Spirit. It is as though God formed a partnership with people in order to proclaim and preserve His message. We believe that when originally transcribed, the biblical writings were completely without error. We also believe that they have been transmitted down to us with very little change. The few textual questions do not substantially change any meaning or doctrine.

We believe that God has given mankind free will. We are free to choose whether or not to believe in Him, love Him, obey Him and serve Him.

We believe that everyone who has the moral capacity to recognize right and wrong has freely chosen to do wrong. This may consist of actively disobeying what God has asked us to do, doing what He has told us not to do, or merely not measuring up to God’s standards of perfection. Any of these conditions is sin. The consequence of sin is separation and estrangement from God. We cannot undo the effects of sin or restore our relationship to God through our own efforts. No works of merit are sufficient to make up for our failures.

We believe that because of our sin we are indebted to God for the service we have not given Him as our Creator. In addition to our debt, we are criminals because we have broken God’s standards. The penalty for our crime (sin) is death – that is eternal separation from God.

We believe that since mankind is incapable of raising itself to God’s level and restoring our broken relationship, God came down to our level in order to raise us up. He became a man in the person of Jesus Christ.

We believe that Jesus was tempted in every way that all people are. In spite of this He never gave in or compromised His integrity. He remained sinless. He never violated God’s standards or failed to live up to His expectations.

We believe that our sin-debt is transferable. Jesus paid the debt of all mankind through His death on the cross. However, the penalty for the crime of sin in not transferable. Each person is personally responsible for the consequences of his or her own sin. God gives us the choice of paying the penalty now by dying with Christ, or paying it later by dying without Christ. In any case, we must die. If we choose to die with Christ, his blood reconciles us to God. If we choose to die without Christ, we choose eternal separation from God in hell.

We believe that both heaven (the place where God is) and hell (the place where He is not) are eternal.

We believe that dying with Christ involves:

• Having faith in God. This is the death of materialistic thinking.
• Repentance, that is turning away from or repudiating our old nature and lifestyle. This is the death of our will in deference to God’s will.
• Confessing Jesus as Christ. That is, saying the same thing about Jesus as God does. This is the death of our self-centered worldview.
• Submitting to baptism, that is being fully immersed in water for the forgiveness of our sins. This is the death of our old nature and the birth of a new one which has Christ’s likeness.

We believe that Christ will return to earth again. This time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.

We believe that one day all who have died physically will rise again. God will then judge everyone according to what he has done. Those who have embraced Christ will live with Him and God forever. Those who have rejected Him will in turn be rejected and sent to hell forever.

We believe that the the whole universe, and all of nature will one day be destroyed. It will be replaced by a new heavens and earth where righteousness dwells.