Close-handed issues, are issues that the Bible speaks clearly on that we use as a foundation for faith & practice. Here are 10 foundational statements of belief for our church:     

1. About God God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has

eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy

Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.

 

2. About Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus lived

a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for

the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead

after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He

ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to earth

to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

 

3. About the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father

and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware

of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from

the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for

living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what

is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved.

As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily.

 

4. About the Bible The Bible is God’s Word to us. The Bible was

written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the

Holy Spirit. It is inspired by God and the supreme source of truth for

Christian beliefs and living.

 

5. About Humanity People are made in the spiritual image of God,

to be like Him in character. Although every person has tremendous

potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience

toward God called “sin”. This attitude separates people from

God.

 

6. About Salvation Salvation is God’s free gift to us. We can never

make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by

trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be

saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and

turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment

one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.

 

7. About Eternal Security Because God gives us eternal life through

Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity.

Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the

self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God

that gives us this security.

 

8. About Eternity People were created to exist forever. We will

either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with

God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated

from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life.

Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.

 

9. About the Family God has ordained the family as the

foundational institution of human society. It is composed of

persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.

Marriage is uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment

for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union

between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the

woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the

channel for sexual expression, and the means for procreation of the

human race.

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and

heritage from the Lord. Parents are to teach their children spiritual

and moral values and lead them, through consistent lifestyle

example & loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical

truth.

 

10. About the Last Things God, in His own time and in His own

way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His

promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to the earth;

the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in

righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the

place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected

and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever

in Heaven with the Lord.