God's Plan of Salvation

DOCTRINE - Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (Psalm 25:4-5)

Bethel is an evangelical, Bible-believing church. The doctrinal beliefs of our congregation reflect the historical teachings of Christianity and our Baptist heritage. Our utmost desire is to correctly interpret and faithfully communicate God's plan of salvation and His message of faith, hope and love. We continue to seek understanding, meaning and direction in life through the study and application of God's Word because we believe the Bible is a perfect treasure of divine truth. We believe the writings of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God and the final authority in faith and life.

God - We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that these three are co-equal and are one God. We believe God is the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Creator and Ruler of the universe.

Jesus Christ - We believe Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who became man without ceasing to be God. We believe that Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. We believe that He arose from the dead on the third day to demonstrate His power over sin and death.

Holy Spirit - We believe the Holy Spirit is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. We believe that He lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation and provides believers with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right.

Man - We believe man was created in the image of God, but fell through sin, and is now separated from God and dependent upon God for salvation.

Salvation - We believe that God alone can save and that He sincerely offers forgiveness of sin and eternal life to all through faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. We believe that salvation is a gift from God to man and eternal life begins the moment one trusts in Jesus as Savior.

Church - We believe the local church is a gathering of believers in Jesus Christ who voluntarily join themselves together for worship, evangelism, instruction, service and fellowship, and who observe the ordinances of baptism and communion.