We believe in the eternal, infinite and personal, one true Triune God – three persons in One. All things exist from Him and for His glory. We believe that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct in personhood yet are co-eternal in being, co-eternal in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections (Deut 6:4; Ps 102:26-27; Isaiah 45:5-6; Jer 23:23-24; John 17:3; John 10:30; John 14:19; Matt 28:19). God is all-knowing, all-powerful, good, holy, and immutable at all times in all circumstances. Each attribute contributes to our understanding of who He is and how He operates, and each attribute is without compromise to His other attributes (Exod 3:14, Jer 23:23, Luke 13:1-5)
We believe that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. We understand the whole Bible is inspired in the sense that holy men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the very word (verbal inspiration) of Scripture. We believe that the Bible is comprised of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments; that these sacred writings are complete, fully authoritative (plenary inspiration), without error (inerrant) as they appeared in the original manuscripts and preserved in the totality of manuscripts for us today. We believe that all the Scriptures are at their core about the Lord Jesus Christ in His person and work, who is Himself the Word of God made flesh (John 1:1-2). Because of their divine inspiration, the Scriptures are the final authority for faith and life, profitable for reproof, correction and training in righteousness (II Tim 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21; Matt 5:18; John 16:12-13).
We believe that mankind, both male and female, were created by God in a state of perfection, equally bearing the image of God (Gen 1:27-31). Adam, the father of the human race, sinned against God’s authority and through that sin the race of humanity fell (Gen 3:6; Rom 5:12). As a result, all descendants of Adam are separated from God by sin (Eph 4:17; Gal 1:12; Rom 3:10-18), are spiritually dead, totally unable to do anything at all to remedy or fix their lost condition (Eph 2:1-3), are born as slaves to sin and are rebels against God (Rom 6:16; Rom 8:7; John 8:34). All mankind are in debt to God through sin that leads to death (Ps 51:5; Rom 6:23) and are in desperate need to be reconciled, made right, and made to be pleasing to God in righteousness (Matt 5:20; Rom 8:8; Isaiah 64:6; Rom 7:18).
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son (John 3:16; Acts 13:33). He was miraculously conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:35). He was sinless in His life on earth (Heb 4:15) fulfilling the demands of God’s law, and meeting God’s righteous standard. Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man. Through His obedience He is able to gift (impute) His righteousness to all who believe, leading to eternal life (Rom 5:15-21). Christ paid the debt of sin and ransomed men from slavery when He willingly offered Himself as a substitute (Matt 20:28; Rev 5:9) – a sacrifice for our sins – He died on Calvary’s cross and took upon Himself our sin, our guilt, and our shame (Lev 16:20-22, Col 2:13-15; Heb 10:10). We believe in His physical resurrection on the third day (I Cor 15:3-4) and in His ascension to Heaven, where He sits at God’s right hand (Acts 1:1-11, Heb 1:3) making continual intercession for us as our High Priest (Heb 7:25). We wait with longing hearts for His return (Acts 1:11) to judge the world (Rev 22:12-13) and establish His righteous kingdom on Eearth (Luke 1:32).
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God (Ps 139:7; Isaiah 40:13). He makes people aware of sin, of righteousness and of judgment (John 16:8). He brings new life (or regeneration) to the hearts of those who believe (Isaiah 44:2-4) and He seals them as a guarantee until the day of salvation (Eph 1:13-14). Through His indwelling ministry (I Tim 1:14) He provides witness to God’s word (I John 2:20), advocates people regarding Jesus (John 15:26) and leads believers in truth (Eph 1:17-18; I Cor 2:10). The Holy Spirit leads and empowers believers to live holy lives before God (Ezekiel 36:25-27). The Holy Spirit provides a comforting presence (Acts 9:31), confirms our relationship with Christ (Rom 8:9-16) and gives gifts and abilities to each believer for the purpose of service (I Cor 12:4-11).
