We believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us from the eternal penalty of our sin – separation from God. No amount of good works or human effort can restore us from our state of eternal alienation from God. It is only by God’s grace that we are saved from this state of alienation, and this grace is appropriated by a change of heart toward God’s authority in our lives and by faith in Jesus to forgive our sins. The Biblical pattern for expressing one’s personal decision to place faith in Jesus Christ and turn from sin involves water baptism by immersion, which re-enacts the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Baptism is the concrete means by which we entrust and commit ourselves to God through Christ in a visible, historical moment.