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I The Scriptures
We believe that the Scripture of the Old and New Testament were written by men, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, thus divinely inspired by God. The scripture are the final authority for our faith and life. The crux of the scripture is that God is the author, salvation for its end, and truth coursing throughout it without any error. Scripture is totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation or worldly wisdom. Every doctrinal formulation, whether of creed, confession or theology, must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in Holy Scripture.
2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13; Acts 20:32
II God
There is only one true and living God. He is infinite, eternal, almighty and perfect in holiness, truth and love. He is the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. We believe in the Triune God in which God reveals himself as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three persons of the trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, make up the co-existent, co-equal, and co-eternal essence of our God. The Father is not the Son, The Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father, yet each is truly Deity. The three persons of God have distinct personal attributes though they are without division in nature, essence, or being.
God the Father
God as Father reigns with a providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. It was by His word and for His glory alone that He freely and supernaturally created the world out of nothing. He is faithful to every promise, works all things together for good to those who love Him, and in His unfathomable grace gave His Son Jesus Christ for mankind’s redemption.
Isaiah 46:9-10; Luke 10:21-22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16, 6:27; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6;1 Timothy 1:1-2, 2:5-6, 1:17; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6
The Person and Work of Christ
Christ is the eternal, only begotten Son of God. Through Him all things came into being and were created. He was before all things and in Him all things hold together by the power of His word. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born over all creation and in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead. Jesus became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary so that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience and through His substitutionary death on the cross made the provision necessary for the redemption of men from their sin by absorbing the holy, just, and loving wrath of God thus reconciling us to God. Having redeemed us from sin, Jesus rose from the grave on the third day being victorious over death and the powers of darkness. He soon ascended into Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose person is effected the redemption between God and man. He will return again visibly and bodily, in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission.
Isaiah 53:10-12; John 1:1, 14; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 3:21-26, 8-34; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Galatians 3:13; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 1:1-3, 7:25
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement.
Through the proclamation of the gospel, He persuades men to repent of their sins, confessing Jesus as Lord and brings about man’s regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His Church. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that seals the believer unto the day of final redemption.
John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27, 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, 12:12-14; Romans 8:9; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 5:18.
III Man
God made man -male and female- in His own image and likeness, as the crown of creation, that man might glorify Him. Tempted by Satan, Adam, our first father, rebelled against God and therefore brought sin into the human race. Through this sin, man transgressed the command of God and was then inclined toward sin. Being estranged from his Maker, yet responsible to Him, man became subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved and apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to his mind, will and affections. Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin and Satan. He is at enmity with God, hostile toward God, and hateful of God. Fallen sinful people, whatever their character or attainments, are lost without hope apart from salvation in Christ alone.
Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23, 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3,12
IV Salvation
Salvation is a gift that is brought to man by the free grace and pleasure of God. Salvation is accomplished through Christ’s substitutionary life and death and His resurrection from the grave, and it is received by the repentance of sins and personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. In its broadest sense salvation entails regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19
V Sanctification
Those who follow Christ are saved into a life-long process of being made more and more like Christ that includes a progressive growth in the knowledge and understanding of God, good works, repentance of sins, putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and a love for God and others. The Holy Spirit is the active agent in our sanctification and seeks to produce His fruit in us as our minds are renewed and we are conformed to the image of Christ. The indwelling sin remains a reality and as we are led by the Spirit, we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, freely keeping His commandments and endeavoring to so live in the world that all people may see our good works and glorify our father who is in heaven. We, as believers, are commanded to persevere in the faith knowing that we will have to give an account to God for every thought, word, and deed. The believer’s ultimate confidence to persevere is based in the sure promise of God to preserve His people until the end, that is most certain. It is important to know that sanctification is progressive and that no one will ever arrive at perfection before their death but must strive to be constantly growing towards Christlikeness.
Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:1-17; Galatians 5:13-25; Ephesians 3:14-21; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 3:1-17; 2 Peter 1
VI Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion for the flesh. Assurance is based upon the person and work of Christ and upon the evidence of conversion in the life of a believer.
John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:5; Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15
VII God’s Purpose of Grace
Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.
All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ and sanctified by His Spirit will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31; Matthew 16:18-19; 21:28-45; 24:22,31; 25:34; Luke 1:68-79; 2:29-32; 19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:12-14; 3:16; 5:24; 6:44-45,65; 10:27-29; 15:16; 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32; Romans 5:9-10; 8:28-39; 10:12-15; 11:5-7,26-36; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 15:24-28; Ephesians 1:4-23; 2:1-10; 3:1-11; Colossians 1:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10,19; Hebrews 11:39–12:2; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2.
VIII The Church
The Church is the body and bride of Christ and is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons. Jesus Christ is the head of the church. To each local body, Christ has given the authority of administering order, discipline, and worship. The ultimate mission of the Church is worship and the means by which this is accomplished is the making of disciples though the preaching and embracing of the gospel. All members of the Church universal are to be a vital and committed part of a local church. In this context, they are called to walk out the New Covenant as the people of God demonstrate the reality of the kingdom of God. Because the Church is the body of Christ, Christ takes care of his Church and his people by admonishing ministry gifts (including prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers) for the equipping of Christ’s body that it might mature and grow. Through the gift ministries, all members of the church are to be nurtured and equipped for the work of the ministry. In the context of the local church, God’s people receive pastoral care and leadership and the opportunity to employ their God-given gifts in his service in relation to one another and the world.
Matthew 28:18-20; John 10:16; Acts 20:17, 28; Ephesians 1:22, 5:23; 1 Timothy 3:1-13, 5:17-18; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 10:25; Matthew 18:15-19; Romans 12:3-8
IX Christian Conduct
We believe very Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men. His conduct should be blameless before the world and he should be a faithful steward of his God-given possessions. Those who believe in Christ should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 14:15,23-24; 1 John 2:3-6; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Col. 1:9-10
X Church Ordinances
Christian baptism is though the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Water baptism is only intended for the individual who has received the saving benefits of Christ’s atoning work and has become His disciple. This is an act of obedience and is a visual and symbolic demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. It signifies that the believer's former way of life has been put to death and vividly depicts a person’s release from the mastery of sin. Being a church ordinance, it is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s supper.
As with water baptism, the Lord’s Supper is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ. This ordinance symbolized the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of His blood on our behalf. It is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death. As we partake of the Lord’s supper with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body.
Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.
XI Last things
The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, visible, personal, and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ, the judgement 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 of Christ are finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment, but the righteous, in their glorious resurrection bodies, shall live and reign with Him forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory. Then shall the eager expectation of creation be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God who makes all things new.
Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-1
XII Snake Handling
No...but we are warming up to the idea. |
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