We believe that the church is the universal body of redeemed persons in all places who have been made alive together in Jesus Christ by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, baptized into one body (I Cor 12:13) of which Christ is the head. This called out assembly of believers is tasked with making disciples (followers of Jesus Christ) and the proclamation of the Gospel to this world. In the book of Matthew, Jesus Christ gave those men and women (His disciples) a Great Commission to go into all the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ (the good news) and make disciples who follow Jesus Christ. The church is that gathered group of Christ followers who God has chosen to be the primary tool to spread the Gospel. Therefore the primary way in which we accomplish this Great Commission is the building up of the church by teaching, equipping and preaching, prayer, and administration of the sacraments. The church communicates the Gospel of Jesus Christ, thus continuing the cycle of growth of the Church of Jesus Christ, as seen from the very beginning (Acts 8:1-4). We affirm that a local church is a miixed body of believers and unbelievers who gather in particular locations, regions, cities and towns under qualified elders as a local expression of the universal church (1 Cor 14:22-25). The purpose of the local gathering is for believers to submit to the Word of God, to be equipped to service, to celebrate and proclaim the work of Christ in their lives through corporate worship, to serve one another with their gifts, to encourage one another and to observe the ordinances change to sacraments- believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Eph 1:22-23; Eph 5:25-27;I Cor 12:12-14; II Cor 11:2; Rom 14:7-12)
The sacraments of the church are two, baptism and the Lord’s supper, having been ordained of God as signs and symbols of the benefits received from Christ by faith in the person and work of Christ alone (Matt 28:19, 26:26-28, Rom 6:4, 1 Cor 11:23-26) and not the sacrament itself (Rom 3:20-4:12). Baptism is administered to those who profess faith and repentance in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38) by immersion or dipping in water (Rom 6:4, Lev. 14:6) which signifies union with Christ burial and resurrection. The Lord’s Supper is to be received by faith by those who can discern the Lord’s Body, the Church, (1 Cor 11:27-34) and by faith partake in the benefits of Christ atoning death on the cross and enjoy the covenant therein, fellowship with Christ and His Church (Matthew 26:26-29). All followers of Jesus are commanded to partake in the sacrament except those who cannot discern the Lord’s Body nor are those who are unable to receive the sacrament by faith are warned against receiving the sacrament, lest they subject themselves to guilt and judgment (Lev 7:18-19, 1 Cor 11:27-34)
We believe that just as Christ has been raised from the dead, there will also be a future physical resurrection of the dead of all people (I Cor 15). Only those who turn from sin and to Jesus in faith and repentance will be raised to eternal life, avoiding the conscious punishment of eternal separation from God’s benevolence in hell (Matt 25:31-46; Luke 13:24-30, John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15).
We believe that, due to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again (John 3:5-8); that salvation is only by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ; and that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ through faith are declared righteous by God and become children of God (Heb.10:19-25). The evidence of saving faith will be repentance (turning away from sin), belief (turning to Jesus Christ in trust), and the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). We believe that all the redeemed once saved are kept by God’s power and are secure in Jesus Christ forever (John 6:37-40; John 10:27-30; Rom 8:1; Rom 8:38-39; I Cor 1:4-8; I Peter 1:3-5) and are therefore assured of their salvation by the same grace that accomplished their rescue (Eph 1:3-14; Rom 8:28-29; Phil 1:29).
The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the glorification of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. In the consummation, Satan, with his hosts and all those outside Christ, is finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment (Rev. 20:7-15), but the righteous, in glorious bodies, will live and reign with Him forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory. Then the eager expectation of creation will be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God, who makes all things new (Rev. 21:1-5).
‘Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy’
‘The Apostles Creed’
‘The Nicene Creed’
‘The Definition of Chalcedon’
‘Ligonier Statement on Christology’
‘Babylonian Captivity of the Church’ by Martin Luther
’On the Freedom of the Christian’ by Martin Luther
‘Cambridge Declaration’
We believe that God uniquely designed men and women in the gender of their birth by divine design and should celebrate their uniqueness by expressing themselves in ways that honor the divine design, distinct roles and unique responsibilities (Gen 2). We believe that marriage was designed by God in His perfect wisdom as a sacred spiritual covenant between one man and one woman (Gen 2:24). God’s design for sexual intimacy is a gift for a husband and wife for their pleasure and God’s glory, protected in the bonds of covenant marriage (Gen 2:25). Through this sacred union God unites for life one man and one woman into one indivisible flesh (Matt 19:6; I Cor 6:15-20). God’s creative design for men and women in a covenant relationship is to live in a monogamous marital heterosexual union with each other, as a living parable and picture of Christ’s relationship with His church. We believe Biblical marriage between a man and a women proclaims the plan of God of the restoration and ultimate sanctification of the bride of Christ (the church) through Jesus Christ’s work and thus proclaims God’s redemptive relationship with the church (Eph 5:31-32).