Beliefs

We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally
existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has
graciously purposed from eternity to redeem people for Himself and to make all
things new for His own glory. (Genesis 1:1,26; Isaiah 44:6-8; John 1:1-3;Matthew
28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19-20; Ephesians 4:5-6)

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New
Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word
of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation
of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human
knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all
that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises. (2
Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; John 8:31-32; John 20:30-31; Romans 15:4)

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when
tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and
by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving
work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed. (Genesis 3,
2:16-17; Psalm 51:1-12; Matthew 25:34-40; John 1:12-13, 3:16-18, 5:24,
8:12; Romans 3:9-26, 5:18-19, 10:9-10; 1 John 1:9, 3:14-17)

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one
Person in two natures. Jesus – Israel’s promised Messiah – was conceived
through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was
crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate. We
believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on
the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and
victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation. (Matthew 1:18-25,
20:28, 28:1-10; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:14, 3:16, 20:30-31; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-
8, 6:9-10, 8:3, 9:5; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 14; 1 Peter 2:21-24; Hebrews 7:25,
9:28)

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ.
He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are
baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also
indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living
and service. (John 3:3-8, 14:16-17, 26, 15:26, 16:7-15; Romans 8:9; 1
Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26)

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s
grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the
body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local
churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord
Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly
and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation,
when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and
nourish the believer. (Matthew 18:19-20, 28:18-20; Acts 1:6-8, 2:41-
47; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 10:23-25, 11:1-12:3)

We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying
power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others
sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion
toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s
power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces
of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all
people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed. (Matthew 20:25-
28; Mark 12:28-34; John 14:15, 23-24; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians
10:31; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 5:15-21; Colossians 1:9-10, 4:2, 5-6; 1 John
2:3-6, 3:14-18, 23-24)

We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant
expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living,
sacrificial service and energetic mission. We believe that God commands
everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and
receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily
and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal
conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the
Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace.
Amen. (Proverbs 24:12; Matthew 16:27, 25:31-46; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts
1:11; 1 Corinthians 4:5, 15:12-57; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2
Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15)