Statement of Faith

The Word of God: The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and consequently without error in the originals, and serve as the supreme and sufficient authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Mark 13:31; Matthew 4:4)

God: There is but one living and true God: the Maker, Preserver, and Ruler of all things, who is infinite in every positive attribute; and to Him all creatures owe their highest love, reverence, and obedience. God is Triune and has eternally existed in three persons as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are equal in every divine perfection and execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. (Genesis 1:1; Romans 1:20; Daniel 4:35; Isaiah 40:28; 1 Timothy 1:17; Lamentations 3:22-23; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

God the Father: God the Father is an infinite, personal spirit who is perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. The Father infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass. He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (John 4:24; Leviticus 11:45; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 4:8; John 3:16)

God the Son: Jesus Christ is Gods unique Son, who after He had taken upon Himself human nature through the virgin birth–yet in such a way that He was without sin–perfectly fulfilled the Law, suffered and died on the cross for the salvation of sinners, was buried, rose again the third day, and ascended to the Father at whose hand He ever lives to make intercession for His people until His personal visible return to this earth at the end of this age. He is the only Mediator; the Prophet, Priest, and King of the Church; and Sovereign of the Universe. (John 1:1, 14; Colossians 1:15-16; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Matthew 1:22-23; Hebrews 2:17; 4:15; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Matthew 20:28; 1 John 4:10; John 20:30, 31; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 7:25; Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:44)

God the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit was sent 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. He indwells every genuine believer in Christ as an abiding helper, teacher, and guide. (John 16:8-11; 14:16-17; 16:13-14; Romans 8:26-27; Galatians 5:22-23, 25)

God's Sovereignty: God from all eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and perpetually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and all events; yet so as not to destroy the free will and responsibility of intelligent creatures. Election is God’s free and eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life not because of any foreseen merit in them, but simply as a result of His mercy. It is as a consequence of God’s sovereign choice that His people are called, justified, and glorified. (Psalm 18:30a; Romans 8:28-30; John 6:65; Romans 9:18; John 6:37; Ephesians 1:4-5, 11; 2 Timothy 1:9-10)

The Creation and Fall of Man: God originally created humanity in His own image, and free from sin; but through the temptation of Satan, Adam and Eve knowingly disobeyed the command of God and lost their original purity; with the results that all their offspring inherit a sin nature that is corrupt and fundamentally opposed to God and His laws, are under condemnation, and as soon as they are capable of moral action, actively exercise their fallen nature. (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-8; James 1:14; Jeremiah 17:9; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 1:18; 3:23; 5:12; 6:23; 8:7-8; Ephesians 2:1-2)

Regeneration: Regeneration is a gift of God’s free and sovereign grace to God’s elect involving a change of heart from death to life brought about by the Holy Spirit, who enlightens the mind spiritually and savingly to understand the Word of God, and renews the person’s nature so as to create a new delight in God and a new desire for holiness. (John 3:16; 1:12-13; 5:24; Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

Repentance: Repentance is a God-given recognition of the genuine evilness of sin as involving an offense ultimately against God, a heartfelt sorrow for it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ. (Matthew 4:17; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 2:38; 17:30)

Faith: Saving faith is trust in Jesus Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. It is a response that takes place in a person’s life brought about by the Holy Spirit through the gospel message revealed in God’s Word. Faith involves accepting and resting upon Christ alone for justification and eternal life, and it brings the person into all the blessings associated with our union with Christ and leads to a life of holiness and obedience. (Hebrews 11:1, 6; Romans 10:17; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 10:13; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 2:16)

Justification: Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal of sinners who believe in Christ from all sin through the satisfaction that Christ has made — not on account of anything they themselves have done, but solely through receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith. (Acts 13:38-39; Romans 3:24-26; 5:1, 18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Sanctification: Those who receive new life from God enter into a lifelong process of being sanctified by His Word and Spirit. This sanctification is progressive through the supply of God’s strength and grace, and ultimately leads to whole-hearted obedience to all of Christ’s commands. (Romans 8:29; 8:13; 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:22-24; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Hebrews 12:14; 13:20-21)

Preservation of the Saints: Those whom God has accepted in Christ will persevere in the faith and never totally nor finally fall away from salvation, but shall certainly be preserved to the end; and though they may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, lose their own comfort and joy, bring reproach on the church and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. (John 6:37, 39-40; 10:28-29; Romans 8:38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:8-9; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; 4:18)

The Church: The Church is composed of all true disciples of Jesus Christ, who according to His commandment, are to associate together in local churches for worship, fellowship and outreach. The Lord Jesus, as the Head of the Church, calls each local church into existence and gives the leaders of each local fellowship the necessary authority for carrying out His work in this world. (Matthew 16:18; 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 2:42; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 2:19-22; Hebrews 10:23-25; Ephesians 5:19-21; 1:22-23; Acts 14:23; 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-2; Hebrews 13:17)

Baptism: Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon believers, wherein they are baptized in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of their participation in the death and resurrection of Christ, of the remission of their sins, and of giving themselves up to God to walk in newness of life. Since baptism by immersion seems to best picture the believer’s identification with Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection believers’ baptism by immersion will be the mode of baptism practiced by this local church. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-5)

The Lord’s Supper: The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of Jesus Christ to be observed by the church until the end of time that celebrates the once-for-all perfect sacrifice of His death as a means of encouraging faith among God’s people by serving as a pledge and renewal of both their communion with Him and with other believers in the church. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:23-26)

The Resurrection and Judgment: The bodies of men and women after death return to dust, but their spirits return immediately to God — the righteous to rest with Him; the wicked to be kept for judgment — until the end of time when the bodies of all the dead, both just and unjust, will be raised. At that time God will expose every thought and intent of the heart, and judge each person by Jesus Christ according to his or her deeds done in this present life. (Ecclesiastes 12:7; Hebrews 9:27; John 5:28-29; Matthew 16:27: Romans 3:19; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Matthew 12:36; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 15:50-53; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Titus 2:13)

Eternity: At the end of time God will carry out His judgment by sending the wicked into everlasting punishment in hell while He will complete His work of salvation in the righteous and lead them into everlasting communion with Himself in a new heaven and new earth that He has graciously prepared for His people in which they will worship and enjoy Him in an ever increasing measure for ever and ever. (Matthew 13:41-42; 25:41, 46; Revelation 20:11-15; John 14:2-3; Revelation 21:1-4)