We believe in one GOD, THE FATHER Almighty,Maker of heaven and earthand of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord JESUS CHRIST,the only-begotten Son of God,begotten of the Father before all worlds;God of God, Light of Light,very God of very God;begotten, not made,being of one substance with the Father,by whom all things were made;who, for us humans and for our salvation,came down from heavenand was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Maryand was made man;and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;he suffered and was buried;and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures,and ascended into heavenand sits on the right hand of the Father;and he shall come again, with glory,to judge the living and the dead,whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the HOLY SPIRIT,the Lord and Giver of Life,who proceeds from the Father and the Son,who, with the Father and the Son together, is worshiped and glorified,and who spoke by the prophets.
And we believe in one holy, universal, and apostolic church.We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,and we look for the resurrection of the deadand the life of the world to come.
Furthermore,
God
We believe there is one Triune God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each is fully God and equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. God is unchangeable in his holiness, justice, wisdom, mercy, and love. He is the almighty Creator, Savior, and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to his sovereign will for his own glory.
(Deut. 6:4; John 17:5; Gen 1:1-2; Js 1:17; Ps 102:27; 1 Sam 15:29; John 1:1; Isa 6:3; Deut 32:4; Rom 16:27; Eph 2:4; 1 John 4:16; Ps 115:3; Eph 1:11; Rom 11:36.)
The Bible
We believe God has revealed Himself in the Bible, which consists solely of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. Every word was inspired by God through human authors so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. It is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction and reveals the principles by which God will judge us. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.
(Heb 1:2; 2 Tim 3:16; Jude 3, Rev 22:19; Eph 2:20; 2 Pet 1:21; John 10:35; Ps 119:160; Matt 4:4.)
The Human Race
We believe all men and women, being created in the image of God, have inherent and equal dignity and worth. Their greatest purpose is to obey, worship, love, and enjoy God. As a result of the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted, not by constraint but by choice. Accordingly, all men and women are without spiritual life, guilty sinners, and hostile to God. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven, and reconciled to God to know and please him.
(Gen 1:27; 1 Pet 3:7; Deut 6:5; Rom 5:12; Eph 2:1-3; Jer 17:9; Rom 8:7-8.)
The Lord Jesus Christ
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is truly God and truly man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. His miracles attested to the authority with which he taught, and all his words are true. He died on the cross in the place of sinners, bearing God’s punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He rose from the dead and, in his resurrected body, ascended into heaven, where he is exalted as Lord of all. As the sole mediator between God and man, he intercedes for his people in the presence of the Father.
(John 1:1, 20:28; Rom 9:5; Gal 4:4; Heb 4:15; Mark 1:24; John 14:6; Isa 53:5; 1 Cor 15:3; Eph 1:7; 1 Cor 15:4; Acts 1:9; Heb 1:3; Rom 8:34.)
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Triune Godhead, and is coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son. He has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply his work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life, and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He lives in all believers, brings assurance of salvation, and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He incorporates believers into the Body of Christ, builds up the Church, and empowers its members for worship, service, and mission.
(John 16:14, 8; Tit 3:5; John 3:6; 1 Cor 2:14; Eph 1:17-19; Ps 119:18; Rom 8:9; Eph 1:11-14; Rom 8:15; 2 Cor 3:18; Act 1:4; 1 Cor 2:4-5; Eph 5:18; Acts 4:31.)
Salvation
We believe salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It is only by the grace of God. It has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and is offered to all in the gospel. God, in his love, forgives sinners whom he calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, apart from any works of righteousness done but accomplished solely through faith in Christ. Through justification, the sinner is credited with the righteousness of Christ, brought into peace and favor with God, adopted into the family of God, and receives eternal life.
(Eph 2:8-9; 2 Tim 1:9; Tit 3:5; Heb 7:27; Matt 11:28; Rom 10:13; 1 Cor 1:24; Acts 11:18; 2 Tim 2:25; Rom 3:28; Rom 5:19; 2 Cor 5:21; Rom 8:15; John 3:16.)
Regeneration
We believe that, to be saved, sinners must be regenerated, or born again; that regeneration is a change of heart, worked by the Holy Spirit, who awakens the dead in trespasses and sins, spiritually and savingly enlightening their minds to understand the Word of God, and renewing their whole nature so that they voluntarily love and practice holiness; that it is a work of God’s free and special grace alone; and that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith, and newness of life.
