God

There is one infinite, holy, loving, personal God who speaks to us in Scripture and reveals Himself to us in His acts of creation, salvation, and renewal as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As finite human beings created in God’s image, we declare that it is our purpose and privilege to worship, honor, serve and obey Him.

Creation

The world belongs to God, who created it and faithfully sustains it by His providence. Creation is the theater of God’s glory, displaying His power and majesty. God calls us to discover creation’s resources, to receive these gifts with thanksgiving and delight, and to use them wisely as stewards and caretakers who are responsible to God and to our neighbor.

Sin

Our ability to carry out our human calling to honor God, serve our neighbor, and care for the creation is marred by the corrosive effects of sin, which touch every part of life. When our first parents listened to Satan’s lie, questioned God’s Word, and rebelled against Him, they brought His judgment upon themselves, their posterity, and the creation. Brokenness, disease, hate, arrogance, alienation, abuse of creation, and ultimately death are the inevitable fruits of sin in our world.

Covenant

However, God has not rejected or abandoned His world but has turned to it in love. He gave the rainbow sign to Noah as a pledge of His promise to care for all creatures. He made a covenant with Abraham, promising to be a faithful God to him and his children, and through them to bless all nations. Through His servant Moses, God disclosed His law for the human community, promising rich blessing as the fruit of obedience. God always keeps His promises. We acknowledge with gratitude and joy that He is our God and the God of our children, that we are His people, and that this is His world.

Redemption

As He promised, God, in love, sent Jesus Christ into the world to save it from sin and its consequences. The atoning death of the Son of God is the only payment for the debt of human sin, and Christ’s resurrection is the only liberation from the powers of evil and death. The victorious Lord sends the Holy Spirit to create faith, cleanse and renew hearts, and build the church as a community of love and holiness. It is the church’s mission to proclaim and live this good news and to make disciples of nations.