Statement of Faith
1. The Christian Bible as Holy Scriptures
We believe that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the only verbally and plenary God-breathed Word of God; the Holy Scriptures are without error in the original writings, written by holy men divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit; the Holy Scriptures are sufficient for life and godliness and are the final standard and authority in faith and practice (John 17:17; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:19-23).
2. The One True God
We believe in one God: holy, transcendent, eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, gracious, loving, merciful, truthful, righteous, and just; the one true God exists in three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—who are fully God, co-equal, yet distinct (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man without dividing the person; He is co-equal with the Father, was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life on earth, fulfilled and obeyed the whole law, bled and died for the propitiation of the sins of mankind, was buried and bodily resurrected, ascended into Heaven, is currently building His church and interceding for his people before the throne of God, and will be coming again to set up His physical kingdom and reign with His saints (Isa. 53:6; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1, 14; 10:30-33; 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor. 15:3-5; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19-24; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 John 2:1-2; Rev. 19:11-16).
We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God, that He convicts people of sin, convinces people of the need of the Savior, causes people to be born again, and that He seals, indwells, fills, illuminates, and empowers all Christians to be better servants of Jesus Christ (John 3:5; 16:7-13; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 12:13; Eph. 1:13-14, 16-23; 5:18).
3. The Creation and Fall of Man
We believe that God created all things for His own glory; man was created in the image of God, but willfully sinned resulting in the fall of the entire human race; Man, in his fallen condition, is inclined to evil, is under condemnation and without excuse, and is unable to save himself even by his own good works (Gen. 1-2; Jer. 17:9; John 1:3, 18; Rom. 1:18—3:20; 5:12; Eph. 2:8-9; Col. 1:16-17; Tit. 3:5; Rev. 4:11).
4. The Gospel, the New Birth, and Sanctification
We believe that the Gospel is the good news of salvation: that God would declare a sinner not guilty based on the payment of sin by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross as the sinner’s substitute; and God would declare a sinner righteous, not by the sinner’s own righteousness, but by the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed on the sinner’s account based on the righteous life of Jesus Christ. These judicial declarations are appropriated through repentance and faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone apart from works (John 3:16-36; Rom. 3:21—4:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5).
We believe that those in Christ are regenerated or born again by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, receiving a new heart with godly desires and hatred for evil (Jer. 31:31-34; John 1:12; 3:1-21; 2 Cor. 5:17; Tit. 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:3-12, 23-25).
We believe that those in Christ are called unto holiness through their union with Christ and their new birth through the Holy Spirit; this new identity and reality must be reflected and practically lived out by the believer being holy in all areas of life because God is holy (Rom. 6:1-23; 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 5:17; 6:14-17; 1 Pet. 1:15-16; 1 John 2:29; 3:3-4, 6-10).
5. The Perseverance of the Saints
We believe that only real believers will endure unto the end because they are sealed by the Holy Spirit, kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation to the extent that no one can pluck them out of the hands of Christ and the Father, and have an inheritance reserved in heaven for them (John 10:27-29; Eph. 1:13-14; 1 Pet. 1:3-5; Jude 24).
6. The Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ and Christ is the head; the church is visibly manifested through communities of believers known as local churches; local churches regularly assemble for worship, for edification, for perpetuation of truth, for the defense of the body of truth from false teachers, and for the furtherance of the Gospel unto the uttermost parts of the earth; local churches are led by faithful and qualified pastors who feed the whole counsel of God to the flock of God (Matt. 16:18; 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2:41-47; 20:26-32; Eph. 1:20-23; 4:11-16; 1 Tim. 3:1-7, 15; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; Jude 3).
7. The Church Ordinances
We believe in two ordinances of the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
We believe in the baptism of believers by immersion, not for regeneration, but for a public testimony of one’s union in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ; for identification with the body of Christ; and for obedience as true disciples of Christ (Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 6:1-4; Acts 8:36-37).
We believe the Lord’s Supper to be the continuing rite of the church that must be practiced regularly in the assembling of the believers, not for spiritual merit, but for a symbolic remembrance of Christ’s atonement for our sins through the representation of the bread and cup as His body and blood; for the proclamation of Christ’s death, resurrection, and His return; and for an opportunity for self-examination (Matt. 26:26-30; 1 Cor. 11:23-32).
8. The World to Come
We believe that in the last day, the Lord Jesus will come again for His church by descending bodily from heaven to reign for a thousand years, then to finally put an end to all evil by punishing those without Christ with eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire, to set up His Kingdom, and to be with His people forever and ever in the New Heavens and New Earth (Rev. 19:1—22:17).
9. The Institution of Marriage
We believe that God is the creator and designer of marriage from the beginning, whereby one man and one woman make a covenant before God that pictures God’s relationship with His church by the loving leadership of the husband to the wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, and by the loving submission of the wife to the husband as the church submits to Christ (Gen. 2:21-24; Eph. 5:22-33).