(John 3:3; John 3:6-7; 1 Cor 3:14; Rev 14:3; Rev 21:27; 2 Cor 5:17; Ezek 36:26; Deut 30:6; Rom 2:28-29; Rom 5:5; 1 John 4:7; John 3:8; John 1:13; Jas 1:16-18; 1 Cor 1:30; Phil 2:13; 1 Pet 1:22-25; 1 John 5:1; Eph 4:20-24; Col 3:9-11; Eph 5:9; Rom 8:9; Gal 5:16-23; Eph 3:14-21; Matt 3:8-10; Matt 7:20; 1 John 5:4, 18)
Repentance and Faith
We believe that repentance and faith are sacred duties worked in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; that repentance is a grace in which a person, being deeply convinced by the Holy Spirit of his guilt, danger, and helplessness and of the way of salvation by Christ, turns to God with deep remorse, humbles himself with godly sorrow, and commits to walk before God so as to please Him in all things; and that saving faith is also a grace in which a person believes, on God’s authority, whatsoever is revealed in His Word concerning Christ, accepting, relying, and resting upon Him alone for justification and eternal life.
(Mark 1:15; Acts 11:18; Eph 2:8; 1 John 5:1; John 16:8; Acts 2:37-38; Acts 16:30-31; Luke 18:13; Luke 15:18-21; Jas 4:7-10; 2 Cor 7:11; 1 Cor 10:12-13; Ps 51:1-19; Rom 10:9-11; Acts 3:22-23; Heb 4:14; Ps 2:6; Heb 1:8; Heb 7:25; 2 Tim 1:12)
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of his holiness; that it is a progressive work; that it is begun in regeneration; and that it is carried on for the duration of life in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual use of the appointed means, especially the word of God, the communion of the saints, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, and prayer.
(1 Thess 4:3; 1 Thess 5:23; 2 Cor 7:1; 2 Cor 13:10; Phil 3:12-16; 1 John 2:29; Rom 8:5; Eph 1:4; Prov 4:18; 2 Cor 3:18; Heb 6:1; 2 Pet 1:5-8; John 3:6; Phil 1:9-11; Eph 1:13-14; Phil 2:12-13; Eph 4:11-12; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18; 2 Cor 13:5; Luke 11:35; Luke 9:23; Matt 26:41; Eph 6:18; Eph 4:30)
The Perseverance of the Saints
We believe that those whom God has accepted in Christ and sanctified by his Holy Spirit will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace but shall certainly persevere to the end; that their persevering attachment to Christ is the grand mark that distinguishes them from those who merely profess belief; that a special Providence watches over their welfare; and that though they may fall through neglect and temptation into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the church, and incur temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
(John 8:31; 1 John 2:27-28; 1 John 3:9; 1 John 5:18; 1 John 2:19; John 13:18; Matt 13:20-21; John 6:66-69; Job 17:9; Rom 8:28; Matt 6:30-33; Jer 32:40; Ps 121:3; Ps 91:11-12; Phil 1:6; Phil 2:13; Jude 24:25; 1:14; 2 Kgs 6:16; Heb 13:5; 1 John 4:4)
The Church
We believe that the invisible church is the communion of God’s people drawn from every tribe, language, people, and nation throughout all the ages. Christians are to entrust themselves into particular churches, according to Christ’s commandment that a visible church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers bound together by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel and exercising the various gifts given them by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the church; that its primary duties are the reading and preaching of God’s Word, the right administration of Christ’s ordinances, and the faithful exercise of discipline over its members; and that its only scriptural officers are elders or pastors and deacons, whose qualifications and duties are defined in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel.
(Matt 16:8; Heb 12:22-23; Col 4:15; Eph 2:19-22, 5:19-21; Matt 28:19; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 1:22; 2 Cor 6:14; 1 John 1:7; Eph 3:10.)
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We believe baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordained by Christ as visible signs of the gospel. Baptism symbolizes union with Christ and entry into his Church but does not impart spiritual life. It is our practice to baptize by immersion in water only those who profess repentance towards God and faith in and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice, offered once and for all, and involves no change in the bread and wine. All its blessings are received by faith.
(Matt 28:19; Rom 6:3; Col 2:12; 1 Pet 3:21; Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:23-26.)
Liberty of Conscience
We believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which violate the Word of God or are not actually in the Word of God. We also believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society and that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed, except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of the kings of the earth.
(Rom 13:1-7; Deut 16:18; 2 Sam 23:3; Ex 18:23; Jer 30:21; Matt 22:21; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet 2:13; 1 Tim 2:1-4; Acts 5:29; Matt 28:1-20; Dan 3:15-18; Dan 6:7-10; Acts 4:18-20; Matt 23:10; Rom 14:4; Rev 19:16; Ps 72:11; Ps 2:1-12; Rom 14:9-13; 1 Cor 8:1-2; 1 Cor 10:23-33; Col 2:16-20)
The Future
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory. He will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness. The wicked will be sent to eternal punishment in hell, and the righteous will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God. God will make all things new, and those belonging to Jesus will be glorified forever.
(1 Thes 4:16; 2 Thes 1:10; 1 John 3:2; Mark 13:26; Matt 25:46; Rev 21:5.)
