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 comprises 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 mandated 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. We believe that God's
justifying grace must not be separated from his sanctifying power
and purpose. God commands us to love him supremely and others
sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another,
compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s
Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to
combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s
commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing
witness to the Gospel in word and 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 judge the world,
assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal
conscious punishment 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.
