What We Believe

01 The Scriptures

We believe that the Bible, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is God’s written revelation to man. Every word is breathed out by God (plenary verbal inspiration): the Holy Spirit so superintended the human authors that, through their individual personalities and styles, they recorded God’s Word without error. Scripture is infallible and absolutely inerrant in the original documents.

The Bible is the only infallible rule of faith and practice, and is true and reliable in all the matters it addresses.

We hold to the literal, grammatical, historical interpretation of Scripture: a passage may have several applications, but there is only one true interpretation. This interpretation affirms that God created the world in six literal twenty-four-hour days.

2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV) 2 Peter 1:20–21 (ESV) John 10:35 (ESV) John 17:17 (ESV)

02 God

We believe in one living and true God, eternal, infinite, and perfect in all His attributes. God is one in essence, eternally existing in three coequal and consubstantial Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — each equally deserving worship and obedience.

God the Father orders all things according to His own purpose and grace. He is the Creator of all things and is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption. He has decreed for His own glory all things that come to pass, yet He is neither the author nor the approver of sin, nor does He abridge the accountability of moral creatures.

God the Holy Spirit is not merely a force but a divine Person. He regenerates sinners, baptizes all believers into the body of Christ, indwells, sanctifies, instructs, and seals them unto the day of redemption. He glorifies Christ and sovereignly bestows spiritual gifts for the perfecting of the saints.

Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV) Matthew 28:19 (ESV) Ephesians 1:11 (ESV) John 16:13–14 (ESV)

03 Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, is eternal God, coequal and consubstantial with the Father. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, He took on a full human nature, yet without sin and without surrendering any of His divine attributes. He is therefore truly God and truly man in one person — the only mediator between God and man.

By His voluntary, substitutionary, and propitiatory death on the cross, Jesus Christ accomplished the redemption of His people. He rose literally and bodily from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and now intercedes for us as our Advocate and High Priest.

Jesus Christ is the Head of the church and the coming King who will reign on the throne of David. Through Him God will judge all mankind; He is the final Judge of all who fail to trust Him as Lord and Savior.

John 1:1, 14 (ESV) Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV) 1 Timothy 2:5 (ESV) 1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) Hebrews 7:25 (ESV)

04 Man

We believe that man was directly and immediately created by God in His image and likeness, free of sin, as male or female — distinct sexes, biologically defined and given by God to each person at conception. God defined marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman. Man was created to glorify God, enjoy His fellowship, and live according to His will.

In Adam’s sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, man lost his innocence, incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death, and became subject to the wrath of God. The guilt of Adam’s sin was imputed, and a corrupt nature transmitted, to all people, Jesus Christ being the only exception. Man is therefore utterly incapable of choosing or doing what is acceptable to God apart from divine grace, and his salvation is wholly of God’s grace.

Genesis 1:26–28 (ESV) Genesis 2:24 (ESV) Romans 3:23 (ESV) Romans 5:12 (ESV) Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV)

05 Salvation

We believe that salvation is wholly of God by grace, on the basis of the redemption of Jesus Christ — the merits of His perfect life and His atoning blood — and not on the basis of human merit or works. Before the foundation of the world, God unconditionally chose in Christ those whom He would save; all whom He effectually calls will come in faith. Yet election does not negate man’s responsibility to repent and trust Christ as Savior and Lord. Christ’s atonement fully satisfied the justice of God for all those the Father has given to Him.

Regeneration is an instantaneous, supernatural work of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. God justifies — declares righteous — those who, by His irresistible grace, repent of their sins, turn to Christ in faith, and confess Him as sovereign Lord. The righteousness of justification is neither infused nor earned; justification is God’s legal declaration of right standing, consisting in the imputation of our sins to Christ and of His righteousness to us, through faith alone apart from works.

Every believer is set apart to God at conversion and grows in holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit through obedience to the Word. All the redeemed are kept by God’s power and are secure in Christ forever. Genuine salvation is manifested by fruit worthy of repentance.

Ephesians 2:8–10 (ESV) Ephesians 1:4 (ESV) Romans 3:28 (ESV) Romans 10:9–10 (ESV) John 10:27–30 (ESV)

06 The Church

We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one spiritual body, the church — the bride of Christ — of which Christ is the Head and the one supreme authority. The church began at Pentecost, is distinct from Israel, and will be completed at the rapture. Believers are to gather in local churches, each autonomous and self-governing, free from any external authority.

The biblical officers of the church are elders (also called overseers and pastors) and deacons, all of whom must meet biblical qualifications. The elders are spiritually qualified men who lead the church as servants of Christ. The purpose of the church is to glorify God by building itself up in the faith through instruction of the Word, fellowship, keeping the ordinances, and taking the gospel to the entire world.

Two ordinances have been committed to the local church: baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Spirit gives ministering gifts to every believer to build up the church. The miraculous sign gifts, such as tongues and healing, were given temporarily in the apostolic era to confirm the apostles’ message, and have ceased.

Ephesians 1:22–23 (ESV) Acts 2:42 (ESV) 1 Timothy 3:1–13 (ESV) Titus 1:5–9 (ESV) Hebrews 2:3–4 (ESV)

07 Last Things

We believe that at death the souls of believers pass immediately into the presence of Christ, and that all people will be raised bodily — the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.

Christ will appear personally and bodily to take His church from the earth (the rapture) before the seven-year tribulation, during which God’s righteous judgments will be poured out on an unbelieving world. After the tribulation, Christ will return in glory to the earth, occupy the throne of David, and establish His messianic kingdom for a thousand years, fulfilling God’s promises to Israel.

After the thousand-year reign, Christ will raise and judge all unbelievers at the Great White Throne, and they will be committed to eternal conscious punishment in the lake of fire. The saved will enter the eternal state of glory with God in the new heaven and the new earth.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (ESV) Revelation 20:1–15 (ESV) Revelation 21:1–4 (ESV) John 5:28–29 (ESV)