Grace identifies itself with classical Christianity.
By that, we mean the essentials of Christian belief through the ages.
GOD
We believe there is one true God, externally existent in three equally divine persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who know, love, and glorify one another. Our God is both transcendent (for he rules over his creation) and immanent (for he is intimately involved in his creation). Our God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—created all things for his pleasure. In love and sovereign power, he brings about his good purpose to redeem a people for himself and to restore his fallen creation. He alone is worthy to receive all worship, praise, honor, and glory.
(Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 18:30-31; Matthew 28:19; Mark 12:29; Luke 3:22; II Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:1-14; Romans 8:19-23; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 21-22)
GOD'S WORD
We believe God has spoken in the Scriptures, in the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible tells the true and authoritative story of God, humanity, and the world, and announces the good news of God’s great plan of redemption. It is without error in its original manuscripts in all it affirms and is the only infallible rule of faith and practice. In addition to revealing God’s plan to rescue the world, the Bible is also an active agent in his plan. Through the living and powerful Word of God, the Holy Spirit is active to bring men and women to Christ, to nourish and sustain the church, and to form his people for mission.
(Isaiah 55:11; Luke 24:2; John 10:35; Romans 1:1-2, 16-17; I Corinthians 1:18, 2:12, 15:1-3; II Timothy 3:16-4:2; I Peter 1:24-25; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:18)
GOD'S WORLD
We believe the world belongs to God. By his powerful Word, God brought all things into being out of nothing. The world expresses the creative genius, abundant goodness, and majestic power of God, for he is the source and sustainer of all things. We believe that we were created in God’s image to love and worship God, to live in loving community with our neighbor, and to fill the earth, exercising wise and loving stewardship over creation. However, Adam rebelled against God, plunging humanity into a world of sin, guilt, and death. As a result, humanity became alienated from God, enslaved to sin, and condemned under divine judgment. Every part of our humanity is distorted and creation itself suffers under bondage and decay. No human effort, religious system, or good work has any power to rescue us from the destructive consequences of sin.
(Genesis 1-3; Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 19, 24:1, 91:1, 93; Matthew 5:45; Romans 1:19-20; Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3)
GOD'S REDEMPTION
We believe—though our world is lost and broken—God has not left us; our Creator is also our Redeemer. He called Israel into being and promised that through this nation he would bring about his rescue plan for the world. His plan of redemption was brought to a climax through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, who alone is the only begotten and incarnate Son of God, born of a virgin, truly God and truly man. Through Christ, God has dealt with our sin and conquered Satan and every evil influence that spoils human life. On the cross, Jesus died in our place, bearing our sin and condemnation, so that we might be brought into favor with God and adopted as his children. On the third day, God raised Jesus bodily from the dead and enthroned him in the place of highest authority as the world’s true King and only Savior. There is salvation through no other person, creed, process, or power. Each sinner is justified before God and reconciled to God only by divine grace appropriated by faith alone.
(Genesis 12:1-3; John 1:1-3, 11-14, 3:16, 5:24, 10:28-30, 14:6; Acts 16:31; Romans 3:23-26, 5:8, 6:23, 8:19-21, 10:9-10; Galatians 1:3-4; Ephesians 2:8-10; II Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5-7; Hebrews 7:24-25; I Peter 1:18-19; I John 5:11-13; Revelation 21-22)
GOD'S RESTORATION
We believe Jesus Christ will return—visibly and bodily—to judge the world and to establish his kingdom on earth. We believe all people will be resurrected to stand before the judgment of God. The redeemed will spend eternity with God in a new heaven and a new earth, while the lost will be condemned to spend eternity separated from God. On that day, God’s great victory—achieved through the cross and resurrection of Jesus—will be fully implemented in all creation. Sin and death will be destroyed, all things will be made new, and God will dwell with his people forever.
(Matthew 25:46; John 3:16, 5:24, 10:27-30; Romans 5:1, 6:23; I Corinthians 15; Philippians 2:10; I Thessalonians 1:9-10, 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 1:7-10; I John 5:13; Revelation 20:11-15, 22:3-4)
GOD'S PEOPLE
As we wait for that great day, we believe God has formed a new community to embody and to spread this good news. God’s new community—the church—is composed of people from every culture and social class who have received the grace of God by faith alone and who have entered into a new life under the rule of Jesus Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit has been poured out on the church to transform us into Christ’s image, bring assurance of God’s love, provide access to God, and empower us to bear witness to the gospel through our bold and humble proclamation, our sacrificial love for one another, and our acts of justice and compassion in the world.
(John 3:5, 14:16-17, 14:26, 15:26-27,John 16:7-11; Acts 1:8, 5:3-4; Romans 8:9, 14; I Corinthians 2:10-11, 6:11, 6:19, 12:4-13; II Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:16-18, 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:13-14, 2:18, 4:1-6, 5:18-21; Colossians 3:1-11)