WHAT WE BELIEVE

We believe that only the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired, and therefore inerrant, Word of God. These books provide us with a perfect treasure of divine instruction and narrate God’s purpose in the creation of the world, His plan for salvation in Jesus, and the standard by which He will judge the world. The Bible is the true center of all Christian union and will remain to the end of the world.

2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; John 10:35, 17:17

We believe that the one true God exists eternally in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that these, being one God, are equal in deity, power, and glory. God is infinite, eternal, and perfect in beauty, holiness, goodness, truth, and love. We believe that God not only created the world but also now upholds, sustains, governs, and providentially directs all that exists and that he will bring all things to their proper consummation in Christ Jesus to the glory of his name.

Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 104, 139; Matthew 10:29-31, 28:19; Acts 17:24-28; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:9-12, 4:4-6; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 1:4-6

We believe that God created all things, both visible and invisible, to display the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, and that the creation of the first man, Adam, from the dust of the earth, and Eve from Adam, was the culmination of his creative work. Both Adam and Eve were created equally in the image of God, without sin, with God’s natural law written on their hearts, with the ability to completely refrain from sin, and God called this creation very good. We believe that God created men and women as gendered beings, each created in the image of God, fully equal in value, dignity, and worth, with complementary roles in the created order. Because of God’s good design of men and women in his image, blurring the boundary between maleness and femaleness violates the boundaries God has set for the good and glory of his people.

Genesis 1:1, 18-28, 2:24; Galatians 3:28; Psalm 8:3-9; Isaiah 42:5-6

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man, who became human without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He was sent by the Father to reveal God and redeem sinful humanity. He lived a sinless life and offered himself as a penal, substitutionary sacrifice for sinners. Through his vicarious death for sinners, he revealed God’s perfect love and upheld God’s perfect justice. He was vindicated by the Father through his literal, bodily resurrection from the dead. After being raised from the dead, he ascended into heaven and was seated at the Father’s right hand, where, as our high priest, he makes constant intercession for the saints. He is the only savior for the sins of the world.

Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-18; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 3:23-25; 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-23; Hebrews 7:23-25; 9:13-15; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2:21-25; 1 John 2:2

We believe that humanity was originally created in the image of God, righteous and without sin, but through Adam’s disobedience the human race has fallen. Humans are therefore totally depraved — born subject both to imputed and inherent sin, and are therefore by nature and choice the children of God’s just wrath. Humans are unable to save themselves or contribute in any way to their acceptance before God

Genesis 1-3; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:9-18, 5:1-12; Ephesians 2:1-3

The gospel is the good news that Jesus has inaugurated the power, justice, and mercy of God's kingdom. Through Jesus' death and resurrection, the whole world is being redeemed. The gospel meets us at the core of who we are and invites us to embrace Jesus and his work instead of our own as the sole foundation of our relationship with God. In short, the gospel confronts both those attempting to establish their identities by being religious and those attempting to establish their identities by being irreligious-inviting them instead to find their identity in the life and work of Jesus.

The Gospel is the good news that Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. The gospel is the end of all human pursuits for righteousness in that it announces that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

No ordinance, ritual, work, or any other activity on the part of man is required in order to be saved. God alone, because of his mercy and sovereign election, through the power of the Holy Spirit, awakens faith and repentance. Those who turn from sin and look to Christ alone for their righteousness are justified before God — having the righteousness of Christ imputed to them.

John 1:12-13; 6:37-44; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 3-4; 8:1-17, 10:8-13; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:3-7

We believe the gospel is not only the means by which people are saved, but also the means by which people are sanctified. Trusting Jesus as our only source of acceptance before God enables us to genuinely and joyfully do that which is pleasing to God. Through this gospel-empowered obedience, the Holy Spirit makes us progressively conformed to the image of Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:21-22; Philippians 2:12-13

We believe that once salvation is obtained, it cannot be lost. Those who are truly redeemed are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever

Romans 8:31-39

We believe that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the church of the first century are operational today. This includes signs and wonders, as well as all the gifts described in the New Testament.

Though neither essential for salvation nor an indication of spiritual maturity, these gifts are designed to testify to the presence of the kingdom and to empower and edify the church to fulfill its calling and mission and therefore are to be earnestly desired and practiced.

Acts 2:14-21, 4:29-30; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 28-31; 14:1-33; Galatians 3:1-5

We believe that God instituted marriage as an exclusive, lifelong, and covenantal union of one man and one woman, which signifies the relationship between Christ and his Church, and involves two partners who are both similar (i.e., human) and different (i.e., opposite sex). We believe God designed and blessed sexual intimacy to be enjoyed exclusively within the marriage covenant, within this life, and that any inward cultivation or outward expression of sexual desire apart from the one-flesh bond between husband and wife is out of accord with God’s creational intent, and therefore against his good and gracious will. Along with every form of sexual desire apart from the one-flesh bond between husband and wife, we believe that same-sex sexual desire experienced by those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and same-sex attracted is a product of the Fall, that same-sex sexual desire was not a pre-Fall reality, and that same-sex sexual desire will not exist in the new creation, after the return of Christ.

We believe that the local church should be a place in which all Christians experience true belonging and genuine intimacy, and that God gives each member of his household unique opportunities to extend welcome and hospitality so that all might partake in the joys, benefits, and responsibilities of being his children. In this context, every person is called to serve God with their sexuality, and regardless of one’s marital status, Christians should pursue purity and abstain from sexually immoral practices such as adultery, premarital sex, homosexuality, and pornography for the sake of genuine sanctification and a compelling Christian witness.

Genesis 1:26-28, 2:24; 1 Peter 3:7; Matthew 19:3-9; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

We believe that the church is the primary instrument through which the triune God is fulfilling his redemptive purposes in the earth. The Church universal is made up of those throughout the earth, both living and dead, who have become genuine followers of Jesus.

A visible church is a congregation of baptized believers, associated through covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the sacraments instituted by Jesus; exercising their Spirit apportioned gifts for God’s glory in relation to one another and the world. In the context of the church, God calls sinful men and women to live as the New Covenant community. The church demonstrates the reality of God’s kingdom through the proclamation of the gospel, pastoral care and leadership, and ministry to the poor and marginalized through sacrificial giving and practical service.

Isaiah 58:6-12; 61:1; Matthew 16:17-19; 28:18-20; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Galatians 2:10; Ephesians 1:22-23; 3:7-21; 4:11-16; Hebrews 10:23-25; 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10

We believe that water baptism and the Eucharist are the two sacraments of the church to be observed until Christ’s return. They are a means of God’s sanctifying grace and blessing to the faithful in Christ Jesus. The sacraments are reserved for those who consciously place their faith in Jesus for their righteousness and become his disciples.

Matthew 26:26-29; Romans 6:3-11; 1 Corinthians 11:23-24; 1 Peter 3:21

We believe in the literal second coming of Christ at the end of the age when He will return to the earth personally and visibly to consummate His kingdom. At this time, Christ will raise the dead from the grave and separate the righteous from the wicked. The wicked will be consigned to endless punishment, and the righteous to endless joy in fellowship with the triune God. This judgment will forever fix the final state of men in heaven or hell, on the principle of God’s just and holy judgment in Christ.

Matthew 25:46; John 5:25-29; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12; Revelation 19:1-21; 20:11-15; 21:1-22:15