The Scriptures

We affirm that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are in their entirety the verbally inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, and the infallible authority for Christian faith and practice (II Tim. 3: 16-17; II Peter 1:20-21).

The Godhead

We affirm that God exists eternally in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and that these are nonetheless one in essence, sharing the same perfections and attributes (Matt. 28:18-19; II Cor. 13:14).

Jesus Christ

We affirm that Jesus of Nazareth is fully God, possessing all of the attributes of deity (Col. 1:15-19), as well as fully human, having been born of the virgin Mary (Luke 1:30-35; Gal 4:4). We affirm that in the incarnation Jesus Christ in no way ceased to be God.

We affirm that Jesus Christ was born without sin, lived a completely sinless life on earth (Heb. 4:15), died on the cross for the sins of mankind (I Cor. 5:21;I Pet. 2:24), and rose bodily from the dead on the third day (Luke 24;I Cor. 15:4-20). He ascended into heaven, from where He reigns until His return (Acts 1:9-11; 7:55).

The Holy Spirit

We affirm that the Holy Spirit is fully God (Matt. 28:19; John 14:16-17; Acts 5:3-4).

We affirm that the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of Scripture to deliver God’s revelation to man (II Pet. 1:21; John 16:13), and that this ministry ceased with the end of the apostolic era and the completion of the New Testament writings.

We affirm that the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to glorify Christ (John 16:14) by convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11), by regeneration and subsequently indwelling those who trust in Jesus Christ for salvation (John 3:3-6; Titus 3:5; I John 5:1; I Cor. 6:19; Gal. 4:6), by baptizing believers into the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:12-13), by enabling believers to have victory over sin (Rom. 8:2-4), by building up the church (I Cor. 12:12-27), and by illumining the minds of believers in order that they might understand spiritual truth (I Cor. 2:12-15).

We affirm that every believer has full access to the sanctifying ministry of the Holy Spirit from the moment of salvation (Rom. 8:9-16). This ministry involves the empowering of the believer for the life of growing godliness and good works (Rom 8:1-17; Gal 5:22-23) in obedience to the Scriptures.

Humans

We affirm that humans are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27;  James 3:9). We affirm that Adam sinned by disobeying God’s command in the garden of Eden, thereby bringing all humankind under condemnation and the sentence of death (Rom. 5:12-14). Because of Adam’s sin, all humans are born sinners by nature (Rom. 5:19), are alienated from God, and can do nothing to save themselves from His just judgment (Rom. 1:18-23; Eph. 2:1-5).

Salvation

We affirm that Jesus Christ died on the cross as a representative, substitutionary sacrifice for sin (Is. 53:4-12; Mark 10:45; Rom 5:8; I Pet. 2:24). On the merits of this payment for sin, all who repent and trust personally in Jesus Christ as Savior are justified and declared righteous in God’s sight (Rom 3:21-22, 26-28; II Cor. 7:10; II Pet. 3:9), forgiven of all their sins (Eph 1:7; Col. 1;14), adopted as sons into God’s family (Eph. 1:5; Gal 3:26), and given eternal life (John 3:16; I Pet. 1:3-5).

We affirm that because of their fallen nature, humans  are totally unable to save themselves (Rom 3:23; Eph. 2:1-5); redemption has been accomplishes solely by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross and shedding of His blood (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9; I Pet. 1:19; I John 1:7). Salvation is bestowed as a free gift of God’s sovereign grace, totally apart from any personal merit, on the basis of faith alone (Rom. 3:24; 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5,7).

We affirm that every child of God is saved unconditionally, irrevocably, and eternally, and that nothing can ever change their position in Christ or their relationship with the Father (John 1:12; 3:16; 6:37-40; I Pet. 1:3-5).

The Church

We affirm that Christ’s supreme purpose in this age of grace is to build His church, the Body of Christ (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 4:1-16; 5:25, 27).

We affirm that at the moment of salvation every believer is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:4-5; I Cor. 12:12-13; Col. 1:24).

We affirm that the local church is a divinely-instituted manifestation of the universal Body of Christ, and that it exists for the purposes of: assembling together for worship, instruction in the Word of God, and mutual edification; practicing the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord’s Supper; and evangelizing its neighbors and all the world (Heb. 10:24-25; Acts 2:41-42;Matt. 28:18-20; I Cor. 11:23-28).

We affirm that the local church is to be constantly striving towards unity in truth and in love; the goal of unity should be served by the teaching, care ministries, fellowship, and discipline within the body (Eph. 4:1-16; Phil. 2:1,2;Col. 3:12-16).

We affirm that the New Testament pattern for the local church includes godly leadership taken from that congregation: elders, to whom is entrusted the doctrinal and shepherding oversight of the body (Acts 20:28; Titus 1:9;I Pet. 5:1-3); and deacons, to whom various functions of service are delegated (Acts 6:1-6; Phil 1:1; I Tim. 3:13).

Last Things

We affirm that the Lord Jesus Christ will one day return bodily to the earth in great glory to establish His reign over creation (Acts 1:11; II Thess. 1:10).We affirm that every believer will spend eternity in heaven in the presence of God, but that rewards will be given or withheld on the basis of the believer’s service to Christ while on earth (I Cor. 3:11-15; II Cor. 5:10). We affirm that unbelievers will spend eternity in hell, separated from God in conscious torment (Rev. 20: 10-15).