The Bible
The Bible is God’s Word. It was written by human authors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Scripture is a gift from God whereby He reveals Himself to us and reveals His plans for this world. In the pages of the Bible, God tells us everything we need to know about the things He wants us to know about.
God’s Word contains truth that heals our brokenness, answers our most important questions, and guides our lives in the right direction. Being God’s Word, the Bible is truth without error, completely trustworthy and authoritative in matters of life and faith.
2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 19:7-13; Matthew 4:4; Hebrews 4:12-13
God’s Word contains truth that heals our brokenness, answers our most important questions, and guides our lives in the right direction. Being God’s Word, the Bible is truth without error, completely trustworthy and authoritative in matters of life and faith.
2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 19:7-13; Matthew 4:4; Hebrews 4:12-13
God: Sovereign and Triune
There is one and only one living and true God. He is the self-existing, all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, eternal, and unchanging God. He is Spirit and a personal Being. He alone is the Creator of everything, He rules the universe without rival, He is Supreme Judge over all, and He is the Redeemer of His people. He is infinite and holy, and the source of all that is good. He alone is worthy of all glory and to Him we owe our devotion, affection, and obedience.
We believe in the Trinity—the Tri-Unity of God. There is but one God, but He eternally exists in three distinct Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is the mystery of the Trinity: One God in three Persons. Each member of the Godhead is fully God sharing the same essence, substance, nature, character, will, and glory. The Father, Son, and Spirit equally possess all divine attributes. Furthermore, each member of the Godhead is distinct from the others. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father. Three distinct Persons, each fully God, but there is one and only one God.
Genesis 1:1; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 6:3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 13:14
We believe in the Trinity—the Tri-Unity of God. There is but one God, but He eternally exists in three distinct Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is the mystery of the Trinity: One God in three Persons. Each member of the Godhead is fully God sharing the same essence, substance, nature, character, will, and glory. The Father, Son, and Spirit equally possess all divine attributes. Furthermore, each member of the Godhead is distinct from the others. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father. Three distinct Persons, each fully God, but there is one and only one God.
Genesis 1:1; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 6:3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 13:14
God the Father:
God the Father reigns with providential care over His universe and over the affairs of His creatures. He governs over time and space guiding history move in accordance to His purposes. It is God the Father who, out of love, sent His Son to earth that all who place their faith in Him may be forgiven of sin and adopted as His children to the praise of the glory of His grace.
1 Chronicles 29:10; John 17:1-5; Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:3; Ephesians 1:3-12; 4:6
1 Chronicles 29:10; John 17:1-5; Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:3; Ephesians 1:3-12; 4:6
God the Son: Savior & Lord
Jesus Christ is God, the second member of the Holy Trinity, the eternal Son of God. At the time of the Father’s choosing, the Son was supernaturally conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Through the miracle of the Incarnation, Jesus was born into this world as fully God and fully man. Being God, Jesus was able to be our Savior for only God can remove our sin. Being man, Jesus was qualified to be our representative (the 2nd Adam). During His time on earth, He was tempted in every way yet never sinned. In obedience to the Father’s will, Jesus sacrificed Himself on a cross. On the cross, He substituted Himself on our behalf, took our sin upon Himself, paid the price for our sin, and received the divine judgment we deserve. He died and was buried, but on the third day He rose from the dead demonstrating His power over sin and death. He ascended into heaven, now sits at the right hand of God the Father, and will one day return to judge the world and reign as King.
Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-4; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; Hebrews 1:1-4
Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-4; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; Hebrews 1:1-4
God the Holy Spirit: Teacher & Counselor
The Holy Spirit is God, the third member of the Holy Trinity. He is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. He is active in the hearts of individuals making us aware of truth, of sin, and of our need for Jesus Christ. At the moment, a person places their faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells them and grants unique spiritual gifts to be used for the health of the local church and for the advancement of the gospel. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Counselor providing spiritual discernment, wisdom, and empowerment for living life as a follower of Christ.
John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:3-13; Ephesians 1:13-14
John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:3-13; Ephesians 1:13-14
Humanity: Image bearers
What makes human beings unique in all of creation is that we alone were created in the image and likeness of God. God created us uniquely and specifically to reflect His character and glory. As image bearers, we have an obligation to treat our fellow man with dignity and love regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, or socio-economic class because they too were created in image and likeness of God.
Genesis 1:26-28; 9:6; Psalm 139; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:21-24; Colossians 3:10
Genesis 1:26-28; 9:6; Psalm 139; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:21-24; Colossians 3:10
Sin: Our great problem
In the beginning man was innocent but our first forefather Adam sinned against God. He chose to disobey God’s instructions and through his sin death entered the world. This is known as the Fall. Because of Adam’s sin, we are born spiritually dead having inherited a sinful status before God and a sinful disposition against God. Everyone born since Adam, with the exception of Jesus Christ, is guilty of disobeying God’s commands. The terrible news is that all sin (both willful and unintentional) is an infinite offense against our holy and all-powerful God. The frightening truth is that the consequence for any and all sin is death, condemnation, and eternal punishment, and no amount of good works on our behalf can reverse our dilemma.
