About God
We believe in One God Who is uncreated, infinite, and eternal. We believe that God is triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is One God in three distinct persons. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, while at the same time the Father is not the Son or the Holy Spirit, the Son is not the Father or the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son (Genesis 1:1-2, Matthew 3:13-17, John 1:1-4). The mystery of the Trinity is profound and is not something we can understand, rather we believe and worship God as He has made Himself known in the Scriptures. (For more explanation on God, please read the three the Ecumenical Church Creeds).
About the Bible (God's Word to Us)
We believe the Bible is the Written Word of God which He has given to Christians. It consists of 66 books which span centuries of human writers all divinely inspired by God the Holy Spirit’s authorship. Since God is the one who authored the Bible, this means we believe it contains no errors (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It includes Law, History, Poetry and Songs, Prophecy, Genealogies, Eye-Witness Accounts, and Letters, which all point to God the Son, Jesus Christ and our need for Him.
About Sin (Our Separation from God)
We believe that nothing is the way it should be. This world is broken, God’s creation has been poisoned, and every one of us has been infected with the disease we call “sin.” God despises Sin and it is what is contrary to His will. Not only is sin what we think, say, and do, but it is a part of who we are since our conception (Psalm 51:1-5, Romans 3:9-12). Sin is what separates all humans from God (Genesis 3, Romans 3:23) and there is no way that we can cure ourselves or ‘get healthy’ enough to be reunited with Him.
About Salvation (God’s Plan to Save Us)
We believe that even though we are separated from God, He still loves us more than anything. The Bible tells how He continues to chase after us, and how He still wants to be with us even when we reject Him. He knew that none of us could be good enough to be with Him. So rather than giving up on us, He did the unthinkable. God became one of us (John 1:14, Philippians 2:5-11)!
About Grace Through Faith (God's Gift to Us)
God became one of us, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. Although God became man, Jesus is without sin He is fully man and fully God. This is why He was able to be the pure and unblemished sacrifice, the sacrificial lamb for you and me on the cross (Leviticus 16, John 1:29). This was the grace that God had on us, that He died for us, and we receive this grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Faith, since it is a gift from God (the Holy Spirit) it is not something that we can make or reason for ourselves (John 1:12-13, 1 Corinthians 12:3). Much like a birthday gift, grace through faith is something that is given to us regardless of what we do, who we are, how old we are, or how smart we may be. While God can gift faith any way He wants, He has promised in His Word to gift grace through faith in specific ways:
The means of grace are the instruments which [God] the Holy Spirit uses to give forgiveness of sins and to create and strengthen faith. God has promised to act through these things. Specifically, the means of grace are the Gospel— [Christ’s death and resurrection], and those applications of the Gospel known as the Sacraments. Through the life-giving word of the Gospel, Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper, [God] the Spirit conveys the grace of God to people (Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess, Steven P. Mueller, 312).
It is through faith that we receive salvation. When Christ died for us, He did so by taking all our sin upon Himself, and in return gave us His righteousness. Salvation by grace through faith is not about us slowly becoming righteous or better humans because of Jesus, but that we have been judged righteous before God because of Christ.
About the Church (God’s Work Among Us)
When talking about faith and the means of grace, we cannot do so without talking about the Church. The Christian Church is more than a building or a type of worship service. The simplest definition of Church is that it is all believers in Jesus, the Body of Christ (He is the head of the Church, Ephesians 5:23, 25-27). The Church is also how God has promised to work among us.
One way God works among His people is through His people. He does this by calling us together in community. We are in community in the Church when we gather with fellow believers in Jesus who are in need God’s grace. All of us are called to receive God’s grace together, in community (Matthew 18:20, Acts 2:42-44).
Another way that God works among us by giving us His gifts (also known as sacraments), His means of grace. Coming together as a community of believers we hear the Gospel preached and taught, we receive the forgiveness of sins, the washing of baptism, and the Body and Blood of Christ. All of these gifts are where God has promised to be present, and He has commanded His Church to give these gifts to all nations (Matthew 28:16-20).