God
1. We believe in one God, Creator of all things,
holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of
three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God
has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and
to make all things new for His own glory.
The
Bible
2. We believe that God has spoken in the
Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human
authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in
the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation,
and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and
endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it
is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires,
and trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
3. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His
image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human
beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under
His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be
rescued, reconciled and renewed.
Jesus
Christ
4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate,
fully God and fully man, one Person in
two natures. Jesus—Israel's promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was
crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into
heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest
and Advocate.
The Work
of Christ
5. We believe that Jesus Christ, as our
representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect,
all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious
resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
The Holy
Spirit
6. We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus
Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in
Him they are baptized into union with
Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells,
illuminates, guides, equips and
empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
The
Church
7. We believe that the true church is comprised of
all who have been justified by God's grace through faith alone in Christ
alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit
in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is
manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers.
The Lord Jesus gave us two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper,
which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means
of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these
ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
Christian
Living
8. Following the scripture, Matthew 22:37, we believe that we are
commanded to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, soul, mind, and we
shall love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Our love of God must be sincere,
not in word and tongue only, but also by deed.
Christ’s
Return
9. We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious
return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known
only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope,
motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service, and energetic mission.
Response
and Eternal Destiny
10. We
believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning
to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that
God will raise the dead bodily and will judge the world, assigning the
unbeliever to condemnation and eternal separation, and the believer to eternal
blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to
the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.
