Statement of Faith
We really tried hard to make this Statement of Faith both concise, full of Scripture and readable. Before you read through it, here are some words that you may not have heard before. These definitions are meant to help you understand concepts that may be intimidating at first for those who are new at studying the Bible, but they are worth learning. As always, if you still have questions, feel free to contact us.
The Word of God (The Scriptures)
We accept the Bible, including the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, as the written Word of God. The Bible is the only essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. It leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Being given by God, the Scriptures are both fully and verbally inspired by God. Therefore, as originally given, the Bible is free of error in all it teaches. Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in living power. All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and diligently apply them to their lives. The Scriptures are the authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom. Every doctrinal formulation, whether of creed, confession, or theology must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in Holy Scripture. (Matthew 5:17-20; John 16:12-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
The Godhead/Trinity
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who know, love, and glorify one another. Perfectly equal in their divinity, however subordinate in responsibility; the Son submits to the will of the Father & the Holy Spirit is submitted to the will of the Father & the Son. This one true and living God is infinitely perfect both in His love and in His holiness. He is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy to receive all glory and adoration. Immortal and eternal, He perfectly and completely knows the end from the beginning, sustains and sovereignly rules over all things, and providentially brings about His eternal good purposes to redeem a people for Himself and restore His fallen creation, to the praise of His glorious grace. (Genesis 1:2, 26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17; John 1:1-5; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
The Father
God the Father is the Creator of heaven and earth. By His word and for His glory, He freely and supernaturally created the world from nothing. Through the same Word He daily sustains all His creatures. He rules over all and is the only Sovereign. His plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. He is faithful to every promise, works all things together for good to those who love Him, and in His unfathomable grace gave his Son, Jesus Christ, for mankind’s redemption. He made man for fellowship with Himself, and intended that all creation should live to the praise of His glory. (Job 38; Isaiah 55:8-9; John 1:3, 18, 3:16; Romans 8:28-30; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:3-6; Hebrews 1:2; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
The Person & Work of Jesus
We believe that, moved by love and in obedience to His Father, the eternal Son became human: the Word became flesh, fully God and fully human being, one Person in two natures. The man Jesus, the promised Messiah of Israel, was conceived through the miraculous agency of the Holy Spirit, and was born of the virgin Mary. He perfectly obeyed His heavenly Father, lived a sinless life, performed miraculous signs, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven. As the mediatorial King, He is seated at the right hand of God the Father, exercising in heaven and on earth all of God’s sovereignty, and is our High Priest and righteous Advocate. We believe that by His incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus Christ acted as our representative and substitute. He did this so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God: on the cross He canceled sin, propitiated God, and, by bearing the full penalty of our sins, reconciled to God all those who believe. By His resurrection Christ Jesus was vindicated by His Father, broke the power of death and defeated Satan who once had power over it, and brought everlasting life to all His people; by His ascension He has been forever exalted as Lord and has prepared a place for us to be with Him. We believe that salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved. Because God chose the lowly things of this world, the despised things, the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, no human being can ever boast before Him—Christ Jesus has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. (Luke 1:35; John 1:1-5, 14-18; Acts 1:9-10; Romans 3:21-26, 8:34, 14:9; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:15-22; 2 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 7:22-28, 9:24-28; 1 Peter 2:24-25, 4:5; 1 John 2:1-2)
The Holy Spirit
We believe that salvation, attested in all Scripture and secured by Jesus Christ, is applied to His people by the Holy Spirit. Sent by the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ and is present with and in believers through the proclamation of the Gospel. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and by His powerful and mysterious work regenerates spiritually dead sinners, awakening them and persuading to repentance and faith, baptizing them into union with the Lord Jesus, such that they are justified before God. By the Spirit’s working, believers are renewed, sanctified, and adopted into God’s family; they participate in the divine nature and receive His sovereignly distributed gifts. The Holy Spirit is Himself the down payment of the promised inheritance, and in this age indwells, guides, instructs, equips, revives, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service. (John 14:15-27, 16:7-15; Acts 16:14; Romans 8:1-30; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:4-18; Ephesians 1:13-14, 2:4-5, 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5)
The Total Depravity of Man- AKA "The Bad News"
God made man—male and female—in His own image, as the crown of creation, that man might have fellowship with Him. Tempted by Satan, Adam, the first man, rebelled against God and in Adam, all mankind fell subject to the dominion of sin. Being estranged from our Maker, yet responsible to Him, we became subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved and, apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to our minds, wills, and affections. Unregenerate, we live under the dominion of sin and Satan. We are at enmity with God, hostile toward God, and hateful of God. Fallen and sinful, whatever our character or moral attainments, we are lost and without hope apart from salvation in Christ. (Genesis 1:26-27, 6:5, 8:21; Judges 21:25; Psalms 51:1-19; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:19-20; Romans 3:21-23, 5:12-21, 8:7-8, 10:1-3; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12, 4:17-19)
