What We Believe
Member Declaration of Faith
THE WORD OF GOD
We believe that the Bible, consisting in 66 books, is the Word of God, fully God-breathed and without error in the original manuscripts and written by men carried along by the Holy Spirit. We believe that it has supreme authority and sufficiency in all matters of faith and conduct.
Ps 19:7–11; John 8:31–32; 20:31; Acts 20:32; 2 Tim 3:16–17; 2 Pet 1:3–4; 1:20–21
THE TRINITY
We believe that there is one living and true God, an infinite, all-knowing, all-powerful spirit, eternally existing in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that these persons are equal in every divine perfection, that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption, and that they each equally deserve worship and obedience.
Gen 1:1, 26; Exod 3:13–15; Deut 6:4; Isa 45:5–7; Matt 28:19; John 1:1, 3; 4:24; Acts 5:3–4; 1 Cor 8:6; 2 Cor 13:14
GOD THE FATHER
We believe in God the Father, the First Person of the Trinity, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love, Who orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace, Who is the sovereign Creator and sustainer of all things, Who is the only absolute and omnipotent Ruler in the universe, Who infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, Who concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, Who hears and answers prayer, and Who saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
Gen 1:1–31; 1 Chr 29:11; Pss 103:19; 145:8–9; Matthew 23:9; Luke 10:21–22; John 3:16; Rom 1:7; 11:36; 1 Cor 8:6; Eph 1:11; 3:9; 1 Tim 1:1–2; 1 Pet 1:3
GOD THE SON—JESUS CHRIST
We believe in God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, Who possesses all the divine excellencies, and in these He is coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father. We believe in the incarnation of the eternal Son, in which, without altering His divine nature or surrendering any of the divine attributes, He made Himself of no reputation by taking on a full and true human nature, yet without sin. We believe that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary and was thus born of a woman as Jesus of Nazareth, so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the divine and the human, were joined together in one person, without confusion, change, division, or separation. He is therefore truly God and truly man, yet one Christ, the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Scriptures, the one mediator between God and man. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.
Matt 1:18–25; 20:28; Luke 1:26–38; John 1:1–2; 10:30; 14:9; 20:28–31; Acts 1:11; Rom 5:6–8; 6:9–10; 8:32; 9:5; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 4:4–5; Phil 2:5–8; 1 Tim 2:5; 3:16; Heb 4:15; 7:25–26; 9:28; 1 Pet 2:21–23
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, Who is eternal, underived, and in possession of all the attributes of personality and deity, including intellect, emotions, will, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, and truthfulness. In all the divine attributes He is coequal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son. We believe that subsequent to Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.
Ps 139:7–10; Isa 40:13–14; Matt 28:19; John 14:16–17; 15:26,27; 16:8–14; Acts 5:3–4; 28:25–26; Rom 8:9; 15:13; 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; 12:4–7, 11; 2 Cor 3:18; 13:14; Gal 5:22–26; Eph 4:30; Heb 9:14
MANKIND
We believe that mankind was directly and immediately created by God as His image, according to His likeness in two distinct and fixed biological genders of male and female in order to glorify Him through their distinct roles and enjoy God’s fellowship. Man and woman are co-equal before God in terms of inherent value, dignity, and personal responsibility. Mankind was created free of sin with a rational nature, intelligence, volition, self-determination, and moral responsibility to God. We believe that in Adam’s sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, mankind lost its innocence, incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death, became subject to the wrath of God, and became inherently corrupt and utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. With no recuperative powers to enable him to recover himself, mankind is hopelessly lost.
Gen 1:26–28; 2:7, 15–25; 3:1–19; Ps 14:1–3; Jer 17:9; John 3:36; Rom 3:9–18, 23; 5:10–12; 6:23; 1 Cor 2:14; Eph 2:1–3; 1 Tim 2:13–14; Jas 3:9; 1 John 1:8; Rev 4:11
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is from God’s just wrath—present and future—to a reconciled relationship as adopted children in God’s eternal kingdom. We believe that those who repent of sin and living for themselves and who entrust themselves to the one Mediator and Savior of mankind—Jesus Christ—and His atoning work will be saved from God’s wrath and experience adoption as God’s children. We believe that those who repent and entrust themselves to Christ, and as such confess Him as their sovereign Lord, are declared righteous (justified) by God. This righteousness is apart from any virtue or work of man and involves the imputation of our sins to Christ in His atoning work and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us. By this means, God is enabled to “be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” We believe that those who entrust themselves to Christ are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures and are freed from the penalty of sin presently, the power of sin progressively through Christian growth, and the very presence of sin eternally in the future glorified state.
