In Essentials - We Have Unity.

"There is one body and one Spirit... there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all..." Ephesians 4:4-6

In Non-Essentials - We have Liberty.

"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters... Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or fall... So then each of us will give an account of himself to God... So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God." Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22.

In Everything - We Show Love.

"I may understand all the secret things of God and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:2

The Essentials

God

God is the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. The God of the Bible is the One God. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. Genesis 1:1; Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 3:22; Psalms 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Corinthians 13:14.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God. Co-equal with the Father and God the Spirit. He came to earth and became man. He was completely God while at the same time being fully man. He revealed to us who God is. His miraculous acts, sinless life and life changing teaching all confirm the fact that He is God's Son. His purpose for coming to earth was to show God's love by dying on a cross thus taking the sins of all mankind upon Himself and paying the penalty that our sins deserve. His bodily resurrection from the grave and His promise to return someday are testimonies to the fact that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus desires the deepest relationship with every person. Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1; John 1:14; John 1:18; Acts 10:37-43; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Ephesians 2:4-8; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-21; Hebrews 1:1-3.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. He dwells in each member of God's family as a Helper and Guide. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that a person comes to salvation. At that point the Spirit comes to live in our bodies as His home. He provides power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, strength and direction in following Christ. Every Christian is to allow God's Spirit to help them on a daily basis. John 14:16-17; John 16:7-13; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 6:19-21; Ephesians 3:16-20; Ephesians 5:16.

The Bible

The Bible is God's Word to all people. Human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit wrote it. The Word of God tells us who God is; why He loves, and what His plans are for us. Because God inspires it, it is truth without any mixture of error. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalms 119:105, 160; Psalms 12:6; Proverbs 30:5.

Salvation

We need salvation because we have sinned. Sin separates us from God who desires relationship with us. It is impossible for anyone to restore that broken relationship with God by any merit or personal goodness, religious deeds, or by belonging to a church. The death of Jesus was no accident. It was God's plan from the beginning to save us from our sins through the death of Jesus Christ. The Bible calls this act of love, grace. His grace is His gift to us. The way we receive His gift is entering into a covenant relationship with Jesus when we place our trust and faith in Him. Our faith is expressed when we make a decision to name Him as Lord, turn from where we are going and turn to Him, and clothe ourselves with Christ by participating in His Death and Resurrection by baptism. Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:3-5; Isaiah 54:2; John 3:16; John 14:6; Acts 2:37-38; Romans 3:10-11; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 6:23.

The Church

The Church is God's Spiritual Family. It is made up of all those who have chosen to place their trust and faith in Jesus. The Church is not a building or a particular group of believers. To belong to the church is to belong to Jesus. The Bible uses the analogy that Jesus is the Head of the Church, which is His Body. God's will is for the Church is to gather regularly to worship God and honor Him. We are to gather to remember Jesus and what He did for us on the cross by taking the Lord's Supper. Each member should use their various gifts and abilities to serve God and others. We are to encourage and love those in the body, and to work diligently to maintain the unity of the body. As the members of His Church love one another and maintain unity of purpose and relationship, the world will recognize that we belong to Jesus. The Church is to seek the will of God as a family, together. Matthew 16:15-18; John 17:20-23; John 13:34-35; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-10.