What We Believe

THE BIBLE

The sole basis of our belief is the Bible.

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments in their entirety originated with God, and that they were written by chosen men who were superintended by the Holy Spirit.

Thus, the Scriptures both speak with the authority of God and reflect the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of the human authors.

We hold the Scriptures to be the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, and that there are no other writings inspired by God.
(2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21)

GOD
We believe that there is one true God as revealed in Scripture, existing eternally in three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit — each of Whom possesses equally all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.

In the beginning, God created the world and all the things therein out of nothing, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness.

By His sovereign power, He continues to sustain His creation, and by His providence He orders the affairs of men and nations according to His own wise, eternal plan.
(Deut. 6:4; Heb. 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17)

SALVATION

God’s purpose in salvation (as revealed in Scripture) is to restore man to a right relationship with Himself.

Although man was created uniquely in the image of God and enjoyed perfect fellowship with the Father, he disobeyed God, and was thus alienated from God.

With this separation from God, man experienced death and the corruption of his nature. All mankind since has suffered these consequences and, therefore, are in need of the saving grace of God.

Our salvation is wholly a work of God’s free grace, not the result, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness, and is appropriated by faith alone.

This salvation requires an individual acknowledgment of sin and a recognition that the penalty for that sin was paid for by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. This act of salvation therefore transfers our trust from ourselves and our own merits or works to a trust in Christ and his substitutionary death as the only means of salvation.
(Gen. 3; Rom. 3:23; 5:8; 6:23; 1 Pet. 3:18)

JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ is the eternal second Person of the triune Godhead, who was united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth.

He lived a sinless life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily paid the penalty for the sins of mankind by dying on the cross.

This substitutionary death (the just dying for the unjust), satisfied God’s justice and accomplished salvation for all who trust in Him alone.

Christ rose from the dead in the same body (now glorified) in which He lived and died. He ascended into heaven and he sat down at the right hand of the Father. There, He continually makes intercession for His own people as the only Mediator between God and man.

He shall personally come again to earth in visible form to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.

He has instituted two ordinances — baptism and the Lord’s Supper — as visible symbols bearing witness to His saving work.
(John 1:1, 1:14; Matt. 1:21; Col. 1:15-20; Rev. 19:1-22)

HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune Godhead.

He has come into the world to reveal and glorify Jesus Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ in men.

Through the conviction of sin, He causes sinners to recognize their need for a savior, draws them to Jesus and imparts new life to them.

At the moment of spiritual birth, He baptizes them into the body of Christ and gives spiritual gifts to them.

He permanently indwells in every believer, providing assurance, strength, wisdom and guidance.
(John 14:16-17; 16:7-15; 1 Cor. 12:12-15)

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

Assurance of salvation is available to all those who are born of the Spirit. This assurance is produced by the Holy Spirit and is not based on any human merit.

Growth toward spiritual maturity and holiness of life and conduct occurs progressively in the life of the believer as he is exposed to and applies the truth of Scripture to daily life.

The believer lives in the power of the indwelling Spirit so as not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, and assembles regularly with God’s people for worship, spiritual growth and encouragement.
 
He bears witness by word and deed to the person of Jesus Christ, thus obeying His final commandment — to extend the Gospel throughout the world and to disciple people of every nation.
(1 John 5:13; Gal. 5:16-23; Matt. 28:18-19)

HUMAN DESTINY

For all people there awaits a resurrection of the body and a future judgment.

At physical death, those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ enter immediately into eternal conscious fellowship with their Lord, while those who have rejected Him enter into eternal, conscious separation from Him.

The bodies of all believers will be raised or transformed into eternal, spiritual bodies, which complete God’s work of salvation of the whole man — spirit, soul and body. Believers will be judged by Jesus Christ with regard to their faithfulness and quality of life, and will be rewarded accordingly.

The bodies of nonbelievers will also be raised, but to a destiny of eternal condemnation. God’s judgment of nonbelievers confirms His holiness and justice in that men are allowed to perpetuate in eternity their rejection of God.
(2 Cor. 5:8-11; John 5:28-29; Rev. 20:11-15)

THE CHURCH

The Church Universal is comprised exclusively of all believers who have put their trust in Jesus Christ, and thus have been placed sovereignly by the Holy Spirit into vital relationships with God and each other, called the Body of Christ.

God commands these true believers to assemble together in a local expression of the Church, which provides the context for stimulating personal and corporate spiritual growth. This purpose is accomplished as believers meet for worship, observance of the Lord’s Supper and baptism, instruction, mutual ministry of encouragement and discipleship. As believers live in the world, they seek to show Christian concern for the needs of people everywhere and to fulfill our Lord’s final command to His church — to spread the Good News of redemption throughout the World.  
(Heb. 10:25; Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Cor. 12)