The Gospel of Jesus- AKA "The Good News"
Jesus Christ is the gospel. The good news is revealed in His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Christ’s crucifixion is the heart of the gospel, His resurrection is the power of the gospel, and His ascension is the glory of the gospel. Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases His holy wrath. It also demonstrates His mysterious love and reveals His amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name by which men must be saved, therefore, the Gospel is the only bridge between fallen man & a Holy God. At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have of glorifying God because of what He has accomplished. Therefore, we want all that takes place in our hearts, churches, and ministries to proceed from and be related to the cross. (John 1:12-13; Romans 1:16-17; Galatians 2:20-21; Ephesians 1:7-10, 2:8-10; Colossians 1:3-6; Hebrews 2:1, 10-11, 4:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
Man's Response To The Gospel
Man’s response to the gospel is rooted and grounded in the free and unconditional election of God for His own pleasure and glory. It is also true that the message of the Gospel is only effectual to those who genuinely repent of their sins and, by God’s grace, put saving faith in Christ. Biblical repentance is characterized by a changed life, and saving faith is evidenced by kingdom service or works. While neither repentance nor works save, unless a person is willing to deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow Christ, he cannot become Christ’s disciple. (Luke 24:44-47; 1 Peter 1:3, 23-25; 1 John 3:9-10, 5:18)
Man's Inheritance Through The Gospel
Salvation, the free gift of God, is provided by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. Anyone turning from sin in repentance and looking to Christ and His substitutionary death receives the gift of eternal life and is declared righteous by God as a free gift with the righteousness of Christ imputed to him. He is justified and fully accepted by God. Through Christ’s atonement for sin an individual is reconciled to God as Father and becomes His child. The believer is forgiven the debt of his sin and, through the miracle of regeneration, liberated from the law of sin and death into the freedom of God’s Spirit. (John 1:12-13, 14:18; Romans 8:15; Hebrews 12:3-11)
Man’s Participation In The Gospel
Because salvation totally depends on God’s mercy, not man’s will, condition or exertion, all men are to be considered equally redeemable. In fact, Scripture provides many accounts of men and women who were saved that were, in human eyes, unworthy of salvation and too depraved for God’s mercy. Therefore, it is our great commission by Jesus to go and make disciples of every tribe, tongue and nation by preaching the Gospel with absolute conviction. Our assurance is that through the message of the cross the Holy Spirit will awaken the dead hearts and open the blind eyes of those who the Father has chosen. We are His ambassadors, compelled by the love of Christ, bringing the best news that history has ever recorded, that God has made a way for fallen men and women to be reconciled to Himself through the shed blood of his only Son. This, and this alone, is our message and mandate. We do not have the liberty to add or take away from it. It is relevant to all people throughout all generations and is the hope of glory. The Gospel is not only the beginning of our faith, but must remain central throughout. We are commanded to grow up increasingly into maturity in our understanding of this great and glorious mystery of salvation. (Matthew 24:14, 28:18-20; Acts 2:22-24, 36-41; Romans 1:16, 10:13-15; 1 Corinthians 1:23, 2:1, 12-13, 9:16; 2 Corinthians 5:14-20; Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 1:24-29, 3:16-17, 4:3-4)
The Assurance Of Believers
Also known as Eternal Security or the Perseverance of the Saints, we believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. Because we believe that it is God alone who saves, we believe that it is He alone who sustains this salvation to the end. He is the Architect & Builder, the Author & the Finisher of our faith. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which clearly forbids the use of the Christian liberty we have under grace as an excuse to continue in sin. In Christ, we are no longer motivated by fear, but obey as sons & daughters, because of the love of God which compels us to love Him & the Holy Spirit who continues to conform us into His image through sanctification. (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39, 13:13-14; 1 Corinthians 1:4-9; 2 Corinthians 5:14; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 2:4-10; Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13; Colossians 1:21-23, 2:6-7; Titus 2:11-15; Hebrews 6:16-20, 11:10, 12:1-3; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
The Church
We believe that the universal church, which is the body and bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again believers whom Christ will return for one day (1 Corinthians 12:12–14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25–27). We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures including teaching on worship, the sacraments, corporate meetings, discipline, caring for the sick and the poor, as well as qualifications and responsibilities of church leadership (Acts 14:27, 18:22, 20:17; 1 Timothy 3:1–13; Titus 1:5–11). We believe in the autonomy of the local churches, free of any external authority and control, but ultimately submitted to Jesus as its Foundation, Cornerstone, Head, High Priest and King (Acts 13:1–4, 15:19–35,20:28; Romans 16:1-4; 1 Corinthians 3:9; 1 Peter 5:1–4). The church is the corporate dwelling place of God’s Spirit, the continuing witness of God’s wisdom and the mystery of the Gospel to the world. It has one mission, to glorify Jesus in everything. Therefore, unless all agendas, ideas, opinions, strategies and ministries are Gospel-Centered & Christocentric, they must be abandoned as irrelevant or unworthy of the mission. We are His ambassadors and are not at liberty to make adjustments to the King’s decree (2 Corinthians 5:11-6:4; Ephesians 3:7-12).
