Our Beliefs

Have you ever played darts? Have you ever been axe throwing? It's fun, isn't it? You know that in these games, the most central scoring opportunity is called the "bulls eye".

At Paradise we hold to a "bulls eye" of essential beliefs that clarify what we are focused on as a community. Outside of that "bulls eye" are plenty of differences that we simply do not hold to as tightly.

It's important when you visit a church or consider joining in with a faith community that you understand what the core beliefs are. Here's ours:

What we believe...

1. The Bible is God's Word. Without error and accurate in its original form. People can misuse the bible just like they can misuse the law, money, or their power. Misuses or abuse by bad people do not tarnish the good that's found in the truth of God's word.

2. Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary and He is fully God and fully man. This separates Jesus from every founder of every faith. He is "Immanuel, God with us." (Matthew 1:22-23)

3. Humans were created to know God and have a relationship with him (1 Corinthians 1:9). Due to sin, our relationship with God has been broken and the world reminds us daily of the consequences of this fall.

4. In order to restore unity between God and mankind, Jesus (God in the flesh) paid the penalty for our sin and offers the free gift of forgiveness by grace. God, whom we sin against daily, sent his only son to save, forgive, and set us free from being controlled by sin (John 3:16).

5. We are made right with God (saved) by His grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8)

6. Salvation can never be earned through works, it is a gift of God. None of us can boast. (Ephesians 2:9)

7. Jesus was voluntarily crucified, buried, and on the third day He rose again conquering death, hell, and the grave once and for all. (1 Corinthians 15:54–55)

8. Jesus will one day return to rule and reign, inviting His children home for an eternity with Him in Paradise (Heaven). (Hebrews 9:28)

9. We love our neighbors and we share the good news of the gospel, celebrating all that God has done. We are not here to judge outside of the church (1 Corinthians 5:12), but to love everyone we meet with the compassion of Christ because we are given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18, 20).

10. When even one person meets Jesus, there is a party in heaven (Luke 15:7). We should celebrate just as much right here and right now for our friends and neighbors who start their journey with God, too. We want to invite and welcome them to Paradise!

We will hold firmly to the "bulls eye" of theology but we will hold loosely to most else. The reality is that uniformity in every doctrinal position is not essential for Christian fellowship. We will always seek to grow in Christ and allow the scripture to be our guide, together. If you are a Christian who seeks to stir the pot of argument over secondary or tertiary matters, we invite you to find a different church home. Life is too short for us to participate in fruitless division. (Titus 3:9)

Jesus said that the world will know that we are Christians by our love. Join us as we endeavor to love like Jesus. (John 13:35)

For those who may be curious, we affirm the Apostles Creed.
More: https://billygraham.org/answer/what-is-the-apostles-creed/