Our Beliefs
This Statement of Doctrine is not meant to represent all that Christians should believe but includes the essential truths that Christians must not deny.
Scripture
We believe that the Bible 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 has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
(2 Tim 3:16-17. Mark 13:31. 2 Peter 1:20. John 8:31. John 20:31. Acts 20:32)
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit); that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they fulfill distinct but harmonious offices as illustrated by the work of creation, providence, and redemption.
(Gen 1:21. John 1:1. Matt 28:19. John 4:24. Romans 1:19-20. Eph 4:5-6)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 28:19
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, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
(Luke 10:21-22. Matt 23:9. John 3:16. John 6:27. Rom 1:7. 1 Tim 1:1-2. 1 Tim 2:5-6. Rev 1:6)
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Luke 10:21-22
God the Son
We believe in Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man: God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and existing from eternity. We believe that he was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles and came as the Word of God. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.
(Matt 1:18-25. Luke 1:26-38. John 1:1. John 20:28. Rom 9:5. Rom 8:32. 2 Cor 5:21. 1 Peter 2:21-23. John 20:30-31. Matt 20:28. Eph 1:4. Acts 1:11. Rom 5:6-8. Heb 7:25. Heb 9:28. 1 Tim 3:16. John 3:16)
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
1 Timothy 3:16
God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower 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; John 14:26-27. John 15:26-27. John 16:9-14. Rom 8:9. 1 Cor 3:16. 1 Cor 6:19. Gal 5:22-26)
Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
John 16:9-14
Creation
We believe that God created the world from nothing and governs all things at all times in all places. Creation, according to the design of God, was good and exists to call attention to his divine power and attributes. God doesn’t let the world exist, but causes the world to exist. He upholds the universe by the word of His power, and He holds the world together in himself.
(Gen 1:1-2. Ps 24:1. Gen 1:3-31. Rom 1:19-20. Col 1:16-17)
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:16-17
Humanity
Humanity is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation, that they might have fellowship with Him. In the beginning humans were innocent of sin and were endowed by their Creator with freedom of choice. Adam and Eve were made to complement each other in a one-flesh union in the covenant of marriage that establishes the only God-ordained pattern of sexual relations between a man and a woman. In God’s wise purposes, men and women are not interchangeable, but rather complement each other in mutually enriching ways.
By his free choice Adam rebelled against God, bringing sin into the human race. As a consequence of Adam's sin, all human beings are estranged from their Maker, yet are still responsible to Him. All humanity is subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved and, apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. All people are lost and without hope apart from salvation in Christ. Nevertheless, because they still possess the divine image, every person of every race has full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
(Genesis 1:26-30; 2:7; 18-22; 3:1-24; 9:6. Psalms 1:1-6; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5. Isaiah 6:5. Jer 17:5. Matt 16:26. Acts 17:26-31. Rom 1:19-32; 3:10-18, 23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:12-18; 8:29-30. 1 Cor 1:21-31; 15:19, 21-22. Eph 2:1-22. Col 1:21-22; 3:9-11.)
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned
Romans 5:12
Sin
Through the temptation of Satan, Adam and Eve chose to disobey the command of God and fell from their original holiness and righteousness. Now the entire human race inherits a corrupt nature that is opposed to God and His law, and chooses to disobey just like Adam and Eve. Therefore, all humans are under condemnation. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to the mind, will, body and affections. Unregenerate humanity lives under the dominion of sin and Satan, and is thus in opposition to God.
(Genesis 3:1-24. Rom 3:9-20. Eph 2:1-3. Eph 4:17-19)
What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.
Romans 3:9-11
Salvation
We believe that, due to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again; that salvation is only by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ; is not by works so that no one can boast; and that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ through faith are declared righteous by God and are forever declared children of God.
(John 3:5-8. Eph 2:8-9. Heb 12:19-25. John 10:28)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
Regeneration
We believe that regeneration is the work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit's work in regeneration is not the result of water baptism or of any outward ritual. It is a change of heart brought about by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, in which sinners respond in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. And true Biblical faith means more than simply believing certain facts. It means accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and committing one's entire being to Him as Lord. It calls for a total response involving the believer's mind, emotions and will.
(Jeremiah 31:31; Ez 11:19; John 1:12-14; 3:3. 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15. Eph. 2:1-10; 3:1-11. Titus 3:5. 1 Peter 1:3)
He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
Titus 3:5
Justification
We believe that justification is the act of God by which He declares righteous those who, through faith in Christ, repent of their sins and confess Him as Lord. It is granted apart from any human virtue or good works and involves the Father laying our sins on Christ and granting Christ’s righteousness to us.
(Genesis 15:6. Luke 24:44-48. John 3:16; 5:24. Acts 13:39. Rom 1:17; 3:21-28; 4:1-25; 5:1, 8-10. 1 Cor 6:11. Gal 3:24.)
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Romans 3:21-28
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the ongoing experience, beginning in regeneration, by which believers are set apart for God's purposes, and are enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the power of the Holy Spirit Who dwells in them. Growth in grace should continue throughout the believer's life.
(Jn 17:17, 19. Acts 20:32. Rom 6:1-23; 8:1-17; 13:11-14. 1 Cor 1:2; 6:19-20. Gal 2:20; 5:22-25. Eph 4:11-16. Col 3:1. 1 Thes 5:23-24. Titus 2:11-14. Heb 12:14. James 2:14-26. 1 Pt 1:13-16, 22. 1 Jn 1:6-2:11.)
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12-13
The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living 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, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. We believe that the church has been given the two ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s supper as a means of symbolizing the new birth and remembering the body and blood of Christ till he comes.
(Eph 2:19-22. Acts 1:8. Eph 5:19-21. Acts 2:42. Heb 10:23-25)
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22
Future Events
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal joy of the righteous in heaven and the endless suffering of the wicked in hell.
(Matt 16:27. Mark 14:62. Acts 1:11. Phil 3:20. 1 Thess 4:15. 2 Tim 4:1. Titus 2:13. 1 Cor 4:5. 1 Cor 15:1-58. 2 Thess 1:7-10. Rev 20:4-6.)
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:4-6