Ministry Gifts & Being Filled With The Holy Spirit
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38) and is the placing of the believer into the Body of Christ. As with all the members of the Trinity, we will continue to grow in our maturity & understanding of the fullness of who God is. This is demonstrated as the filling of the Holy Spirit and can be seen clearly throughout Acts (2:4, 4:8, 31, 9:17, 13:9, 52).
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of spiritual gifts. It is, however, the believer’s responsibility to attempt to develop their sovereignly given spiritual gift(s). We also believe that particular spiritual gift(s) are neither essential, nor prove the presence of the Holy Spirit, nor are an indication of deep spiritual experience (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 13; Ephesians 4:7–8). We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accordance with His own will, for the sick and afflicted. The Bible does not teach that all illnesses will be healed if people would simply call on the elders, or try to make themselves have enough faith, or pray with enough conviction. Healing, when it does come, is always a gift from God, who is sovereign over all circumstances, including sickness and health. It does not follow, therefore, that lack of faith on the part of the sick person is the reason that the sick person may not be healed (John 15:7; James 5:14-16; 1 John 5:14-15). We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister according to the gift(s) and grace of God that is given to him in accordance with orderly worship. These gifts are for the common good of the local church and therefore, like everything else, must be accountable to the oversight of the elders which Jesus, the Great Shepherd, has given to the church to ensure the unity of the believers (Romans 12:1–8; 1 Corinthians 12-14 (esp. 14:26, 33, 40; 1 Peter 4:10–11, 5:1-5).
Baptism & Communion (The Sacraments)
Water baptism is intended only for the individual who has surrendered to Christ, received salvation through His atoning work and has become His disciple. Therefore, in obedience to Christ’s command and as a testimony to God, the Church, oneself, and the world, a believer should be immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Water baptism is a visual demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. It signifies that his former way of life has been put to death, and vividly depicts a person’s release from the mastery of sin (Matthew 3:11-17; Acts 2:41-42, 16:33, 18:8, 19:4-5; Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:11-12; Titus 3:4-7; Hebrews 6:1-2; 1 Peter 3:21-22).
As with water baptism, communion or the Lord’s Supper is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ. This sacrament points back to the celebration of Passover by the Israelites (Exodus 12:1-28; Matthew 26:17-25) when a perfect lamb’s shed blood became the salvation from: death, God’s wrath and slavery. They celebrated with broken bread in remembrance of God’s choosing to save them from Himself. Likewise, communion symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of His blood on our behalf as the final sacrifice. It is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death. As we partake of the Lord’s Supper with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body (Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:7-20; John 6:25-58; Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, 11:20-34).
Together, baptism and communion, are simultaneously God’s pledge to us, His divinely ordained means of grace, and our public vows of submission to the once crucified and now resurrected Christ, in anticipation of His return and the consummation of all things. They do not save us by themselves, but are the celebrations of the salvation we’ve freely received through Christ. They are outward signs of an inward reality.
If you are interested in more information on baptism, please read our Baptism Basics.
The Restoration of All Things
We believe in the personal, glorious, and bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ with His holy angels, when He will exercise His role as final Judge, and His kingdom will be consummated. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the just and the unjust—the unjust to judgment and eternal conscious punishment in hell, as our Lord Himself taught, and the just to eternal blessedness in the presence of Him who sits on the throne and of the Lamb, in the new heaven and the new earth, the home of righteousness. On that day the church will be presented faultless before God by the obedience, suffering and triumph of Christ, all sin purged and its wretched effects forever banished. God will be all in all and His people will be enthralled by His holiness, and everything will be to the praise of His glorious grace. (Matthew 24:29-31, 36-51, 25:31-46; Luke 12:35-48,16:19-31; 2 Peter 3:1-13; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:1-8, 22:6-21)
