We believe in the existence of one God. His existence is evident in the order of nature, both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial. He is the logical First Cause of all things and is hence their Creator (“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork” Psalm 19:1). God is a personal Being; he provides mankind with intellect, emotions and conscience. This belief in God is critical to everything else in our faith.
The Holy Bible is the Divinely inspired, infallible Word of God. It is our sole rule of faith and practice. It has been preserved remarkably for millenia, despite numerous efforts by infidels to suppress or exterminate it, or to rob it of its Divine authority. Although it was written over a period of 1,600 years by some 40 writers, it has but one Author. This would explain its incredible unity of theme and purpose: it has one doctrinal system, one moral standard, one plan of salvation, one program of the ages. Over and over again, its prophecies have been fulfilled, attesting to its uncanny accuracy. History and archaeology have also repeatedly lent their support to its authenticity.
God is omnipresent (existing everywhere), omnipotent (having all power), omniscient (knowing all things), eternal (having no beginning nor end) and immutable (unchanging). All things, including time and space, were made by Him. He is also holy, righteous, and just; He is loving, benevolent, merciful and gracious. In addition to all this, He is true and faithful. God is only one God, but He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26 and similar passages), possessing a spirit, intellect and free will. At the time of the beginning, God gave man dominion over the rest of creation. Subsequently, man sinned: that is, he broke God’s law by deliberately partaking of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This willing disobedience broke his fellowship with God, and God drove him out of the garden. From then on, man’s body and all of creation were corrupted, and man was in need of reconciliation with God.
Enter the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. He was born of the virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit without sin. He came to provide forgiveness of sin and its eternal penalty for those who would accept Him. Christ was at once both God and man; He possessed the power and authority of God but was subject to our infirmities (hunger, thirst, fatigue, temptation, etc.). At His death, He took upon Himself all the weight of the sin of the world. That is to say that the holy Son of God took our sin upon Himself, of His own free will. He did what we could never do ourselves: He satisfied the justice and law of God, appeased God’s wrath and reconciled us to God.
By His complete bodily resurrection from the dead, he declared victory over death, sin and Hell. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is essential to the Gospel and the Christian faith. Jesus showed Himself among His disciples for forty days after His resurrection, when he ascended up into Heaven, to be seated at the right hand of God the Father.
The Holy Spirit is the person referred to by Jesus as “the Comforter.” When Jesus ascended into Heaven, he left the Holy Spirit to live in the hearts of those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Upon conversion, the believer is regenerated, or made anew, by the Holy Spirit. In addition, the believer is then sealed unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13–14; 4:30).
The Holy Spirit is both the author and interpreter of the Scriptures. Second Timothy 3:16 states, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” The Holy Spirit empowered the Church on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), bestows spiritual gifts upon the Church (I Corinthians 12), produces fruit in surrendered believers (Galatians 5:22–23) and intercedes for us as we pray (Romans 8:26–27).
We believe that one day, Jesus Christ will return in the clouds to receive His own—that is, all of the believers in Christ, both dead and living (John 14:3; I Corinthians 15:51–52; I Thessalonians 4:16–17). The believers will then be judged and rewarded, but those left on earth will endure seven years of terrible tribulation.
Next, Christ will return to the earth to reveal Himself and His own. He will bind Satan, judge the nations, deliver and bless His creation, and set up His kingdom, where He will reign for a thousand years. After that, Satan will be loosed, then judged and sentenced to eternal torment. Heaven and earth will be made anew, and God the Three in One will reign forever and ever.