Of the True and Triune God
We believe that there is only one living and true God, infinite in every excellence. In the unity of the Godhead there are three distinct but complementary persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; though they are one in nature, they are equal in every divine perfection and worthy of the same glory, honor, and obedience. (Exodus 20:2-3; I Corinthians 8:6; I John 5:7-8)
Of God the Father
We believe God the Father created all things in six literal days for His glory, according to His own will, and through His Son, Jesus Christ. We believe He upholds all things by the Word of His power and grace, exercising sovereign headship over all creation, providence, and redemption. (Genesis 1:26-31; Revelation 4:11; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-3)
Of God the Son
We believe in the absolute deity of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is divine as no other man can be, being God and existing, from all eternity, co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We believe that He took on human flesh, being both fully God and fully man. We believe that, conceived through the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. (John 1:1, 14:7-9)
We believe He lived a sinless life and sacrificially shed His blood, died on the cross in our place, and accomplished redemption for all who place their faith in Him. He arose, visibly and bodily from the dead, three days later and ascended into heaven. He is now at the Father’s right hand, head of His Body the Church. He is the only Savior and mediator between God and Man and will return to earth in power and glory to consummate His redemptive mission. (I Timothy 3:16; Ephesians 1:7; Mark 10:45; Galatians 3:13; John 18)
Of God the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, equal with and of the same essence as the Father and the Son. We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He draws the unredeemed to repentance and faith and, during salvation, permanently indwells within and imparts new spiritual life to the believer, uniting that person with Christ and the Body of Christ. He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgement. Set clear career goals and plan future development paths.
He bears witness to the truth and is the agent of the new birth. The Holy Spirit sanctifies, seals, fills, guides, instructs, comforts, equips, empowers, and bestows spiritual gifts to the believer for Christ-like living and service. (John 14:16-17, 16:8; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 4:4-12; Romans 8:9-27; I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19-20, 12:4-7, 11-13; II Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 5:16-25; Hebrews 2:1-4)
Of Salvation by Grace Alone and Redemption of Sin
We believe that the only escape from the condemnation of sin is through the redemption of Jesus Christ when he voluntarily lived a sinless life on earth. His suffering, death, and resurrection absolved the sin of man in God’s eyes, and without the shedding of His blood there would be no remission of our sin. We believe that the blessings of salvation are given on the grounds of grace alone to all who believe, repent, and confess that it is the immediate duty of all to accept these efforts of mercy. (John 3:1-18; Hebrews 10:1-14; Acts 4:12, 16:30-33; I Peter 1:18-19)
At salvation, each person is made a new creation by the Holy Spirit, declared righteous before God, and secured as an adopted child of God forever. Genuine faith continues in obedience and love for Jesus Christ with a life eager to glorify God and preserve to the end. (Romans 8:1, 8:37-39; II Corinthians 5:16-21)
All glory for the salvation and security of every believer belongs to God alone. It is God’s authority that gives every human being the ability to personally choose to love and follow the God that created and gave His life for them. It is the miraculous union of God’s sovereign authority and man’s repentant choice that allows for salvation. (Romans 2:4, 3:21-31; Ephesians 1:7-9, 2:8-9; Jude 1:24-25)
We believe that everyone who is born again by the Spirit through Jesus Christ is eternally assured of salvation from the moment of conversion. This assurance relies on God’s decisive grace rather than on the works of the Christian. Obedience, good works, and fruit-bearing do not earn or retain the believer’s salvation but is the natural expression of gratitude for such perfect grace. (Luke 6:46; John 14:21; James 2:17-18)
Of the Scriptures
We believe the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible were written by men divinely inspired by God. The scriptures reveal the principles by which God will judge us and, therefore, are the standard for Christian faith and practice, sufficient for counsel in every issue of life. (II Timothy 3:15-17; II Peter 1:21)
We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the scriptures and that they contain all the words of God that we need to completely trust and obey Him. The scriptures are inerrant in their original writings, infallible in their instructions, eternal in duration, and final in authority. We believe that the words of scripture in the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts are inspired by God. Therefore, we prefer the English Bible versions that translate God’s Word most literally. (Psalm 19:7-14, 119:97-104, 160; Matthew 4:4, 5:18; John 5:46-47; II Timothy 3:15-16; II Peter 1:19; Isaiah 40:8; I Peter 1:23-25)
Of the Creation
We believe that God created the heavens and the earth in six twenty-four-hour days. Before He created the universe, nothing except God existed. We believe that God chose to create the universe and all that is in it to reveal His glory, divine nature, eternal power, infinite wisdom, and supreme authority. (Genesis 1:1-2; Colossians 1:16-17; John 1:3; Exodus 31:17; Psalm 19:1-2, 33:6-9; Acts 17:24-26; Hebrews 11:3; Isaiah 43:7; Jeremiah 10:12; Romans 1:20; Revelation 4:11)
We believe that God created all life “each after its own kind” by direct act and not by the process of evolution. We believe that all people are descendants of Adam and Eve, whom God created personally and individually as complete human beings. (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7, 2:21-22; I Corinthians 11:8-9)
Of the Fall of Man
We believe that God created mankind—male and female—in His own image and likeness, free of sin, to glorify Himself and enjoy His fellowship. We believe in the fall of Adam and Eve, who were tempted by Satan and who committed a voluntary transgression. This transgression caused man to fall from the holy and happy state and infected all people with sin and death. However, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ gives mankind the opportunity to receive God’s gift of eternal life. (Romans 5:18-19; I Corinthians 15:21-22)
Of the Return of Christ
We believe in and expectantly await the glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will come before the Tribulation to catch away His Church, coming only in the air. At the close of the Tribulation, He will come with His Church to judge the living nations and set up His kingdom on earth. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 19:11-21)
We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The lost will be raised to judgement and experience eternal wrath in hell. The saved will be raised to eternal joy in the new heaven and new earth in the manifested presence of God. (John 5:21-30; I Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 7:9-17, 20:11-15)