STATEMENT OF FAITH
THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Bible, consisting of a total of sixty-six books in the Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it is sufficient for and has supreme authority over all matters of faith and conduct. We believe that there are no other writings or books that are of divine origin and authoritative for the believer (Mark 13:31; Acts 20:32; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
THE TRINITY
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit); and that these three are equal in every divine perfection (Genesis 1:1,26; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-3; Ephesians 4:5-6).
GOD THE FATHER
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, that He desires to have a relationship with those whom He has created, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ
(Leviticus 11:44; Isaiah 46:9-10; Luke 10:21-22; John 3:16; 4:24; Romans 11:33-36; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 4:7; Revelation 1:8).
GOD THE SON
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and future personal, visible return to earth. We believe there is no other savior, substitute, or intercessor for the believer but Jesus Christ alone (Matthew 1:18-25; 20:28; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:30-31; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 7:25; 9:28; 1 Peter 2:21-23).
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and who regenerates, sanctifies, and empowers all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide (John 14:16-17,26; 15:26-27; 16:5-15; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Galatians 5:22-26).
MANKIND
We believe that mankind was directly and immediately created by God in His image and likeness, male and female, and that it was God’s intention that mankind should glorify God, enjoy God’s fellowship, live his life in the will of God, and accomplish God’s purpose for mankind in the world. We believe that in Adam’s sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, mankind lost his innocence, incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death, became subject to the wrath of God, and became inherently corrupt and utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. Mankind’s salvation is thereby wholly of God’s grace through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that, because all mankind was in Adam, a nature corrupted by Adam’s sin has been transmitted to all men and women of all ages, Jesus Christ being the only exception. All mankind are thus sinners by nature, by choice, and by divine declaration (Genesis 2:7, 15-25; 3:1-19; Psalm 14:1-3; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:36; Romans 3:9-18,23; 5:10-12; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 1:16; 1 Timothy 2:13-14; 1 John 1:8; Revelation 4:11).
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of the redemption of Jesus Christ, the merit of His shed blood, and not on the basis of human merit or works. We believe that justification before God is an act of God by which He immediately and completely declares righteous those who, through faith in Christ, repent of their sins and confess Him as Lord. This righteousness is apart from any virtue or work of man and involves the imputation of our sins to Christ and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us. By this means, God is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. We believe that regeneration is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit by which the divine nature and divine life are given. Genuine regeneration is manifested by fruits worthy of repentance as demonstrated in righteous attitudes and conduct. Good works are the proper evidence and fruit of regeneration and will be experienced to the extent that the believer submits to the control of the Holy Spirit in his life through faithful obedience to the Word of God, but these good works do not merit any grace for the believer nor play any part in his justification. This obedience causes the believer to be increasingly conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. Such a conformity is fully realized in the believer’s glorification at Christ’s coming (Isaiah 53:6; John 1:12-13; 3:3-21; Romans 2:4; 3:9-31; 4:1-25; 8:31-39; 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:1-10; 2 Timothy 1:8-11; Titus 3:5; 2 Peter 1:4-11).
THE CHURCH
We believe in the universal church, a living, unified, spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe in two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s supper (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2:42; Ephesians 2:19-22; 4:11-16; Colossians 1:28-29; Hebrews 10:23-25).
THE LAST THINGS
We believe in the blessed hope: the personal, literal, physical return of the Lord Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom. His return has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The saved are raised to eternal, conscious bliss and fellowship with God in heaven. Those who die without placing their faith in Christ alone in this life are raised to eternal torment in hell in conscious separation from God (Matthew 10:28; 13:49-50; 25:34,41; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 12:5; John 14:2; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; 2 Corinthians 5:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 21:1-8).
CHRISTIAN CONDUCT AND THE SOCIAL ORDER
We believe that separation from sin is clearly called for throughout the Old and New Testaments, and that the Scriptures clearly indicate that, in the last days, apostasy and worldliness will increase. We believe that, out of deep gratitude for the undeserved grace of God granted to us, and because our glorious God is so worthy of our total consecration, all the saved should live in such a manner as to demonstrate our adoring love to God and so as not to bring reproach upon our Lord and Savior. We believe that Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, greed, selfishness, vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including pre-marital sexual activity, adultery, homosexuality, transgenderism, and pornography. We should work to protect and provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, the disabled, and the sick. We believe that God is the author of all life, that all life is sacred, and that Christians should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. In order to promote these ends, Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any worthy cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth (Micah 6:8; Zechariah 8:16-17; Matthew 5:13-16, 43-48; 22:36-40; 25:34-46; Luke 20:25; John 14:15,23-24; Romans 12:1-2; Romans 13; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 6:1-7; 7:20-24; 10:31; 2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1; Colossians 1:9-12; 3:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Hebrews 12:1-2; James 1:27; 1 John 2: 15-17; 2 John 9-11).
MARRIAGE
We believe that marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment before God for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. We believe that the husband and wife are of equal worth before God since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; Psalms 127; Proverbs 5:15-20; 18:22; 31:10-31; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-9; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Timothy 5:8; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7).
FAMILY
We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. We believe parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage, to teach their children spiritual and moral values, and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle, example, instruction, and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalms 78:1-8; 127; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 6:20-22; 13:24; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 29:15,17; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:20-21).