The Big Picture

“How can we know the way?” Every human being operates from a worldview. As one has defined it, a worldview is any ideology, philosophy, theology, movement, or religion that provides an overarching approach to understanding God, the world, and humanity's relation to God and the world. Some worldviews deny the existence of God, while others deny that we can truly know God. The Christian worldview affirms that God exists and that he has revealed himself through his creation, more specifically through the Bible, and ultimately through “the way”, Jesus Christ.

The Bible

We believe the Bible is true and the means by which we can know God and know “the way” to him. The Bible is the great story of God and is best understood when we identify the framework by which it is written. Like a great musical composition, the Bible reveals reality through various movements. The first movement describes the creation of the cosmos and the role of humanity within the cosmos (Genesis 1-2). The second movement tells of humanity’s rebellion against God and the subsequent corruption of his creation (Genesis 3-11).

The third movement introduces us to God’s grace and love. He works toward redeeming this broken world and is making all things new (Genesis 12-Revelation 20). The final movement is found in the last two chapters of Scripture: God promises a new heaven and new earth where every tear is wiped away and death is no more (Revelation 21-22).

The Crux of the Matter

The climax of God’s story is when God himself becomes one of us and is born to redeem the world. The life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the turning point in history. Jesus is more than a great teacher. He is God incarnate, literally, God in the flesh. He simply calls people to repent, believe in him, and be baptized. Through belief we are made right with God, and through baptism we receive his sign of this new covenant relationship. After his ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit of God was sent to indwell those who are in Christ and to empower the Church to continue proclaiming the Kingdom of God through word and deed.