What We Believe
The Bible
We believe that the final authority is the Bible, the supreme standard by which all human creeds and confessions will be assessed. The Bible is made up of 66 books, the Old and New Testament alone. We believe that every word was inspired by God through human authors so that the Bible, as originally given, is, in its entirety, the Word of God, without error and fully reliable. The Bible is not the Word of God only subjectively, but objectively as well. We believe that the Jesus of history is the same Jesus of the Bible, the Christ of our faith. The Bible is clearly understandable in its main teaching. It is to be, not simply the nominal rule of the Church, but the actual message of our lips and the practice of our lives.
God
We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God. We believe God has revealed Himself to us in the Bible. God is the Almighty Creator, Savior, and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to His sovereign will for His own glory. God is infinitely holy, utterly loving, all-powerful, all-knowing, and worthy of all praise and worship. God is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal being. We believe God exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Father - reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
Son - Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God by taking upon human nature, with all its demands and necessities, and identifying Himself completely with mankind, all without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience and, in His substitutionary death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God and fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-present Lord.
Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination, He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration, He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in a Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Salvation
We believe that God is sovereign in salvation and this salvation is worked out in a way consistent with free choice. Salvation involves the redemption of the whole person and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense, salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Salvation is by faith, by the work of Christ, by grace, and to the glory of God.
Mankind
We believe that God created man and woman in His image. All people are important to God and have equal dignity and worth. As a result of the fall, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all men and women are guilty of sin and without spiritual life. Everyone is, therefore, under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse and needs to be born again, forgiven, and reconciled to God in order to know and please Him.
The Church
We believe that the church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who come together with each other for the worship of God, the preaching of His Word, administering of baptism, the Lord’s Supper, pastoral care, discipline, and evangelism. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between Gospel churches by mutual love, care, and encouragement.