We believe that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the only verbally and plenary God-breathed Word of God; the Holy Scriptures are without error in the original writings, written by holy men divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit; the Holy Scriptures are sufficient for life and godliness and are the final standard and authority in faith and practice (John 17:17; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:19-23).
2. The One True God
We believe in one God: holy, transcendent, eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, gracious, loving, merciful, truthful, righteous, and just; the one true God exists in three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—who are fully God, co-equal, yet distinct (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man without dividing the person; He is co-equal with the Father, was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life on earth, fulfilled and obeyed the whole law, bled and died for the propitiation of the sins of mankind, was buried and bodily resurrected, ascended into Heaven, is currently building His church and interceding for his people before the throne of God, and will be coming again to set up His physical kingdom and reign with His saints (Isa. 53:6; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1, 14; 10:30-33; 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor. 15:3-5; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19-24; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 John 2:1-2; Rev. 19:11-16).
We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God, that He convicts people of sin, convinces people of the need of the Savior, causes people to be born again, and that He seals, indwells, fills, illuminates, and empowers all Christians to be better servants of Jesus Christ (John 3:5; 16:7-13; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 12:13; Eph. 1:13-14, 16-23; 5:18).
3. The Creation and Fall of Man
We believe that God created all things for His own glory; man was created in the image of God, but willfully sinned resulting in the fall of the entire human race; Man, in his fallen condition, is inclined to evil, is under condemnation and without excuse, and is unable to save himself even by his own good works (Gen. 1-2; Jer. 17:9; John 1:3, 18; Rom. 1:18—3:20; 5:12; Eph. 2:8-9; Col. 1:16-17; Tit. 3:5; Rev. 4:11).
4. The Gospel, the New Birth, and Sanctification
We believe that the Gospel is the good news of salvation: that God would declare a sinner not guilty based on the payment of sin by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross as the sinner’s substitute; and God would declare a sinner righteous, not by the sinner’s own righteousness, but by the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed on the sinner’s account based on the righteous life of Jesus Christ. These judicial declarations are appropriated through repentance and faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone apart from works (John 3:16-36; Rom. 3:21—4:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5).
We believe that those in Christ are regenerated or born again by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, receiving a new heart with godly desires and hatred for evil (Jer. 31:31-34; John 1:12; 3:1-21; 2 Cor. 5:17; Tit. 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:3-12, 23-25).
We believe that those in Christ are called unto holiness through their union with Christ and their new birth through the Holy Spirit; this new identity and reality must be reflected and practically lived out by the believer being holy in all areas of life because God is holy (Rom. 6:1-23; 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 5:17; 6:14-17; 1 Pet. 1:15-16; 1 John 2:29; 3:3-4, 6-10).
5. The Perseverance of the Saints
We believe that only real believers will endure unto the end because they are sealed by the Holy Spirit, kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation to the extent that no one can pluck them out of the hands of Christ and the Father, and have an inheritance reserved in heaven for them (John 10:27-29; Eph. 1:13-14; 1 Pet. 1:3-5; Jude 24).
6. The Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ and Christ is the head; the church is visibly manifested through communities of believers known as local churches; local churches regularly assemble for worship, for edification, for perpetuation of truth, for the defense of the body of truth from false teachers, and for the furtherance of the Gospel unto the uttermost parts of the earth; local churches are led by faithful and qualified pastors who feed the whole counsel of God to the flock of God (Matt. 16:18; 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2:41-47; 20:26-32; Eph. 1:20-23; 4:11-16; 1 Tim. 3:1-7, 15; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; Jude 3).
7. The Church Ordinances
We believe in two ordinances of the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
We believe in the baptism of believers by immersion, not for regeneration, but for a public testimony of one’s union in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ; for identification with the body of Christ; and for obedience as true disciples of Christ (Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 6:1-4; Acts 8:36-37).
We believe the Lord’s Supper to be the continuing rite of the church that must be practiced regularly in the assembling of the believers, not for spiritual merit, but for a symbolic remembrance of Christ’s atonement for our sins through the representation of the bread and cup as His body and blood; for the proclamation of Christ’s death, resurrection, and His return; and for an opportunity for self-examination (Matt. 26:26-30; 1 Cor. 11:23-32).
8. The World to Come
We believe that in the last day, the Lord Jesus will come again for His church by descending bodily from heaven to reign for a thousand years, then to finally put an end to all evil by punishing those without Christ with eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire, to set up His Kingdom, and to be with His people forever and ever in the New Heavens and New Earth (Rev. 19:1—22:17).
9. The Institution of Marriage
We believe that God is the creator and designer of marriage from the beginning, whereby one man and one woman make a covenant before God that pictures God’s relationship with His church by the loving leadership of the husband to the wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, and by the loving submission of the wife to the husband as the church submits to Christ (Gen. 2:21-24; Eph. 5:22-33).
