What We Believe

• 1 Peter 2:24-25 – a death that ‘heals’ by making possible our death to sin and by imparting His life to enable our living in righteousness.

• 1 Peter 3:18 – a substitute sacrifice: the just (Christ) for the unjust (me and you), that brings us to God.

• 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – a sacrifice that changes men, giving them the righteousness of God (right standing with God).

• Colossians 1:19-22, 26-29; Philippians 2:12-13 – a relationship: described as “Christ in you”, a union with God, provided bu the “new covenant” that enables salvation through his death and shared life and righteousness which is freely given to those who trust in Him.

• Ephesians 2:8-10 – salvation by grace (unmerited favor), which is the gift of God, not the result of (or accomplished by) the works prescribed in the law of God but which we are unable to do. Through salvation, we become His workmanship, thus enabled to do what we could not before: walk in good deed. It is his grace, not our deeds which save.

• Romans 3:21-26 – the dilemma of God’s justice and mercy is satisfied in Christ’s offering, which represents a drastic difference in our usual understanding of propitiation (an action done in order to appease an offended deity) – men usually bring the sacrifice that ‘propitiates’ the deity, but in this case, God brings the offering of Christ to satisfy his own justice so that he can still be just and favorable (the justifier) to sinners who accept this provision. This realization changes the mind of men toward God rather than men seeking to change the deity’s mind toward them.

• Romans 5:1, 6-11 – when men are helpless and sinful, God demonstrates his love by providing Christ whose death justifies and whose life reconciles sinners who put their faith in Christ.

In summary the Gospel proclaims:

People can be saved from the judgment due sin, which is separation from God, not by earning or meriting their salvation by good deeds they do in service to God, but rather by abandoning those efforts as insufficient to atone for sin. They can be delivered from the judgment of sin by trusting in the sufficient merit of Jesus Christ’s perfect sacrifice and life of righteousness that was offered on behalf of (in the place of) the individual’s deeds. Trusting in Jesus and in His merit brings forgiveness of transgressions and reconciliation with God.

Salvation is not God’s payment or reward for good deeds accomplished by sinners, but rather the gift of God, provided by Christ’s good, done on behalf of sinners who trust in Him and in His provision.

Salvation is not man reaching up for God, it is not achieved by what individuals do for God, but is God reaching done to man in Christ, it is achieved by what God does for sinners who can’t save themselves.

The gospel is not: if I am good, God will love me, and if I am bad, God will be angry at me, but rather it states that I am bad and yet God loves me and provides a way of salvation that is based on His gift and that has power to change me so that I can become good for the benefit of others and for His glory.

We hope you will come visit us. Remember, if you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, we are already brothers and sisters in the universal Body of Christ. We trust God would help us to be a blessing to you as we serve the Lord together!