Statement of Faith
The Scriptures
We believe that the Bible was written by men, is divinely inspired, and is the record of God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure for divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and its contents are without error. It reveals the principles by which God judges us; and, therefore, is - and will remain to the end of the world - the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ (Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4: 1-2; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 19:7-10; Psalm 119:11,89,105,140; Matthew 5:17-18; Luke 24:44-46; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21).
God
We believe there is only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being - the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without divisions of nature, essence or being.
1. God, the Father: God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purpose of His grace. He is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-wise. God is Father of truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 42:5-8; Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 23:9; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:10-11; John 4:24; John 14:6-13; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 1:17).
2. God, the Son: Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying Himself completely with mankind, yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience; and, in His death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, in whose Person is affected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-present Lord (Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 1:18, 3:17, 16:16; Luke 1:35, 22:70; John 1:1-18, 11:25-27, 14:6, 17:1, 20:1; Acts 2:22-24; Romans 1:3-4, 5:6-21; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; Hebrews 1:3, 7:25, 13:8; Revelation 19:16).
3. God, the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired men of old to write The Scriptures. Through illumination, He enables men to understand the truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He calls men to the Savior and affects regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers and bestows spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the Church in worship, evangelism and service (Genesis 1:2; Psalm 51:11; Ezekiel 37:14; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 3:16, 12:28-32; Luke 4:18-19; John 4:24, 14:16-17, 15:26, 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; Romans 8:9-16; 1 Corinthians 3:16,12:3-11; Ephesians 1:13-14).
Man
We believe that man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. In the beginning, man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God and fell from his original innocence; whereby his descendants inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin; and as soon as they are capable of moral choice, become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love (Genesis 1:28-30, 2:7, 3:1; Psalm 8:3-6, 51:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Romans 3:10-18, 3:23, 5:6, 7:14-25, 8:6; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; Ephesians 2:10).
Salvation
We believe that salvation includes every divine action on behalf of the believer, from his deliverance out of the lost estate, to his final presentation in heavenly glory conformed to the image of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 5:25-27; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; Titus 2:11-13).
1. The believer is saved from the penalty of sin when he or she, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, is spiritually born again as a child of God (Luke 7:50; Acts 28:30-31; John 1:12; 1 Corinthians 1:28; Ephesians 2:8; 2 Timothy 1:9).
2. The believer is being saved from the power of sin as they yield to the indwelling Holy Spirit, is divinely preserved as a child of God, and is transformed into Christ’s likeness (Romans 6:1-14, 8:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 2:20, 4:19; Philippians 1:19, 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:13).
3. The believer will be saved from the presence of sin when he is presented faultless in heavenly glory with God (Romans 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Hebrews 1:14, 9:28; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 3:1-3).