God

We believe that there is only one living and true God, who exists in three distinct persons- God the Father,

God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three, the Trinity, are equal in essence and distinct in function

(Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19).

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The Father -- The first person of the Trinity orders and directs all things according to his purpose and

pleasure. He has created humanity to bring Him glory and honor, through His grace. While He is

transcendent, He is also actively involved in his creation- offering an eternal relationship with us through His

Son Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:9; John 5:19-24; Ephesians 1:3-6; 2:1-10).

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The Son -- Jesus Christ is both the eternal Son of God and virgin-born Son of Man. Fully God, fully man, He

surrendered nothing of His deity during His earthly life. His sinless, sacrificial offering on the cross satisfied the

Father's justice, offering atonement for all of humanity's sins, for all time. We believe in His bodily

resurrection, His physical ascension, and His visible return back to earth to establish His earthly kingdom

(John 1:14-18; I Corinthians 15; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-23; Revelation 20:11-15).

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The Holy Spirit -- The third person of the Trinity executes the will of God in this world through humanity by

leading, guiding, filling, teaching and convicting. The Holy Spirit is not merely an impersonal force, but is a

person, displaying the qualities of personhood (intellect, emotions and will). He equips believers upon

conversion by giving them gifts to be used for the building up of the church, and by bearing fruit through

their yielded lives (John 16:5-16; I Corinthians 12; Isaiah 61:1-3; John 3:1-8; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13; Galatians

5:16-25).

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Man

Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God's

creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by the condition of disobedience

toward God called "sin." Sin is what separates man from God (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans

3:23; Isaiah 56:1-2).

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Eternity

Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with

God, through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union

with Him is eternal life in Heaven. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence (John 3:16; I John 2:25;

Revelation 20:15).

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Salvation

Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works.

Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's propitiation for our sin can man be saved from God’s wrath. Eternal

life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith (Romans 1:16 & 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9;

John 3:17 & 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

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Eternal Security

Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in that salvation for eternity.

Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the

grace and keeping power of God that gives this security (John 10:29; II Timothy 1:12; 1 John 5:10-15; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:13-14).

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The Scriptures

We believe that every word in the original writings is inspired by God and is without error. The Word of God

reveals God's nature and will for all of humanity, and because of this, it is to be the foundation of faith and

practice. We affirm that while the Scriptures are accurate in all matters, it was never given to be an end in

and of itself, but rather a means to reveal an authentic relationship with God. Because of this, the authority

and teaching of Scriptures will have a preeminent place in our church (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21;

Hebrews 4:12; John 17:17).

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The Church

For all who have placed their faith in God through His Son Jesus Christ, they are a part of the universal body

of believers known as the church. The purpose of the local church is to glorify God by leading people to

Christ and bringing them to maturity in Christ through prayer, biblical teaching , discipleship and

fellowship. The members of the local church are to live their lives in humble submission to other Spirit filled

believers, and to the God-appointed leaders of the church. The STAR Church is an autonomous local

assembly that is led by Jesus Christ, who gives direction as the Head of this body through our

leaders (Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:41-47; I Corinthians 12-14; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 2:19-22; I

Thessalonians 4:15-17).

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Non-essentials

We affirm that the doctrines of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the atoning work of Christ on the cross, the

bodily resurrection and salvation by grace through faith in Christ make up the essential, distinctive nature of

Christianity. In regards to these essential doctrines, there can be no conflicting opinions of those who call

themselves true followers of Christ. However, we do acknowledge that there are peripheral, or non-

essential doctrines that are important, but not critical to the follower of Christ as it relates to our salvation.

Some of these doctrines include the relationship between election and free-will in salvation, the exact

timing and nature of the rapture, the extent and use of certain spiritual gifts and the specific functions of

women in ministry. While our church will be diligent to establish positions as it relates to these non-essentials

we will not allow these peripheral doctrines to cause division within the church. We will accept into our

body those who have differing views on the non-essential doctrines, but will not allow those of a differing

opinion to fracture the church. While we celebrate diversity along all lines (racial and theological), we will

ultimately pursue the unity of the church (John 17; Matthew 23:23).