What We Believe
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We affirm historic Christianity as expressed in the Nicene Creed:
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We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us human beings and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
We also believe these truths are crucial for Christian faith, life and witness:
There is one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is perfect in all He is and does.
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God has revealed himself through the Bible, His inerrant Word. It is our final rule of faith and practice.
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God created all things and blessed them as good. He made human beings, male and female, in His image and called them to rule and care for creation. God also instituted marriage as the lifelong union of one man and one woman.
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Our first parents fell from innocence into sin. All people since are far from God, slaves of sin and cursed by death.
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In love God has planned to save many people from every nation and is guiding history to this goal. He commands us to announce this good news to the world, confident nothing can frustrate God's mission.
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God has sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to bring us back to God. Through His life, death, and resurrection He has atoned for our guilt, made peace with God, and conquered evil. He now reigns at God’s right hand and will return for final victory.
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Salvation is found in Christ alone. It is a gift of God and not earned by us. All who repent and trust in Christ receive forgiveness of sins, adoption into God’s family and new life in the Spirit.
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The Holy Spirit lives within every believer. He assures us we are God’s children, helps us grow in holiness, and joins us into a new community.
The Church is the body of Christ and the family of all believers. Our unity in Christ transcends all human barriers and is a foretaste of the new creation.
In baptism we are united to Christ by faith, buried with him in His death, raised with Him to new life, and joined to His people. At the Lord's Supper we remember Christ’s death, share in His life and anticipate His return.
God calls all believers to holiness. We must turn from sin, love God and others and follow Jesus wherever he leads. We must trust God is good even when he allows us to suffer. As we walk in step with the Spirit, we grow more and more like Christ, until we see Him face to face.
On a day known only to God, Christ will return to complete His victory over sin, Satan and death. The guilty will be sent into eternal darkness, but those who belong to Christ will be raised into eternal life and joy with God in the new creation.