Cornerstone Statements of Faith

The Bible

We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired: God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter. The Holy Bible reveals the principles by which God will judge us; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.

Triune God

We believe in one God, who manifests himself in three distinct persons. (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 14-16; Luke 1:30-35; Luke 3:21-22; Galatians 3:13-14; 4:6; 5:5-6, 22-24)

• God the Father, the first person on the triune godhead. God the Father created all things through the Son, in the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; 2; John 1:3; Job 33:4), and we are called to worship Him (John 4:23). The Father loves us and sent His Son to give us everlasting life (John 3:16).
• God the Son, Jesus. He became a man, and thus He is at once fully God and fully man. Jesus coming to earth was foretold in the Old Testament by the prophets. He was born of the virgin Mary and lived a sinless life on this earth. He was crucified for our sin, buried, and in three days arose from the grave, proclaiming power over sin and victory over death. In reciting the Nicene Creed, Orthodox Christians regularly affirm the historic faith concerning Jesus as they say, “I believe…in one Lord Jesus Christ, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made, who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again from the dead, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose Kingdom shall have no end.”
• God the Holy Spirit. He is ever present and active in and with the Church of Jesus Christ, convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, regenerating those who repent and believe, growing believers, and guiding believers into all truth as it is in Jesus.

The Church

We believe those who come to faith in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation become a part of the universal Church of God. The purpose for the gathering of these believers is to grow in faith, hope, and love; these individuals congregate together out of obedience and necessity.

(Exodus 19:3; Jeremiah 31:33; Matthew 8:11; 10:7; 16:13-19, 24; 18:15-20; 28:19-20; John 17:14-26; 20:21-23; Acts 1:7-8; 2:32-47; 6:1-2; 13:1; 14:23; Romans 2:28-29; 4:16; 10:9-15; 11:13-32; 12:1-8; 15:1-3; 1 Corinthians 3:5-9; 7:17; 11:1, 17-33; 12:3, 12-31; 14:26-40; 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:1; Galatians 5:6, 13-14; 6:1-5, 15; Ephesians 4:1-17; 5:25-27; Philippians 2:1-16; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12; 1 Timothy 4:13; Hebrews 10:19-25; 1 Peter 1:1-2, 13; 2:4-12, 21; 4:1-2, 10-11; 1 John 4:17; Jude 24; Revelation 5:9-10)

Sin

We believe that our first parents sinned by rebelling against God’s revealed will and thereby incurred both physical and spiritual death, and that as a result all human beings are born with a sinful nature that leads them to willful sin in thought, word, and deed.

(Genesis 3; 6:5; Job 15:14; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Mark 7:21-23; Romans 1:18-25; 5:12-14; 7:1-8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:1-4; Galatians 5:16-25; 1 John 1:7-8; Matthew 22:36-40 {with 1 John 3:4}; John 8:34-36; 16:8-9; Romans 3:23; 6:15-23; 8:18-24; 14:23; 1 John 1:9-2:4; 3:7-10)

Salvation

We believe all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), and the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Salvation is provided by the grace of God and received by faith alone, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-10). Christ died on the cross to absorb the wrath of God against all man’s sin and trusting in this work anyone can find forgiveness (1 John 2:2). Those truly trusting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross follow His teaching and exhibit a life of repentance (Matthew 16:24). The greatest evidence believers have to this truth is Christ’s physical resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 12:15-19).

Second coming of Christ, Resurrection of the dead, and Judgment of all mankind.

We believe Jesus will return to this earth in the flesh as judge over mankind.  Those who have not come to saving faith in Jesus Christ will suffer an eternity in Hell and those who have trusted in the work of the cross and put their faith in Christ alone will spend eternity with God on the new earth.

(Genesis 18:25; 1 Samuel 2:10; Psalm 50:6; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2-3; Matthew 25:31-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31; 20:27-38; John 3:16-18; 5:25-29; 11:21-27; Acts 17:30-31; Romans 2:1-16; 14:7-12; 1 Corinthians 15:12-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Revelation 20:11-15; 22:1-15)