Scriptures

The Bible is God’s word given to us by the Holy Spirit. We teach that the Scriptures are objective and reveal to us God’s will for mankind. We believe He inspired every word on every page, and it is inerrant and sufficient for teaching, convicting, correcting, and training every believer.  (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21)

One God

The one true and living God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent “I AM,” the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He is perfect in all His attributes. He has revealed Himself in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10-11; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22)

Jesus

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, performed miracles, completed His substitutionary work on the cross, and His physical resurrection from the dead confirms His deity, along with His exaltation to the right hand of God. (Luke 1:31-35; Hebrews 7:26; Acts 2:22; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Matthew 28:6; Acts 1:9; Philippians 2:9-11; John 1:1-4)

The Fall

Man was directly and immediately created by God in His image and His likeness. Initially, man was created good and upright when God said, “Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness”. The intention behind the creation of mankind was that we should glorify God and enjoy His fellowship, living our lives in His will, and accomplish His purposes in the world. However, man by his own transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 1:26; 2:17; Genesis 3:6; Romans 5:12-19; Isaiah 43:7)

Salvation

Salvation is by God’s grace on the basis of the redemption of Jesus Christ, His shed blood, and not based in our works or merit. Salvation is received by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and evidenced by repenting of, or turning from, our sins and turning to Christ as our Lord and Savior. In short, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to Scripture alone, and to the glory of God alone. (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:3; John 14:6; John 15:5; Titus 2:11; Romans 8:16; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:24)

Ordinances

Two ordinances were given to the church by Christ: Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (sometimes called “Holy Communion”). All who repent and believe on Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized, thus declaring to the world that they have died with Christ and have been raised with Him in newness of life. The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements bread and fruit of the vine, are symbols expressing our shared faith in the divine nature of Jesus Christ, as we proclaim His death until His return. (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 Corinthians 11:26)

Sanctification

The Scriptures teach us that a life of holiness is God’s plan for those who are His. Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing their identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckoning daily upon the fact our union with Him, and by submitting to the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives. (Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Romans 6:1-13; 1 Peter 1:5)

Christ’s Return

We hold to the biblical truth of the second coming of Jesus Christ, where He will return in power and glory to judge the living and the dead. Though “of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Mark 13:32), we anticipate this glorious event with hope. This is a central tenet of our eschatology and a source of comfort and motivation for the believer to continue the work of Christ in the world around us. (Matthew 24:30; 2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 20:11-15)