We believe there is a beautiful story that resonates in our hearts and it is so compelling you don’t have to look hard to find it.

Consider the entertainment industry which banks on the fact we are drawn to stories that begin in harmony, transition to conflict, and end in glorious restoration. Additionally, there is always a villain who destroys harmony and a hero who restores it. This is how we are taught to write stories. It seems we are irresistibly drawn to this model.

Now consider for a moment the possibility that Christianity is not a set of rules or philosophy on how to live, but it is rather a faith that explains why this story has been printed on our hearts. The Bible, the revelation of this story, is not just good advice, but good news. Christianity is simply having faith in that which we have already found to be true in our hearts: we are participants of a grander story in which the author has revealed Himself to us and pursues us!

God

The story (by “story” I mean historical, factual events) starts with a God who has always existed (Ps 90:2). The scriptures tell us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1), that God’s creation was good (Gen 1:31), and that everything good in the world today comes from God (James 1:17). The scriptures go on to tell us that God also sustains life and orchestrates all things according to His will (Job 38-39). The fact that God reveals himself through creation is a grace all mankind enjoys. We believe that this God is holy and worthy to receive all glory and honor (Rev 4:11).

We believe God exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We see all three persons present in harmony together at the beginning of the Son’s earthly ministry where “the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” (Luke 3:22) We believe God the Father is fully God, Christ is fully God (John 1:1-4), and the Holy Spirit is fully God (Matt 28:19). Yet at the same time, God is One (Rom 3:30), which is a profound mystery to us, His creation.

Man

We believe God made man and woman in His own image (Gen 1:27)—a fact  which distinguishes us from the rest of His creation. According to scripture we were made to rule over and care for the earth (Gen 1:28). And, at the time of the initial creation of humanity, we existed in perfect harmony with God, experiencing Him and enjoying Him fully (Gen 2:25).

Sin

We believe although we were made to live in harmony with God, we rejected Him and disregarded His goodness. The scriptures tell us that, while in paradise, mankind rejected God’s law and sinned by putting its self in God’s place (Gen 3:5-7). When this happened the harmony was broken and humanity became sinful by very nature. As such we are all guilty of sinning against God (Eph 2:3) and have fallen short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23), earning us both spiritual and physical death and separation from God (Rom 6:23).

We are the villains of our own story and are the reason we need a hero.

Redemption in the Old Covenant God began redeeming mankind by initiating a relationship with the Hebrew people. He revealed himself through the prophets. The Word of God in the Old Covenant is found in the Old Testament which reveals his character, promises, and law. The Old Covenant announces the coming of the Messiah, our hero, who frees us from sin and restores us to God.

God the Son and Redemption in the New Covenant

As prophesied in the Old Covenant, God the father sent His only Son, Jesus the Christ, the promised Messiah. We believe Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1-5) who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, became man.

We believe Jesus was both simultaneously fully God (Phil 2:6) and fully man (Phil 2:7)—one person with two natures.

We find the evidence undeniable from the scriptures that Jesus died on the cross and bore the punishment of our sins, objectively and eternally satisfying God’s justice (Eph 1:7). As such, we believe that our proper response is to turn from our sins and trust Christ to restore our relationship with God. God showed His love for us by sending His son to satisfy His just wrath, awakening our souls to our condition, leading us to repentance, giving us the gift of faith, granting us mercy by attributing Jesus’ payment on our behalf (Rom 5:8), as well as adopting us into His Family as His children (Eph 1:5). Jesus is the hero of our story and we can truly say that salvation is from the Lord (Jonah 2:9).

We believe Jesus rose from the dead and took on a new spiritual body (1 Cor 15:42-44). And, just as we partake in His death through faith, we also partake in his bodily resurrection (1 Cor 15:20-23) which affirms the original goodness of God’s creation and our hope for perfect restoration.

Finally we believe Jesus ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father (Acts 7:55-56) to prepare for us an eternal dwelling place in His presence (John 14:2-3). This gives us confidence that once again we will be restored in perfect harmony with God, as was intended from the beginning.

God the Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is the giver of spiritual life who is sent by God the Father (Ps 104:30) and by God the Son (Acts 1:8) to make known God’s active presence on earth.

The scriptures tell us, before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). We believe that it is the role of the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s word (John 14:26) and participate with us in our redemption as we grow in holiness (Rom 8:13).

God’s Family-The Church

We believe Christ established the church as His body (Matt 16:18, Eph 1:22-23), and there is only one Universal Church of God for which He died (Eph 5:25, Acts 20:28). Locally, as members of this Church, we are called to gather and share life together, to encourage each other, teach and learn God’s word, and take the good news and our hope into the world (Acts 2:42-47). We believe that the church is the pillar of God’s truth (1 Tim 3:15) and the only light in a world of darkness (Matt 5:14).

The Ordinances

It is our belief the church practices the ordinance of baptism as an outward and visible sign of our adoption as God’s children and members of Christ’s Body (1 Cor 12:13). We do not believe that it has any salvific powers but that it is necessary in the life of a believer as one of the first acts of obedience.

Likewise we believe that the church is commanded to observe The Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and future return (Luke 22:19).

Restoration of All Things

We look to the second coming of Christ in glory and power to make all things new and to judge the living and the dead. We believe that at that time those who have rejected Jesus will face judgment (John 5:29) and eternal separation from God, while those who have accepted Jesus will receive their resurrection bodies, thus completing redemption. (Rom 8:23-24).

It is at this point we believe the hero of our story will restore us to perfect harmony, give us new spiritual bodies, reunite us with the rest of God’s people throughout all Nations and ages, and give us an eternity by His side to enjoy the full knowledge and love of God.