STATEMENT OF FAITH
GOD
We believe in only one true and living God (a). Creator and Ruler of the universe, who exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided, which is the Trinity (b). We believe in the perfect holiness, justice, infinite wisdom, and measureless power of God (c). He is the holy Judge of all the earth. Being the only true and living God (d), He is the sovereign and almighty Lord who works all things after the counsel of His own will (e). He is the possessor of all power in heaven and earth, and none can thwart His purposes or resist His will (f). He is sovereign over all His creation, including man, and does whatsoever He pleases (g). God is also sovereign in all aspects of salvation, which is given by His grace alone (h). Since grace is unearned and unmerited, no one is entitled to it; all deserve the wrath of God because of their sin (i).
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(a) Deuteronomy 6:4. (b) 1 John 5:7. (c) Psalm 99:5; Isaiah 40:13-14. (d) James 1:17-18; Matthew 7:7; John 14:6. (e) Ephesians 1:11; Romans 11:36. (f) Daniel 4:25,35; 1 Timothy 6:15. (g) Psalms 115:3; Colossians 1:16-17. (h) Ephesians 2:8-9. (i) Ephesians 2:3.
CHRIST
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God (a). We believe in His eternal pre-existence (b), His virgin birth (c), His miracles (d), His sinless life (e), His sacrificial death on the cross (f), and His bodily resurrection from the dead (g). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven (h) and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of intercession (i). He is our Prophet, Priest, and King.
(a) John 1:1,14. (b) John 1:2; Colossians 1:16. (c) Luke 1:27-35. (d) John 20:30. (e) Hebrews 7:26. (f) Hebrews 7:27. (g) 1 Corinthians 15:4. (h) Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24. (i) Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. He was involved in the work of creation (a). He is coequal with the Father and the Son, the same in substance, equal in power and glory, infinite, eternal, and unchanging in all His divine attributes. It is through the life-giving Spirit that the miracle of regeneration is wrought (b). He fills and is in, with, and among all true believers (c). He brings conviction of sin to the heart (d). He seals the believer for the day of redemption (e). He glorifies Christ as He guides into all truth, comforts, teaches, and leads His people (f).
(a) Genesis 1:2; Exodus 31:3; Job 26:13; Zechariah 4:6; Isaiah 63:10; Psalm 51:11. (b) John 3:5-8; 1 Corinthians 12:15; Titus 3:5. (c) Acts 2:4; John 14:16-17, 20:22, Ephesians 5:18; Romans 8:11. (d) John 16:8-11. (e) Ephesians 4:30, 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 1 John 20:27. (f) John 16:13-14, 15:26; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Galatians 5:18.
SALVATION
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our salvation through His perfect life (a) and substitutionary death on the cross by which He fulfilled the requirements of the Law for us (b) and paid the penalty for the sins of all who truly believe, whether they lived prior to the first coming of Christ or after (c). Because of Christ's work on our behalf, God acquits us of our sin and declares us righteous in His sight through faith alone (d). This salvation is not due to any merit on our part but is strictly a work of God's grace, given through the gift of faith alone and based solely on the work of Christ alone (e).
(a) Romans 5:19; Philippians 2:7-8; Hebrews 7:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21. (b) Galatians 3:13, 23, 4:5, Ephesians 2:15. (c) 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 3:24-26; 1 John 2:2. (d) Romans 3:21-22, 4:22-25. (e) 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 12:2.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Holy Bible (a), both the Old and New Testaments, as originally written, is the verbally inspired (b) Word of God (c), written by Spirit-controlled men (d), and therefore is inerrant (e). We believe that all the information needed for salvation and godly living is either directly expressed or may be deduced from Scripture (f). The Scriptures are the authoritative Word of God (g) to us, are the final instructional source of doctrine(h), and give us the norm for faith and life (i).
(a) Isaiah 30:8; Psalm 12:6-7. (b) 1 Corinthians 2:13. (c) 2 Timothy 3:16. (d) 2 Peter 1:20-21, 3:15-16. (e) John 10:35, 16:13. (f) Romans 15:4; Psalm 119:99-105. (g) 1 Thessalonians 2:13. (h) 2 Timothy 4:2. (i) 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
LAST THINGS
We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly (a), in power and glory (b), to consummate His salvation and His judgment (c). We look forward with eager anticipation to that day (d), and to the new heaven and earth in which righteousness will dwell (e) and where God will reign over his people forever (f). The wicked, who do not know God, and do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into everlasting torments (g) for the punishment of their sins at the final judgment.
(a) Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 1:7. (b) Matthew 24:30. (c) Hebrews 9:27-28. (d) 2 Timothy 4:8; Titus 2:12-13. (e) 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-5. (f) Revelation 11:15; 1 Corinthians 15:24, 28. (g) Matthew 13:41-42, 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:9.
CHRISTIAN WALK
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Lord and Savior (a). Every person who takes the name of Christ has made the conscious decision to follow Him with a sincere heart in conformity to his revealed will in the Scriptures (b). This means striving to walk as to please God and to excel more and more in sanctification (d). When a member of the church chooses to no longer live by the rule of Christ as revealed in the Scripture and continues in unrepentant sin, the church, under the leadership of the elders, will excommunicate the unrepentant person(s) in the hope and prayer that God will again renew them to repentance and reconciliation with the Christ and with the church (e). This practice is maintained in love and for the continued purity of the church (f).
(a) Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 2 Timothy 2:19. (b) 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2 John 9-11. (c) 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 1 John 2:15-17. (d) 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5. (e) Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5. (f) 1 Corinthians 5:8.
SATAN
We believe in the existence and personhood of Satan (a), the deceiver (b), a murderer from the beginning (c), who is still working to destroy the souls of men (d), and that he and all his fallen angels will suffer eternal torment in the lake of fire (e). We believe that Satan is a finite being who is under God’s sovereign control, and he cannot do anything that is not ordained by God for the furtherance of God’s glorious plan (f).
(a) Matthew 4:1-11; Revelation 2:10; Luke 4:35. (b) Revelation 12:9. (c) John 8:44. (d) 1 Peter 5:8. (e) Matthew 25:41, 46; Revelation 20:10-15. (f) Job 1:6-12; Luke 22:31-32.