The Scripture
We believe the Holy Scriptures contained in the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God. They are the final authority of faith and life, the complete and divine revelation of God to man. We believe it is verbally inspired, infallible, without error in the original manuscripts, totally sufficient and trustworthy. Scripture is the sole authority for the church.
Numbers 23:19; Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5; Matthew 24:35; John 14:26, 17:17; Romans 1:18-32; 1Thessalonians 2:13; 2Timothy 3:16; 2Peter 1:21; Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2; 2 Peter 3:16; 1 Corinthians 14:37; 1 Corinthians 2:13
God
We believe in one true and living God, eternal and self-existent, who is to be worshipped, adored, and obeyed. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. He has eternally existed in three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who know, love, and glorify one another. All that God does He does for Himself and for His glory. God is supremely joyful in the fellowship of the Trinity, each Person beholding and expressing His eternal and unsurpassed delight in the all-satisfying perfections of the triune God.
Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; 6:4; Ephesians 4:6; John 1:1, 3; 1Corinthians 8:6; 2Corinthians 3:17; Proverbs 8:27-30; 1 Timothy 1:11; Matthew 12:18; 25:23; John 15:11; John 17:26; 1Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17; 1Peter 4:11; Colossians 1:16
The Sovereignty of God
God is sovereign over all things and there is nothing outside His control. In order to display the full extent of His glory, He freely and unalterably decreed from eternity all that should happen, according to His own wise and holy will. God upholds and governs all things, from the movement of galaxies to sub-atomic particles, even the hearts and wills of man. He does so in such a way that does not infringe upon the wills of His creatures, nor make Him the author of evil. He is not jointly responsible with humans for sin, and thus condemns all justly.
Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 46:9-10; Job 9:7; Proverbs 16:9, 33; 20:24; John 19:8-11; Acts 4:27-28; 27:1-44; Romans 9:14-29; Ephesians 1:3-14; Hebrews 6:16-17; James 1:13-15; Revelation 17:16-17
Man
We believe man was created in the image and likeness of God; but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. Although God created humans morally upright, our first parents lost their righteousness and forfeited their standing with God when they sinned against Him. Since Adam represented all mankind, his sin brought the imputation of guilt upon all of his offspring, and consequently his offspring are born in sin and corrupted in all faculties of his whole being. Humans are slaves to iniquity, unable to delight in God, and unable to overcome their own preference for self-rule.
Genesis 1:27; 2:15-17; 3:1-24; 6:5-7; Psalm 14:1-3; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Romans 3:9-20; 5:12-21; 8:7-8; Ephesians 2:3; Colossians 1:21; 1Corinthians 2:14; Titus 1:15-16
Salvation
We believe salvation is the gift of God brought to man, received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on the cross in the place of sinners for the forgiveness of their sins. It is man’s responsibility to repent of his sin and accept the free offer of God’s grace through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8; 2Corinthians 9:15; Romans 8:32; 2Corinthians 5:21; 1Peter 2:24
Justification
In a free act of glorious grace, God justifies the elect by faith alone, apart from any merit in them. God imputes Christ’s own righteousness to them, declaring them righteous and acceptable in his presence. The basis for this declaration is the merits of Christ alone. Through the instrument of God-wrought faith, believers are united to Christ, whose satisfaction for sin and righteousness is the grounds for acceptance with God.
Titus 3:5-7; Romans 3:23-28; 4:4-5; 5:1; Ephesians 1:19-20; 2:5,8; Galatians 2:16; 3:24; Philippians 3:8-9; 2 Corinthians 5:21
The Church
The universal church of Jesus Christ, consisting of all believers everywhere, finds its expression in the local church. The local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons, who organize under godly leadership, gather regularly for preaching, worship and prayer, observe the biblical ordinances of baptism and communion, and hold one another accountable to obedience to the faith through church discipline. Members of the local church are empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the Great Commission. The local church is autonomous, free of any external authority or control.
