What We Believe

What We Believe 

The Godhead (or Trinity)

There is one God. This one God is perfect in holiness and power. He has eternally existed in three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of these persons are co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existent. These three persons are distinct without division (Deut. 6:4; 2 Cor. 13:14).

The Person and Work of Christ

We believe Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He is fully God and took upon Himself full humanity at His incarnation. We believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, His perfect and sinless life, and His substitutionary death on the cross. We believe that three days after His death, He was physically resurrected from the dead signifying that God the Father accepted His payment for sin and establishing His victory over death and the grave (Phil. 2:5-11;John 1:1, 2, 14; Luke 1:35; Rom. 3:24; 1 Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3–5).

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is the Person who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He indwells all those who repent of their sins and turn, in faith, to Christ Jesus. He is our seal and guarantee of redemption. It is through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit that Christians live faithfully in obedience to Christ (John 16:8–11; 2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor.12:12–14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 5:18).

Scripture

We believe that Scripture was given by the inspiration of God and is therefore free from error (inerrant). We believe Scripture to be the final authority on all matters to which it speaks specifically or in principle (See Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy 1978)(2 Tim. 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; Matt. 5:18; John 16:12,13).

Sin

We believe that mankind was created in the image of God. Through the sin of Adam, mankind rebelled against God and became sinners by nature. Mankind is now separated from God, lacking the ability and means to pay the sin debt owed to God. We are, therefore, justly condemned Gen. 1:26, 27; Rom. 3:22, 23, 5:12; Eph. 2:1–3,12).

Salvation

We believe salvation to be the gift of God, given to man as an act of grace, received solely by faith alone in Christ alone. Upon turning to Christ in faith and repentance, the sin debt owed by the one believing is counted as paid based solely on the work of Christ on the cross (Eph. 1:7, 2:8–10; John 1:12; 1 Peter 1:18–19). 

Perseverance

We believe that those who turn to Christ in genuine faith and repentance are forever His and will remain faithful to Christ until the end (John 6:37–40, 10:27–30; Rom. 8:1, 38, 39; 1 Cor. 1:4–8; 1 Peter 1:5).

The Church

We believe the church is the bride of Christ. It is made up of all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. It exists to glorify the Triune God by growing in grace and the knowledge of Christ and by taking the gospel to all people. While the true church is universal, we believe that disciples must be a part of a local church body through means of membership. Further, members must be committed to the teaching, ministry, and ordinances (baptism and the Lord’s supper) of the local church (Eph. 1:22, 23; 5:25–27; 1 Cor. 12:12–14; Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 2:41, 42; 18:8; 1 Cor. 11:23–26).

The Consummation

We believe in the return of Jesus Christ to judge the living and the dead. At the time of the end there will be a new heaven and new earth. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust: the just to everlasting life and bliss, the unjust to everlasting punishment (Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matt. 16:27; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Rom. 14:10; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Rev. 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13).