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The Scriptures
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man.
It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. The Bible is the only perfect written record
of God’s purpose for mankind. It tells the story of how the world came into being, how human
beings were created, and what each of us must do to have a relationship with God.
God
There is one and only one living and true God. …The eternal God reveals Himself to us as
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature,
essence, or being. He is the creator of everything and everyone in the universe.
God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow
of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. God is Father in
truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. While God is our Father, Jesus is our Savior. He was
sent to earth by God to be born by His mother, Mary, while she was still a virgin.
He lived a perfect life without ever sinning.
He was crucified to pay the price for our sins. He was buried but rose from death after
three days in a miraculous display of God’s ultimate power over everything including death.
Finally, He was taken back to heaven by God but will, one day, return to earth to take those
who have received forgiveness of their sins to heaven to live with Him forever.
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He was sent by God to live in Christians after Jesus
went back to heaven. Jesus described the Holy Spirit as our Comforter.
He told the disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to be with them
after He went to be with the Father. As our Comforter, the Holy Spirit reassures us that Jesus
is still with us in Spirit and reminds us that He will return to take us to Heaven with Him.
The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sinful nature and leads us to repent so we can have the
relationship with God He meant for us to have. The Holy Spirit is the One who helps us
understand the Bible and to know God’s will for our lives.
Salvation
Salvation is the plan God uses to forgive our sins and bring us into a personal relationship
with Him. Salvation is something that only God can do. As we cannot forgive ourselves of a
wrong we commit against another person, so we cannot remove the sin that separates us from
God. However, we can receive the forgiveness that God offers by believing that Jesus is God’s
Son, that He died on the cross, and that He rose from the dead. Then we must repent of our
sins and accept His gift of abundant life on earth and eternal life in heaven. It is free
to us but cost God the life of His very own Son. Our response to the offer of salvation
determines our future forever.
Baptism
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. Baptism does not make one a Christian
but is important for two reasons. First, it is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's
faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial
of the life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. Second, it is
a testimony to others of our new life in Christ. For baptism to be authentic it must be by
immersion and must follow a person’s experience of salvation.
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