“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deut. 6:4-5)

Only one true and living God exists, perfect in all His attributes, holy in character, and righteous in all His works. He is the Creator of the universe, eternally existing in three Persons—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each equally deserving of humanity’s worship and obedience. As the Lord of all creation, God’s power, knowledge, wisdom, and presence ensure His sovereign will is exercised over all nations and kingdoms throughout all ages.

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

The Bible is God’s written revelation to people, divinely given through human authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is entirely true. The Bible is totally sufficient and completely authoritative for matters of life and faith. The goal of God’s Word is the restoration of humanity into His image.

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'" (Gen. 1:26)

God created people in His image for His glory. Because people are the crowning work of His creation, God made them stewards over His creation. God created people to live in relationship with Him, so He has given people the ability to communicate with God through prayer. God wants people to lovingly care for each other, and He has given families the special responsibility of teaching children about God. God desires for people to live eternally with Him in Heaven.

"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Heb. 1:3)

Jesus is both fully God and fully human. He is the Christ, the Son of God, and is one of the three persons of the Trinity. Born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life and performed many miracles. He died on the Cross to provide people with forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation. Jesus rose from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return in power and glory.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph. 2:8-9)

All human beings are born with a sin nature, separated from God, and in need of a Savior. Every person willfully disobeys God—an act known as sin—thus inheriting both physical and spiritual death and the need for salvation. Salvation comes only through a faith relationship with Jesus Christ, the Savior. Salvation is instantaneous and wholly of God through grace on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus and not on the basis of human works. When people repent of their sins by placing their faith in Jesus, they receive forgiveness for sin, abundant life on earth, and the promise of eternal life in Heaven. All who have been redeemed are secure in Jesus Christ forever.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

As a member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is God’s presence in the world. The Holy Spirit convicts individuals of sin, baptizes believers into the Body of Christ, uses God’s Word to mature believers into Christlikeness, and secures them until Jesus returns. He lives within every Christian beginning at the moment of salvation. Through His indwelling presence and by equipping believers with spiritual gifts, the Holy Spirit empowers every Christian for bold witness and effective ministry as we serve Him.

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common." (Acts 2:42-44)

The Holy Spirit immediately places all people who put their faith in Jesus Christ into one united spiritual body, the Church, of which Jesus is the head. The primary expression of the Church on earth is the local gathering of believers. The purpose of the Church is to glorify God by taking the Gospel to the entire world and by building its members in Christlikeness through the instruction of God’s Word, fellowship, service, worship, and prayer.

"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." (Heb. 9:27-28)

God will bring the world to its appropriate end in His own time and in His own way. At that time, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth. Both the saved and the unsaved will be resurrected physically to be judged by Jesus. Those who have trusted Him will receive their reward and dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord. Those who have refused Him will spend eternity in Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The certain return of Jesus motivates believers to be faithful in their daily lives.