Doctrinal Statement

We believe the Holy Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, is the infallible Word of God. The Scriptures were written by men who were divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit. Through His Word, God reveals Himself to man. Since the Scriptures reflect God’s perfection, they are the only sufficient rule for Christian practice and faith. All thought and action should be evaluated by the standard of God’s Word. The entirety of the Scriptures principally testifies to the person of Jesus Christ and His message of redemption.
Ps. 19:7; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21

We believe there exists only one true God. He is completely holy and infinitely perfect in all ways; there is no other god beside Him. All honor and glory belong to Him. The Scriptures attest that God is triune. He exists as three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of the three Persons is distinct, yet there exists no division in nature, substance, or being of the one God. For this reason, each Person of the Trinity is fully deserving of worship and glory.
Matt. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 John 5:7

We believe the first Person of the Trinity is the Creator and Sustainer of all that has been made. He is rightly understood as Father both in his relationships within the Trinity and in his relationship with mankind. While he is a Father to all people by way of creation, he is a spiritual Father only to those men and women who stand redeemed in his Son, Jesus Christ. He governs all of history, and he is the author of salvation. He joyfully adopts as his own all who come to him through faith in his Son.
Gen. 1:1; Exod. 3:14; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 6:9; John 4:24; Acts 1:7; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:6

We believe that God, as a demonstration of his love, glory, and dominion, created the universe from nothing and that he governs all things at all times in all places. He actively upholds the cosmos by the word of his power, and nothing occurs outside of the providence of his loving hand. Gen. 1; Ps. 103:19; Rom. 11:36; Eph. 3:9

We believe humanity is the special creation of God, made in His own image. God created mankind male and female as the crowning work of His creation. All men and women are created in God’s image; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity. God created the human race without sin, and it was man’s sin which broke his holy fellowship with God. Gen. 1:26-27; Gen. 2:18-22; Ps. 8:3-6

We believe humanity fell from that holy and happy state which it possessed in creation by voluntary transgression. As a result, all people are now sinners. They entirely lack the holiness that is required by the law of God and are actively inclined to evil. Therefore, they are under just condemnation to a sentence of eternal ruin, without defense or excuse. Gen. 3:1-7, 6:5; Rom. 3:9-18, 5:12-19; Eph. 2:1-3

We believe Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is fully God and fully man. He is the divinely appointed mediator between God and man. Having taken upon Himself human nature, yet without sin, He perfectly fulfilled the law. He suffered and died upon the cross for the salvation of sinners. He was buried, rose again the third day, and ascended to His Father, and He lives forever to make intercession for His people. He will return again visibly and bodily.
Isa. 53:10-12; John 1:1, 14; Acts 1:9-11; Rom. 3:21-26; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Heb. 1:1-3

We believe the salvation of God’s people is completely by grace, through the redemptive work of the Son of God. By the appointment of the Father, the Son freely embodied human nature but without sin. He honored the divine law by his personal obedience and made a full atonement for our sins by his substitutionary death, satisfying God’s wrath. He rose from the dead and is now enthroned in heaven. Jesus, the Son, is qualified in every way to be a suitable, compassionate, and all-sufficient Savior. This gospel message is the only message which offers hope of salvation.
Isa. 43:4-5; Matt. 18:11; John 3:16; Eph. 2:3; Phil. 2:9 1 John 4:10

We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Because of mankind’s complete sinfulness, one must be born again in order to enter into God’s kingdom. Regeneration is that act of God by which the Holy Spirit imparts a new nature to man. In this way, all who are redeemed are truly a new creation in Christ Jesus. At the moment of regeneration, the believer is declared righteous and transferred from the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s beloved Son. However, regeneration and justification are not the end of salvation. Through God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit, the believer is made more and more into the image of God’s Son by the process of sanctification. Sanctification is a firstfruit of the glory to be experienced by all believers from all time in everlasting life. Upon Christ’s return, all believers will be raised to new life in a glorified body free from sin.
John 3:3-8; Rom. 8: 1-17; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:1-6; Phil. 3:7-9; 2 Pet. 1:3-11; 1 John 5:1

We believe God the Holy Spirit brings glory to the Father and the Son. He applies the work of Christ to believers and distributes spiritual gifts to every believer according to His sovereign good pleasure for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. He is the Comforter, the Spirit of Adoption, the Seal of our Salvation, and the Guarantor of our inheritance in Christ.
John 14:6-7, 16:14; Acts 5:3; Rom. 8:14-17; Eph. 1:13-14

We believe repentance is a grace from God wherein a person being led by the Holy Spirit acknowledges the evil of his sin, humbles himself for it, and with godly sorrow and confession turns from it in order to walk before God so as to please Him in all things. We believe saving faith is the belief of whatever is revealed in His Word concerning Christ according to God’s authority. True faith consists of accepting and resting upon Him alone for justification and eternal life. It is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit. It is accompanied by all other saving graces, and leads to a life of holiness.
Ps. 32:1-5; Isa. 6:5, 55:7; Luke 18:9-14; Acts 2:37-38; Rom. 3:27-28; 2 Cor. 7:10-11; Phil. 1:29; James 2:14-26

We believe all genuine believers, those whom God truly has regenerated, will endure to the end. This means that they will never totally nor finally fall away from grace. Their persevering obedience to Christ and attachment to his people are the primary mark distinguishing them from those who have professed a superficial faith. A special providence watches over their welfare, leading them to repentance, and they are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation.
John 6:37-40; Rom. 8:28-39; 1 Cor. 1:8-9; Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:23-24

We believe a visible, local church is a congregation of baptized believers, joined together by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel. Christ is the head of the church, and a visible church observes his ordinances, submits to his laws, and exercises the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by his Word. The only scriptural officers of the church are elders (also called overseers or pastors) and deacons, whose qualifications and duties are defined in the Scriptures.
Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 20:17, 28; Eph. 1:22; 1 Tim. 3:1-13, 5:17-18; Tit. 1:5-9

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is a solemn and beautiful emblem that declares our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior as well as our union with him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership. We likewise believe that the Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby the church, following earnest self-examination, uses bread and the cup in a sacred manner to commemorate together the dying love of Christ. The ordinances belong to the gathered church, marking off believers from unbelievers and making the church visible on earth.
Matt. 26:26-29, 28:19; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 10:16-17, 11:23-34

We believe the end of the world is approaching. At the last day Christ will descend from heaven and raise all of the dead from the grave to final retribution. A public separation will then take place, in which the wicked will be justly assigned to endless punishment and the righteous to endless joy in the New Creation.
Gen. 3:19; Matt. 25:46; Luke 16:22-26; John 5:22, 28-29; 2 Cor. 5:1-10; Phil. 1:23; 2 Thess. 1:7-10