Here are some of the foundational beliefs that guide all we do at Bethlehem.​
​
We believe in one God who is the living God. God is the all powerful, perfect creator, sustainer, and ruler over all of the universe. He is all knowing and infinite in his holiness and love. To Him and Him alone do we owe all of our love, reverence, and obedience.
God has revealed Himself and eternally exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is known at the Trinity.
​
God the Father
God the Father is the Creator, Ruler, and Sustainer over all creation. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attributes towards all men.
​
God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. He became incarnate as Jesus Christ through conception by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God during His time on earth. He fully took on the nature of man with all the demands and necessities and identified Himself completely with man. Even being fully man, Jesus lived a sinless life. Jesus lived a perfect life, was crucified on a cross, was buried for three days, and was resurrected on the third day with a glorified body. After His resurrection, Jesus ascended into Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God and fully man, between man and God. He is the perfect Sacrifice, Who, through His death, took the penalty of sin all humans deserve on Himself thus providing the Way of salvation so that we can have a restored relationship with God. One day, He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
​
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is fully divine. He gave the inspiration to men to write the Bible; gives wisdom to man to understand the truth; exalts Christ; convicts men of sin, righteousness, and judgement; calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. He inhabits the hearts of all true Christians, is the promised Helper who guides us in the process of sanctification.
​
We believe the Bible is the authoritative, inherent Word of God. The Holy Bible was written by men who were divinely inspired by God's revelation of Himself to His creation. Because Scripture is the World of God, it is entirely true and trustworthy. Because of this, it is the standard that all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture points to Christ who is the the focus of the entire Bible.
​
We believe that God is the Creator of the universe. All things that are created were spoken into existed by God through His Son, Jesus, and all of creation points to its Creator. God created a perfect world free of sin, sickness, and death. This perfect creation was corrupted by the sin of Adam and Eve, the first people, and all of creation has suffered under the curse of sin ever since. Sickness and death are not part of God's perfect plan for his creation and God uncastrated a way of redemption through His Son, Jesus, so that we can be saved from the consequences of sin.
​
Humans were created by God as Male and Female. The first man, Adam, was specially created by God from the dust of the earth, and the first woman, Eve, was created by God from a rib of Adam. Men and women are both created with equal value, dignity, and importance to God, but were created with equally valuable but different roles and purposes in God's creation.​
All people are born with a sin nature and suffer under the curse of sin that is inherited from the first people, Adam and Eve. This sin corrupts us and keeps us from having a relationship with God. There is nothing we can do on our own to save ourselves from this curse of sin, but God made a way of salvation through Jesus.
​
God created a perfect world without sin, but Adam and Eve's disobedience to God brought sin into the world which has corrupted all of creation. Death, sickness, pain, suffering, hatred, and all other evil in the world comes as a result of sin's corruption of God's perfect creation. This sin nature that we are born with causes us to have a separation from God and is what condemns us to judgement before God. Because we are sinful humans, there is nothing we can do to make ourselves sinless, and, therefore, meet God's standards of perfection. This sin that exists in our lives shows us our helplessness to save ourselves and our need of a perfect Savior to rescue us from our own sinfulness.
​
Salvation refers to the redemption of man through freely accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior who obtained eternal redemption from sin for all who believe by His sacrifice on the cross. Salvation from our sins comes only through true faith and belief in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Apart from a personal relationship with Jesus, their is no salvation, and salvation is only found in Jesus and Him alone.
Broadly speaking, salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
-
Regeneration is the work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus.
-
Justification is the genuine turning from sin toward God.
-
Sanctification is the life-long process whereby God grows and matures believer to be more like Jesus.
-
Glorification is the culmination of salvation when we receive our eternal reward and go to be in the presence of God in Heaven.
​
.png)
