in Plain Terms
There is one God and the Bible contains his message of loving truth. This one God has eternally existed in three persons: God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth and all living things. He created men and women in his own image, so that he might have an intimate and loving relationship with us for eternity. He gave men and women the opportunity to choose to trust and love him or to turn away from him. The first people God created were Adam and Eve. They chose to turn away from him. With their decision, sin entered the world. Ever since that time men and women have continued to follow their example and have chosen to sin. The consequence of the decision to sin is the same today as it was in the beginning, death and separation from God.
God is both loving and just. Justice demands that the consequences of sin be met. Love desires to forgive and restore those who have sinned. Because God loved us he sent his one and only son, Jesus, to earth. He lived a sinless life and, therefore did not have to deal with the consequences of sin: death and separation from God. Jesus chose to give his life up to pay for the penalty of everyone else’s sin. This allows for our sin to be forgiven, but also for justice to be served. Forgiveness for sin is a free gift from God that he wants everyone to receive. The only question that remains is, “Will you receive God’s gift of forgiveness?”
Receiving God’s gracious gift of forgiveness through what Jesus did on the cross allows you to have an intimate and loving relationship with God. God wants your relationship with him to begin as soon as possible. One of the characteristics of all loving relationships is the desire to do what pleases the one we love. Jesus said it this way, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” The Bible is a record of all the things that God has asked us to do in order that we might have a right relationship with him, ourselves, and others.
in Theological Terms
The sole basis for our belief is the Bible, which is uniquely God-inspired, without error, and the final authority on all matters on which it speaks. As the Bible teaches, there is one God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – each equally possessing all the attributes of deity.
God created humans to have fellowship with Him, but they defied God by sinfully going their own way. Sin is the result of the selfishness we are all born possessing. As a result, we need God’s saving grace to end our alienation from Him. Salvation comes only through God’s grace – not human effort – and must be received personally through faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Jesus Christ, second Person of the Trinity, lived a sinless life on earth and voluntarily paid for our sin by dying on the cross as our substitute. This provided salvation for all who would acknowledge their need for a savior and his death as having provided a payment for the debt their sin incurred, namely death. He rose from the dead and is the only mediator between God and us. Baptism is an act of obedience He has asked us to do which portrays our joining Him in His death, burial, and resurrection. He will return to earth to consummate history.
The Holy Spirit draws sinners to Christ, permanently resides in believers, and equips them for personal growth and service to God through his church. He convicts us of our sin, righteousness, and judgment. He calls us to the Savior and affects regeneration. Upon regeneration, he baptizes every believer into the body of Christ, his church. He seals the believer unto the final day of redemption. His indwelling presence in every believer is the guarantee that God will bring them into the fullness of the stature of Christ.
The church’s role is to glorify God and serve those in need. At the end, everyone will experience bodily resurrection and final judgment. Only those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will enjoy eternal fellowship with God.
