Doctrinal Statement
What We Believe
God
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. (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
The Bible
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. (2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12)
The Human Condition
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.
(Romans 3:23, 6:23; 1 John 1:8-10)
Jesus Christ
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. (Isaiah 53; John
3:16, 14:6; Romans 5:9-11)
The Work of Christ
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. (John 1:12; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-9)
The Holy Spirit
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. (John 3:5-8; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12)
The Church
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. (Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Timothy 3:15;
Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 5:1-3)
Christian Living
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. (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 12:10; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Matthew 5:13-16)
Christ's Return
We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial 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. (Matthew 24:27; John 14:1-3; 1
Thessalonians 4:16)
Response and Eternal Destiny
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. (Matthew 24:1-31; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 21:22)
We also agree with the following documents:
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The Affirmations and Denials of Together for the Gospel (PDF)
9 Marks of a Healthy Church (PDF)
Scripture
We believe that all sixty-six books of the Bible are God’s only written revelation to man with every word God-breathed, inerrant in the original documents, and the only sufficient and infallible rule for life and practice.
God
We believe that there is only one God, eternally present as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who created all things by the word of His mouth in six 24-hour days and perfectly sustains and sovereignly rules all matter and actions by His divine decree.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, in undiluted, perfect, and eternal union as the Second Person of the Trinity, who was born of the virgin Mary, who took on the limitations of humanity to save the elect through His completed work on the cross, thereby establishing His right to rule over God’s Kingdom forever.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, co-equal in essence and deity with the Father and the Son, who is continuously active in creation, salvation, sanctification, illumination, and intercession, gifting the early church with authenticating sign gifts, and ongoing equipping gifts for ministry.
Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God, yet fell through the universally inherited sin of Adam, resulting in every man following him being born in sin, spiritually dead, hostile to God, completely helpless and hopeless to do anything to advance his spiritual condition, neither worthy of being saved, nor wanting to be.
Sin
We believe that sin originated in the angelic world and it rules every part of man’s being. Man is an absolute slave to his sin nature. Without God’s intervention, man would be eternally separated from God and condemned to hell for eternity.
Salvation
We believe that before time began God chose the elect to be His, rescuing them from their sin through the perfect and complete atonement of Jesus Christ through His sacrificial death on the cross, whereby God draws believing sinners to Himself and grants them the gifts of faith and repentance, resulting in their instantaneous justification, their ongoing sanctification, and their future glorification in heaven with Him.
The Church
We believe that the visible, earthly church is made up of all who have repented of their sin and confessed Jesus Christ as Lord, who have united with local bodies of believers who reflect the glory of God in worship, are devoted to the preaching of His Word, observe the Lord’s Table and believers baptism, are governed by multiple male elders, practice church discipline, and exercise their spiritual gifts.
Future Things
We believe that Christ will return to rapture His church out of this world before He establishes His millennial rule on earth to complete His covenant with Israel, and ultimately establish a new heaven and new earth where we will rule with Him forever.
We agree with the following documents...
