What We Believe
Doctrinal Statement
STATEMENT OF FAITH
About God’s Revelation …
WE BELIEVE the Scriptures, the 66 books of both Old and New Testament, to be the verbally inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings. They are the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men, and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life (Prov. 30:5; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).
About God …
WE BELIEVE in one living and true God, Creator of all things, eternally existing in perfect unity as three equally and fully divine Persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each member of the Godhead, while executing distinct but complementary roles in redemptive history, has precisely the same nature, attributes, and being, and is equally worthy of the same glory, honor, worship, and obedience (John 1:1; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 John 5:7-9).
WE BELIEVE God the Father created all things for His glory according to His own will, through His son, Jesus Christ who upholds all things by the Word of His power and grace, exercising sovereign headship over all creation, providence, and redemption (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 4:11).
WE BELIEVE in the Genesis record of creation in that in six days God created the heavens and the earth including all life, each after its own kind, by direct act and not by the process of evolution (Genesis 1 and 2; John 1:3; Acts 4:24; Colossians 1:16, 17; Revelation 10:8).
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, is fully God and fully man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life and sacrificially shed His blood, dying on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Further, He was resurrected visibly and bodily from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the Father’s right hand as the Head of the Church. He is the only Savior and Mediator between God and man. Someday He will return to earth in power and glory to consummate His redemptive mission, establishing His kingdom on earth in righteousness. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18, 23; Luke 1:30-37; Acts 1:8-11, Acts 2:22-28; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Timothy 2:5; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 1:3; 7:23-28; 9:22-28; 1 John 5:20).
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit is the eternal, fully divine, third person of the Trinity, equal with the Father and the Son. He was sovereignly at work in creation, the incarnation, the written revelation, and the work of salvation. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, and during this age, to convict mankind of sin, regenerate the believing sinner, indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living and service (John 6:44; 14:17, 26; 16:13-15; Romans 8:9-17; 12:6-8; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16; Titus 3:5).
About Mankind …
WE BELIEVE that God created mankind, male (Adam) and female (Eve), in His own image and likeness, free of sin, to glorify Himself and enjoy His fellowship. They sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. Thus, all human beings are totally depraved by nature and by choice. Born with a sinful nature, they are sinners in thought, word, and deed, alienated from God, without defense or excuse, and subject to God’s righteous wrath. Mankind can only obtain salvation and spiritual life through regeneration by the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-6; Romans 5:12, 19).
WE BELIEVE men and women are absolutely equal in essence, dignity, and value but are distinct by Divine design. As part of God’s good created order, men and women are to have different yet complementary roles and responsibilities in the home and church. While both men and women are gifted for service and leadership in the church, the office of elder or pastor is limited to men, as qualified by Scripture (1 Timothy 2:12-15).
WE BELIEVE that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female and that these two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. All sexual and gender-identity related behavior is to reflect God’s immutable design (Genesis 1:26-28; Deuteronomy 22:5).
WE BELIEVE that God created marriage to be exclusively the covenant union of one man and one woman, and that intimate sexual activity is to occur exclusively within that union. Any sexual activity outside of this covenant union of marriage (pornography, adultery, pre-marital sex, extra-marital sex, same-sex sexual activity, etc.) violates Jesus’ call upon those of us who follow Him. (Genesis 2:18-25, Leviticus 18, Romans 1:24-27, 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 6:12-7:2, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, Hebrews 13:4)
WE BELIEVE that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life (Psalm 139).
About Salvation …
WE BELIEVE the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him and receive Him as personal Savior are justified on the basis of His shed blood. Furthermore, all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and, thereby, become children of God, eternally secure in Him (John 10:29; Romans 5:1,9,18,19; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 1:12; 5:1;).
WE BELIEVE that Satan is a fallen angel and a distinct personality; that he is called the god of this world, the author of all powers of darkness and sin, the spirit who works in the unbelieving, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire. Believers are commanded to resist the devil so that he will flee. God gives us the power to make a stand against Satan so that we will be victorious over him as well. (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:14-17; Matthew 4:1-11; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 6:10-17; James 4:7; Revelation 20:10).
About the Church …
WE BELIEVE the true Church, the one universal church, is composed of all individuals who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ, have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The Scriptures command believers to gather locally to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching and preaching of the Word, fellowship, and observance of the ordinances. Believers are to serve their local body through the development and use of their talents, resources, and spiritual gifts, and they are to reach out to the community and the world, making disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 16:18; Romans 12:12-14; Colossians 1:18)
WE BELIEVE that the Lord has given two ordinances to be observed by the church during the present age. Baptism is a public declaration of one’s salvation in Christ, identifying with His death, burial, and resurrection symbolized by immersion in water. In the Lord’s Supper, believers come together to remember Christ’s sacrificial death until He comes again. These ordinances are not to be regarded as a means of salvation. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:26-39; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32)
WE BELIEVE that the miraculous sign gifts of the Holy Spirit such as speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophesies, and miraculous healings were given in the apostolic era for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of the apostles’ message. These were temporary and were never normative or the necessary sign of the baptism nor of the filling of the Spirit (Acts 4:8, 31; Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 13:8).
About Last Things …
WE BELIEVE in, and expectantly await the coming together and completion of all things including the future, physical, visible, personal, glorious, and premillennial return of Jesus Christ before the Great Tribulation, the resurrection of the dead and the glorification of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. Satan, with his hosts and all those outside Christ, will be finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment. But the righteous, in glorious bodies, will live and reign with Him forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory. Then the eager expectation of creation will be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God, who makes all things new (Matthew 25:31-46; Mark 9:45-48; John 5:24, 29; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; Revelation 20:7-15; 21:1-5).
This Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs.
View our full Doctrinal Statement HERE.