What we
believe about the Bible
We believe that the Bible is God's Word. We believe that God has made
Himself known in all that He has created. The universe is no mistake or
accident. It was created by God and is evidence of God's handiwork.
Although all
creation reveals to us that God exists, it does not tell us everything
that we need to know
about God, or what He expects from us. Therefore, God gave us His Word
which
is contained in the Old and New Testaments.
We believe that all of the
Bible is God's Word; that the human writers God used were
supernaturally kept from making any mistakes, and wrote only what God
intended. The Bible is
inspired by God (God breathed), in a way that no other book has ever
been. It is God's
Word; the only way we can know how to come to God and live according to
His
character. It teaches us right doctrine, corrects us when we are wrong,
and trains us
in how we are to live. Only the Bible is able to equip us to do every
good
work God
has prepared for us to do.
You can read what God says about His Word in these passages as well as
in many others:
Psalm 19
Psalm 119
II Timothy 3:16-17
II Peter 1:16-21
What we
believe about God
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three
persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We believe that God is perfect in all His attributes. He never makes
mistakes and has no flaws. Everything that He does is right and
just. He is
dependent on nothing, but everything is dependent on Him for its
existence.
God is the supreme and sovereign ruler over the universe. He has
infinite wisdom and understanding about all things.
God is just and righteous in all His dealings with man. Because He is
just and righteous, He must punish all acts of disobedience and will
allow no one to escape
His judgements and punishments.
God is also perfect in love. He loves the world and has demonstrated
His love by electing a people (from all eternity past) and He brings
those people to faith
and repentance. In love, God delivers a people out of darkness and
brings them into the kingdom of His beloved Son. Colossians
1:12-13
In love, God
sent
the Eternal Son into the world to redeem a people for
Himself. John 3:16
In love, the
gospel is freely offered to all. But God, by His Holy
Spirit, subdues the elect to Himself, (Psalm 110:3) convicts them of
sin, (Acts 2:37-38) enlightens their
minds in the knowledge of Christ, (Acts 26:18) changes their
will, (Ezekiel 36:26)
and He persuades
and enables them to embrace Christ, as He is freely offered in the
Gospel. (John 6:44)
What we believe about man
We believe that man (before sin entered the picture) had great
dignity and nobility. He was created in the image of God, meaning he
was created in knowledge,
righteousness and holiness. He was created to be rational and immortal.
He was given
stewardship and dominion over the earth and the creatures God had
created upon it.
Man was created for a special relationship with God. This special
relationship with God lasted until our first parents (Adam and Eve)
disobeyed God. By their
disobedience, they fell from their original righteousness and
relationship with God, and
so became dead in their disobedience. Their disobedience, the guilt of
it, and their
fallen nature, have been passed on to all their children descending
from them by ordinary
generation.
Because of this fall, people are unable to please God and unable to
restore their relationship to God. In fact, they are spiritually dead,
having no ability or desire to
glorify God or obey
Him. Ephesians 2:1-9
Man is in need of a Savior. We need someone who can reconcile us to God
and restore us to a right relationship with God. "For there is one God
and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." I Timothy 2:5
"For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those
who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance - now that
He has died as a ransom to
set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."
Hebrews
9: 15
What we believe about Jesus
We believe that Jesus is fully God and fully man. (John 1:1-2,14) He is both
the Lord and the Head of His church, the body of Christ. Because He is
man, He was suffered and was tempted in every way we are, yet He did
not
sin. Thus, we believe that Jesus is the only one who can save us from
the punishment
we deserve, and restore us to a right relationship with God, our
creator.
God the Son became incarnate and was, and is, Jesus Christ our
redeemer. He obeyed God the Father perfectly and then He took the
punishment of
death, which we deserved, upon Himself. He did all this in order that
those who place
their faith in Him can be seen as righteous in God the Father's sight.
Christ's
obedience in life and death becomes our righteousness when we place our
faith in Him.
Jesus is the only redeemer/mediator for mankind, for only He is both
God and man at
the same time. Only He has satisfied the righteous requirements of the
law and
only He has endured the judgement of God.
- Jesus is
the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John 1:29
- Jesus is
the mediator between God and man and our only way to fellowship with
God
the Father. John
1:51
- Jesus is
the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father apart from
him. John 14:6