the apostles' creed

We believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth; we believe in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary, He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (universal) church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

five essential beliefs

  1. The entire Bible is the inspired word of God and was written by human authors, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because Scripture is inspired by God, it is wholly true.
  2. God is the creator and ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three equal and distinct persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. The second member of the Trinity, Jesus, became flesh, lived a sinless human life, died, and rose from the grave becoming the savior of a lost world.
  3. People are made in the image of God to have fellowship with Him. 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, causes many problems in life, and makes people totally incapable of being in a right relationship with God by their own effort. People will either reign eternally with Jesus at his return or be eternally separated from God by sin.
  4. The shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, salvation occurs when a person places their faith in the atoning death and victorious resurrection of Jesus. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian.
  5. All Christians should live for Christ and not for themselves. The Holy Spirit lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation and provides power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. By obedience to Scriptures and daily yielding to the Spirit, every believer will mature and become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.