Genesis 2:16-17; 6:5; Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3
Genesis 2:16-17; 6:5; Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3
The Gospel: Our great hope
The word gospel means “good news.” The good news is that forgiveness of sin and salvation from sin’s eternal consequences is available. God lovingly makes His grace available through His Son, Jesus Christ. Salvation is a free gift given by God to those who repent from their sin, trust in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and pledge to follow Him as Lord of their life.
Salvation was made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, where He appeased the holy wrath of God by taking our punishment upon Himself. It is only through the cross that we can be made acceptable to God and fulfill the purpose for which He created us.
Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Matthew 16:21-26; John 3:16; 14:6; Romans 6:23; 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:4-9; Titus 3:4-7;
Hebrews 10:10-14; 1 Peter 1:3-5
Salvation was made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, where He appeased the holy wrath of God by taking our punishment upon Himself. It is only through the cross that we can be made acceptable to God and fulfill the purpose for which He created us.
Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Matthew 16:21-26; John 3:16; 14:6; Romans 6:23; 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:4-9; Titus 3:4-7;
Hebrews 10:10-14; 1 Peter 1:3-5
The Church: Our new family
At the moment of conversion, not only does the Holy Spirit bring a person into an eternal union with Christ but also brings that person into a permanent union with all fellow believers, past and present, in heaven and on earth. This is known as the universal church. The Church is the family of God.
The majority of New Testament teaching about the church is in reference to local churches. A local church is an autonomous body of believers, who have been baptized, are united by common faith in the gospel, who are governed by God’s Word and led by Christ as the Head, who observe the Lord’s Supper, who help one another grow as followers of Jesus, who use their individual spiritual gifts and talents for the good of the church, and who together strive to further the gospel in this world.
Belonging to a specific local church is a matter of obedience to God, is for our own spiritual good, and is in the best interest of our fellow believers.
Jeremiah 31:33; 1 Corinthians 12:7-14; 15:33; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27; 1 Timothy 3:15
The majority of New Testament teaching about the church is in reference to local churches. A local church is an autonomous body of believers, who have been baptized, are united by common faith in the gospel, who are governed by God’s Word and led by Christ as the Head, who observe the Lord’s Supper, who help one another grow as followers of Jesus, who use their individual spiritual gifts and talents for the good of the church, and who together strive to further the gospel in this world.
Belonging to a specific local church is a matter of obedience to God, is for our own spiritual good, and is in the best interest of our fellow believers.
Jeremiah 31:33; 1 Corinthians 12:7-14; 15:33; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27; 1 Timothy 3:15
God’s Desire: Our growth
God tells us in the Bible that He has good plans for our lives, and those good plans include our sanctification. This is the process of becoming less sinful and more godly. It is a progressive work in which we become more and more like Christ in our character, attitude, behavior, speech, affections, desires, and virtues. This is an ongoing transformation that begins the moment of our conversion and that involves our entire being (heart, mind, body, and soul). While sanctification is primarily the work of God in us, it does involve our humble participation and takes place in the context of Christian community (the local church).
1 Thessalonians 4:3; Philippians 2:12-13; 15:33; 1 Peter 1:13-16
1 Thessalonians 4:3; Philippians 2:12-13; 15:33; 1 Peter 1:13-16
We deny…
...any and all teaching which claims that a person has access to the power of faith through speech. Such teaching comes from what is referred to as the Word of Faith Movement (also known as Name-It-And-Claim-It theology) which promotes the idea that “positive confession” yields specific desired results. Proponents teach that a person can use the “power of faith” to create their own reality and to get what they want. According to this philosophy, faith is a force or tool by which God is activated to provide the desires of a person. In essence Word of Faith teaches that verbalizing positive wishes in the form of prayer with “faith” will manifest the desired results. This is a false, non-biblical teaching.
...any and all teaching which claims that the salvation won by Jesus includes promises from God for health, wealth, and prosperity in this life. Such teaching comes from what is referred to as the Prosperity Gospel. The Prosperity Gospel is a false gospel which fosters false hope. Theologically speaking, it is fool’s gold. The Prosperity Gospel is non-biblical and antithetical to the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
...any and all teaching with claims that speaking in tongues is the sign by which it can be known if a person has been baptized in/by/with the Holy Spirit. There is one baptism by which all believers are baptized at the moment of salvation. While all believers receive at least one spiritual gift, no one spiritual gift (i.e. tongues) is the verifying sign of having been baptized in/by/with the Spirit.
...any and all teaching which values personal, life experience over and above objective truth. While we recognize that everyone experiences life differently and those various life experiences are real and impactful, we recognize that universal truth provides the objective measure which with to gauge right and wrong and by which to set the course of our lives.
...any and all teaching which values personal feelings over objective truth. Feelings matter but feelings are subjective and often untrustworthy. Jeremiah 17:9 says that the heart is deceitful above all things. Therefore, we trust objective truth over and above feelings.
...any and all teaching which values emotional experience over objective truth. Humans are by nature emotional creatures. Given our fallen, sinful nature, it is easy to give ourselves to experiential emotionalism which can very misguiding. We trust God’s objective truth which is always reliable and unchanging.
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