Isa 55:6–7; Matt 25:31–46; John 1:12–13; 3:3–7; 3:16–18; 17:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 16:30–31; Rom 1:18; 2:6–8; 3:20, 26; 4:6; 6:11–14; 8:1, 18–25, 33; 10:9–10; 1 Cor 1:30; 12:3; 2 Cor 4:5; 5:21; Gal 4:4–7; Eph 1:7; 2:8–10; Phil 2:11; Col 2:13–14; 2 Thess 1:9–10; 1 Tim 2:5–6; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 1:18–19; 2:24; 1 Jn 3:2–3; Rev 14:14:9–11; 21:1–8
Marriage And Family
We believe God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to picture the union between God and His people and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children the gospel, as well as spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents
THE CHURCH
We believe in the universal Church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized by immersion on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that Christ calls His disciples to publicly identify with and join a sound local church for spiritual growth, accountability, and participation in the joyful responsibility of manifesting God’s presence in the world. We believe the physical weekly gathering of all members of the local church is commanded by Christ and essential for the life and health of the local church and its members. This gathering is for the purpose of submitting to God’s Word read, explained, and preached; for singing praises to Him; for participating in the Lord’s Supper; and for partnering with one another in service and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.
Matt 28:18–20; Acts 1:8; 2:41–42; 1 Cor 11:17–34; 12:12–27; 2 Cor 6:16–7:1; Eph 2:19–22; 5:18–21; Heb 10:23–25
CHRISTIAN CONDUCT
We believe that, out of deep gratitude for the undeserved grace of God granted to us, and because our glorious God is so worthy of our total consecration, all the saved should live in such a manner as to demonstrate our adoring love to God and so as not to bring reproach upon our Lord and Savior. We also believe that separation from all religious apostasy and worldly and sinful practices is commanded of us by God. We believe that believers should be separated unto our Lord Jesus Christ and affirm that the Christian life is a life of obedient righteousness that reflects the teaching and commands of Christ and a continual pursuit of holiness. Such a life of holiness is possible only through active dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit Who indwells each New Covenant believer.
Jer 31:31–34; Ezk 36:25–27; Matt 5–7; 28:18–20; Rom 8:1–13; 12:1–2; 1 Cor 5:9–13; 2 Cor 3:18; 6:14–7:1; Gal 5:16–26; 2 Thess 1:11–12; Titus 2:11–14; Heb 12:1–2, 14; 1 John 2:15–17; 3:1–10
THE ORDINANCES
We believe that two ordinances have been committed to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Christian baptism by immersion is the solemn and beautiful testimony of a believer showing forth their faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and their union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism is also an affirmation by the local church that the one baptized is indeed (by all that can be seen) a disciple of Christ and a member of Christ’s Church. Baptism is an initial sign of fellowship and identification with the visible Body of Christ.
Matt 28:18–20; Acts 2:38–42; Acts 8:36–39; Rom 6:1–11; 1 Cor 12:12–13
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the sign and remembrance of the New Covenant and proclamation of Christ’s death until He comes. It is a meal for the members of a local church to partake in when assembled together as a whole to display the local manifestation of the one Body of Christ on earth. Partaking in this covenant sign is not an individual exercise but one in which one actively remembers one’s solidarity and unity with Christ and His Body, because of Christ’s purchase of the Church through His death.
Luke 22:14–20; 1 Cor 10:14–22; 11:17–34
CHURCH ORDER
We believe that the one supreme authority for the Church is Christ and that Church leadership, gifts, order, discipline, and worship are all appointed through His sovereignty as found in the Scriptures. We believe that the biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the assembly are elders (also called overseers and pastors) and deacons, both of whom must meet biblical qualifications. We believe that these leaders are servants of Christ equipping the saints for the work of ministry through leading, teaching, guarding, and caring for the local church that Christ purchased with His own blood. We believe the congregation is to submit to their leadership.
Acts 20:28; Eph 1:22; 4:11–12; 5:23–24; Phil 1:1; Col 1:18; 1 Thess 5:12–13; 1 Tim 3:1–13; 5:17–22; Titus 1:5–9; 1 Pet 5:1–5; Heb 13:7, 17
We believe in the importance of discipleship, the mutual accountability of all believers to each other, as well as the need for the discipline of sinning members of the congregation in accord with the standards of Scripture.
Matt 18:5–22; 28:19–20; Acts 5:1–11; 1 Cor 5:1–13; Eph 4:11–16; 2 Thess 3:6–15; Titus 1:10–16; 1 Tim 1:19–20; 2 Tim 2:2
SPHERES OF AUTHORITY
We believe that all legitimate authority is a delegated stewardship from God Who alone has ultimate authority and holds all human authorities accountable. We believe that God has delegated different spheres of authority to the Family, Church, and the State and that each sphere is directly accountable to Christ within that sphere. We believe that although there is some overlapping area of concern between these spheres where cooperation may be beneficial, each sphere must recognize the limits of its God-delegated authority and operate accordingly to do what is right and good.
2 Chr 26:16–22; Dan 3; 4:34–35; 6; John 19:10–11; Acts 4:18–21; Rom 13:1–7; Eph 5:22–6:4; 1 Tim 2:1–4; 5:3–8, 16; 1 Pet 2:13–17; Rev 2–3
THE LAST THINGS
We believe in the future, personal, visible, bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgement, the eternal joy of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked.
Dan 12:2; Matt 16:27; 25:31–46; Mark 14:62; John 5:28–29; 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor 4:5; 1 Cor 15; Phil 3:20–21; 1 Thess 4:13–18; 2 Thess 1:7–10; 2 Tim 4:1; Titus 2:13; Rev 20:4–6, 11–15