God's Saving Work for Us
We believe, teach, and confess that we are saved not by human merits or works, but by God’s grace alone, through faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone, as revealed in the Scriptures alone.
We believe that God created the earth in six normal days. Man and woman–created in a unique manner–were the crown of creation, being created in the image of God, that is, perfect and holy. (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)
We believe that there is only one God, who has revealed Himself as the triune (three-in-one) God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.(Deuteronomy 6:4; Luke 3:21-22; Matthew 28:19)
We believe that all humans have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard of perfection, and therefore deserve to be sent to hell eternally. That’s true for each person, right from the moment of conception.(Psalm 51:5;Romans 8:7; Genesis 6:5)
We believe that Jesus–who is both truly God and truly human–paid the full price for all sins of all time by His perfect death on the cross. (John 1:1,14; Romans 9:5; Mark 9:1-9; Hebrews 1:1-8; Philippians 2:5-11; Romans 5:18; John 3:16; 1John 2:1-2)
We believe that Jesus’ resurrection is the ultimate proof of Jesus’ divinity, and is THE proof of the fact that God has declared all mankind to be innocent. (Romans 4:25; Romans 1:4)
We believe that all mankind will be raised from the dead at the end of the world. Body and soul will be reunited, those who were believers in Jesus will enjoy eternal life with God, and those who were unbelievers will be condemned to an eternity of suffering in hell. (Matthew 24-25)
We believe that Jesus will return only once, at which time this world will be destroyed by fire. Until that time, the world will become progressively worse, not better. Only God knows when that return will take place, so it’s foolish for humans to try to predict it. (Matthew 24:4-14; Revelation 1:7; Hebrews 9:27-28; 1Thessalonians4:13–5:11)
We believe that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of the Triune God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe that the Bible is God’s Word, given to us by God word-for-word, through human writers. The Bible’s main purpose is to work faith in Jesus in our hearts. Its secondary purpose is to teach us how to live lives that give glory to God, lives that say “thank you” to God for what He’s done for us. (2Peter 1:21; John 17:17; John 20:31; 2Timothy 3:16-17)
We believe that two messages flow throughout the Bible.
1. The law, which leads us to see our sinfulness and our need for a Savior.
2. The Gospel, which tells us that God has sent the Savior to this world and that by His life, death, and resurrection, we have been saved. (Romans 3:9-24; Luke 2:8-14; Matthew 1:21)
We believe that faith is a gift that God the Holy Spirit works in our hearts. Man does not have the capacity to become a believer on his own. The tool that God uses to create faith and to strengthen faith is the means of grace–the gospel, either in the word itself or in the sacraments. We believe that faith can be lost. (Ephesians2:1-10; Romans 8:7; Romans 1:16; Romans 10:17; 1Corinthians 10:12; 1Timothy 1:19-20)
We believe that baptism is a powerful tool by which God creates–or seals–faith in the heart of the individual, no matter how old or how young that person may be. (1Peter 3:21; Titus 3:5-6; Romans 6:3-5; Acts 2:38-39; Matthew 28:19).
We believe that in addition to being a wonderful gift from God to us, the Lord’s Supper is also a powerful confession of a commonly held faith. For that reason, and because the Lord’s Supper can be taken to a person’s harm, we practice close communion, believing that a person ought first to be instructed in the truths of the Word before attending the Lord’s Supper. (1Corinthians 10:17; 11:23-29)
We believe that through His Word and Sacraments, God works faith in the hearts of individuals, and in so doing He builds His Church, that is, the group of all believers. That Church–the “Holy Christian Church”–is also called “the invisible church,” for only God can read hearts, so only God knows who belongs to that “church.”The Holy Christian Church cannot be attached to any one denomination but will be found wherever the Word of God is proclaimed. (1Peter 1:22-2:12; Isaiah 55:10-11)
We believe that both the church and the state are instruments that God created, but that each has their own sphere of responsibility. The state has been given the “sword,” the right to punish, in order to keep order in society. The church has been given the Gospel–the good news that Jesus is the Savior–in order to make disciples for all eternity. Each Christian is a citizen both of the church and of the state and has a role and/or responsibilities in each sphere. Care should be taken that the church doesn’t become a political organization, and care should be taken that the state doesn't meddle in the affairs which correctly belong to the church. (Romans13:1-7; Matthew 22:21).