1. God the Father

   God is the sole author of creation (the universe, the earth, and all that inhabit the earth) (Genesis 1:1-2). Therefore, He alone has the authority to set the standards by which creation should abide. God is the definitive standard for righteousness, holiness, perfection, love, and grace (Psalm 18:30, 1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 John 4:8). God is not only sovereign over creation, but also sovereign over every event that happens within His creation (1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Psalm 115:3; Proverbs 16:9). God is One in three Persons (the other two persons being Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit) (Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2). The three Persons of the Trinity are equal to one another in divinity, but they function in different roles. As part of the Triune Godhead, God specifically functions as God the Father.

2. God the Son

   Jesus Christ is the Son of God. God the Father sent God the Son down to the earth to accomplish four things: (1) be born into humanity, (2) live a perfect life, (3) die the death all of humanity deserved for rebelling against God, (4) be raised back to life (John 1:1-5;14). By being born into humanity, Jesus became both fully God and fully man. As a man, Jesus was able to experience the same emotions and temptations to sin that all humans experience (Hebrews 4:14-15). Because he was fully God, Jesus did what no human could and lived on Earth without sinning against God the Father. While on Earth, Jesus taught people that he was the bridge for humanity to a reconciled relationship with God the Father that was broken by sin (John 14:5). By being the only perfect man to die, Jesus paid the penalty for humanity’s sin on the Cross (Matthew 27:32-56). By rising from the grave, Jesus defeated death for all mankind and created the path to life in God’s eternal kingdom (Luke 24:1-12). Jesus ascended back up to heaven, but he will return to Earth to bring all believers to heaven and initiate God’s judgment on the world (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the key component of the Gospel message.

3. God the Spirit

   The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He (1) shows unbelievers their sins and (2) lives in the hearts of believers (John 16:8; Romans 8:9). The primary function of the Holy Spirit is to serve as a helper for the believer (John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit gives believers the boldness to proclaim the gospel, convicts believers of their sins, and interprets our prayers to God the Father (Acts 1:28; Hebrews 12:5; Romans 8:26-27). He also gives all believers gifts (abilities) that allow them to build up and serve God’s Kingdom (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14). When an individual is reading or hearing from the Bible (God’s Word), the Holy Spirit helps the individual to understand the meaning of the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:14-16). The Holy Spirit secures the believer’s salvation by sealing them away for the Day when Christ returns (Ephesians 4:30).

The Holy Bible was written by humans and inspired by a perfect and holy God (2 Peter 1:20-21). Therefore, the Bible is authoritative and sufficient in accomplishing its tasks of (1) glorifying the triune God and (2) pointing all humanity to righteous living (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Because the Bible originates from God, it is also without moral error (John 17:17). Therefore, it is the supreme standard for all human conduct and religious opinions.

God created humans as male and female, and He created them in His image. This means that humans are the highest order of creation (Genesis 1:26). This also means that gender is a gift from God - a good aspect of His creation. God mandates humans to righteously rule the earth and to multiply themselves - both physically and spiritually (Genesis 1:28). Believers are commissioned to testify of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every corner of the world (Matthew 28:19-20). Humans were designed to be close to God, but no human is born close to God because of sin.

Sin is the separation between God and humanity (Isaiah 59:1-2). Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve (the first humans) actively and deliberately rejected God by disobeying Him in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6-19). When the first humans fell into sin, all humans fell with them (Romans 5:12). No human being is without sin because sin affects every aspect of an individual (Romans 3:23). Ultimately, sin leads to death (Romans 6:23).

Only by professing belief in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ can an individual be saved (Psalm 62:1; Romans 10:9). Salvation is not legalistic; one cannot be saved just by being a good person and trying to follow the rules (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Because of God’s grace in sacrificing His Son, believers are seen as perfect in God’s eyes. (Romans 5:1, 30; Titus 3:7) This does not mean that believers are perfect on Earth. Instead, believers are helped by the Holy Spirit to continually reject and repent of their sins (Romans 6:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Galatians 2:20).

The church is not a building but the people around the world who profess faith in Jesus Christ. God established the church on Earth to represent Him by glorifying His name and sharing about Him with the world (1 Peter 2:9). Jesus is the head of the church, and all other members of the church answer to him (Colossians 1:17-18). The local church should be devoted to biblical and God-centered teaching, prayer, fellowship, and community outreach and service (Acts 2:42).