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I. The Word of God
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
[II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20,21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31,32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32]
II. The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
[Genesis 1:1,26; John 1:1,3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19,20; Ephesians 4:5,6]
III. God the Father
We believe in God the Father - an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
[Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; I Timothy 1:1,2; 2:5,6; I Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6]
IV. Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.
[Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 8:46; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30, 31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9,10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; I Timothy 3:16]
V. The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit whose primary role is to interpret scripture and proclaim Jesus Christ to the world. We believe that He came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin and to sanctify those who have been justified. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
[John 14:16,17,26; 15:26,27; John 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26]
VI. Salvation
We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. We believe that God’s love demonstrated in the death and resurrection of His Son, by the spilling of His blood on the cross, is so great that He causes our hearts to be turned to Him, to live with Him and serve Him in everlasting life.
[Genesis. 1:26; 5:2; Genesis 3; Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Eccl. 2:11; John 3:14; 5:24; John 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; Romans 9:22; II Thessalonians 1:9; Rev. 19:3,20; 20:10;14,15; 21:18; Psalm 51:7; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:14; Romans 3:19; 5:19; Proverbs 28:13; I John 1:9; John 3:16; John 1:13; II Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1]
VII. The New Life
We believe that God not only saves Christians from the penalty of sin, but that He also has destroyed sins power over them. Having been so richly forgiven and created anew, we believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. We also affirm that though (a Christian by definition has received faith and therefore the gift of eternal life with God) we have new life we are still sinners and continue to sin, in actuality, until our death.
[I Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 14:15,23-24; I John 2:3-6; II Corinthians 9:6-9; I Corinthians 4:2; Col. 1:9-10]
VIII. The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all persons believing in Christ are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of baptized believers in Jesus Christ and associated for worship, education, evangelism, world mission and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.
[Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-25]
IX. The Sacraments
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has instituted two Sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is “not merely water, but it is water used according to God’s command and connected with God’s Word.”2 The amount of water used is unimportant but only that the water used is connected with the Word of God. Further we baptize into the name of the Triune God. We reject that (a) baptism is optional or unnecessary for salvation, (b) that baptism must come after a rational confession of faith, (c) that baptism guarantees eternal life or (d) that dedication can replace the baptizing of an infant as a choice for the parents in this congregation.
We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for the forgiveness of sin. We also believe that when Jesus Christ took on flesh it was for eternity and that unlike our bodies He is not bound by time or spatial limitations. We further believe that He is truly present in the Lord’s Supper for the forgiveness of sin for those who believe upon His name. Conversely, we further believe that He is present for condemnation for those who do not repent and believe in Him.
We believe that these two Sacraments should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-26]
X. Religious Liberty
We believe that every human each congregation is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.
[I Timothy 2:5; Romans 14:7-9,12]
XI. Church Cooperation
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether a regional or district synod of conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a synod or conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time.
This church is affiliated with the Pacifica Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary independent basis.
[Acts 15:36, 41; 16:5; I Corinthians 16:1; Galatians 1:1-3; Revelation 1:4,10,11]
XII. The Last Things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked.
[Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:15; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 4:5; I Corinthians 15; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6,11-15]
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