Doctrinal Statement

 

The Bible

We believe the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Romans 16:25-26)

 

The Trinity

We believe there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in ever divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption. (Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-4; Hebrews 3:7-11)

 

Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of a virgin. We believe in His sinless life, miracles, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth. (Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1,14; John 20:28; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:2-3; 1 Timothy 2:5, 3:16; 1 John 1:7)

 

The Redemption of Humanity

We believe Humanity was created good and upright but by voluntary transgression, fell, and our only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Genesis 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21)

 

Salvation

We believe we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ – His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human effort. (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Galatians 2:16, 3:18; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 9:22)

 

The Church

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all believers are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe every person born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of Christ. We believe there is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe the mission of the church in the world is to both demonstrate and to participate in the restoration of all things. (Matthew 16:16-19; Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22, 5:25-27; John 17:20-23)

 

Christian Conduct

We believe Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to Him, thus making Jesus the Lord of their lives as well as Savior. (John 14:23, 15:4; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 2:14-16; Colossians 3:17-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18)

 

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection and confirm the power of the gospel. The lists of these gifts in the Bible are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. all believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of biblical parameters (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:5-16; Hebrews 2:4; 1 Peter 4:10-11)

 

Ordinances

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church – baptism and the Lord’s Supper (i.e. communion, Eucharist). We believe Christian baptism is immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We do this because Jesus Himself was baptized. We believe the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 3:13-17, 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34)

 

Last things

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, and the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.

(John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:1-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 25:31-46)