Matthew 28:19; John 17:6-25; Romans 12:6-8; 1Corinthians 5:7-13; 11:23-26; 12:4-7; 14:26; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 4:11-12; 6:18; 2Timothy 4:1-2; Ephesians 5:18-20; Colossians 3:15-16; 2Thessalonians 3:14-15; James 5:19-20
Sanctification
Having been made new and set free from the bondage to sin, God enables His elect to progressively die to all worldly and sinful pleasures and live to righteousness in the service of Christ. In the lives of the saints, the Holy Spirit produces a love of Christ and works to progressively conform each believer into the image of Christ. Through faith, God’s divine power enables a transformation of a soul’s deepest desires, taking on the likeness of Christ, creating a hatred of sin, and a desire for God-honoring holiness. Sanctification is throughout the whole person, yet incomplete in this life. There remains some remnants of corruption in every part, which causes a continual and irreconcilable war—the flesh warring against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. The believer lives in anticipation of God’s finalization of the sanctification process, that is, the glorification of his body, which will take place either at the believer’s death or when Christ comes for His own.
John 17:3-19; Acts 20:32; Romans 6:5-14; 1Corinthians 15:53; Galatians 5:22-24; Ephesians 3:14-19; Colossians 1:9-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Hebrews 12:14
Good Works
The desire and ability to do good works does not arise from human nature but from impartation of saving grace. Good works are the fruits and evidences of genuine, living faith, but are of no account toward justification. On the contrary, justification is the root of good works, for without it men would do nothing for the love of God, but only self-love or fear of damnation. By means of good works believers demonstrate their gratitude, strengthen their assurance of salvation, and improve their Christian witness. They glorify God, who has made them new creatures in Christ. Although the works of believers are never perfect, God accepts them and rewards them because they are performed in faith and express love for him.
Psalm 116:12-14; Matthew 5:13-16; John 15:1-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:12-13; Hebrews 6:11-12; James 2:14-26; Matthew 25:14-30; 25:31-46
Eternal Security
All who are justified will persevere in faith and never surrender to the enemy of their souls. This is the immutable decree of God the Father in election, obtained by the blood of Christ and secured by His resurrection, and guaranteed by God’s Holy Spirit. Divine providence watches over their welfare and the power of God keeps them through faith unto salvation. The assurance of salvation empowers, encourages, and inspires vigilance against the forces arrayed against it. When Christians sin, they incur God’s displeasure, grieve his Holy Spirit, diminish their comforts, experience accusations of conscience, and impair their witness. Yet, because they are saints, they will renew their repentance and through faith persevere in Christ to the end of their lives.
Psalm 37:23-29; John 8:31-32; 10:25-30; Hebrews 3:14; 1 John 2:18-19; Romans 5:9-11; 8:28-30; 9:10-16; Hebrews 6:13-20; 1 John 3:9-10; John 10:27-30; Philippians 1:6 ; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 1 Corinthians 15:10; 1John 1:5-10; Ephesians 4:29-32
The Second Advent of Christ
Jesus Christ will return to earth in the same manner He ascended into Heaven. At His return, Christians on earth will not die but will be changed into the likeness of their Savior. The dead in Christ will arise bodily from their graves to receive a blessed immortality, as their souls reunite with their bodies to enjoy the consumption of salvation with Christ for eternity. God has kept the time of Christ’s return secret, and his Word forbids speculation about it. Believers are to watch and ever be prepared to meet their returning Savior, no matter how soon or how distant his advent will be.
Job 19:25-27; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:1-4; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 12:35-40; Acts 1:11; 1Corinthians 15:35-56; 1Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2Timothy 4:1-8; 1Peter 1:3-9; Revelation 22:12-21
Final Judgment
God has appointed a day in which he will judge humanity in righteousness by Jesus Christ, to whom the Father has given all authority to judge. At that time apostate angels and all human beings will appear before the Lord to account for their thoughts, words, and deeds, there to receive in accordance with what they have done while on earth, whether good or evil. God’s purpose in judgment is to display the glory of his mercy in the eternal salvation of his elect, and to show the glory of his justice in the damnation of the lost.
Acts 17:31; 24:15; Revelation 20:13; John 5:22-27; 1Corinthians 6:3; Jude 6; 2Corinthians 5:10; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 12:36; Romans 9:22-23; 14:10-12; 2Timothy 4:8; Matthew 25:32-46
Missions
The commission given by the Lord Jesus to make disciples of all nations is binding on every member of His Church to the end of the age. The ultimate aim of global missions is that God would create, by His Word, worshippers from every tribe and language and people and nation who glorify His name through faith and obedience. Elders of the local church will actively seek to equip and encourage her members to engage in local and global mission initiatives and affirm those discerning God’s call to cross-cultural missions work.
Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:23; Romans 1:5; 15:8-11; Psalm 67:1-5; Revelation 5:9
For our church’s full statement of faith, download the Book of Faith & Order below.