Beliefs

Son

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the only Savior of sinners. He is fully God, possessing all the attributes of Deity, and fully man, having taken to Himself a true human nature through the virgin birth. In the incarnation, the Son did not relinquish any divine attributes but willingly humbled Himself by veiling His glory.

We believe that the purposes of the incarnation were to reveal God, to accomplish redemption for His people, and to reign as King over God’s kingdom. Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life and willingly offered Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for sin, satisfying divine justice and securing forgiveness through the shedding of His blood on the cross. His atoning work was fully accomplished in His death and publicly vindicated by His bodily resurrection.

We believe that He ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, where He reigns as Lord and intercedes for His people, and that He will return in glory to consummate His kingdom and judge the living and the dead.

(Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; John 1:1–3, 14; Romans 3:21–26; Romans 5:6–11; Philippians 2:5–11; Hebrews 7:26–28; Hebrews 9:24–28; 1 Peter 1:18–21; Revelation 19-22)

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, possessing personality and all the attributes of Deity, and is fully God, coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son.

We believe that the Holy Spirit has been active throughout all redemptive history, working to reveal God’s truth and to apply His saving purposes to His people. In the fullness of time, at Pentecost, the Spirit was poured out in a unique and powerful way as part of the inauguration of the new covenant, a ministry that continues throughout the present age.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment, and effectually works in the hearts of God’s people to regenerate, indwell, sanctify, seal, and empower them for holy living and faithful service.

(John 3:5–8; John 14:16–17; John 16:7–11; Acts 2:1–4; Romans 8:9–16; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; Galatians 5:22–25; Ephesians 1:13–14)

Sin and Salvation

We believe that all mankind is descended from Adam and is therefore born with a corrupt and sinful nature, resulting in guilt and spiritual death. Because of this fallen nature, man willingly sins and is wholly unable to please God, reform himself, or deliver himself from sin by his own power.

We believe that salvation is entirely the work of God’s grace, and that the only hope of deliverance for sinners is repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This repentance and faith are gracious gifts of God, brought about by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

We believe that redemption from sin is accomplished solely through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, by which He satisfied divine justice and secured forgiveness and eternal life for all who believe.

We believe that all who remain in unbelief are presently under God’s righteous condemnation and will face eternal judgment, being cast into the lake of fire.

(Genesis 5:1–5; John 3:3–8, 18; Acts 16:31; Romans 3:10–23; Romans 5:12–19; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1–9; Titus 3:5–6; Revelation 20:11–15)

The New Testament Church

We believe that Jesus Christ is the founder and head of the church, which He promised to build during His earthly ministry and which was publicly inaugurated and empowered by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

We believe that the local church is the primary means through which God carries out His redemptive purposes in the world today. A local church is composed of baptized believers who have been regenerated by the Spirit of God and who have voluntarily united together under Christ’s lordship for worship, fellowship, discipleship, service, and the observance of the ordinances.

We believe that Christ has given His church authority and responsibility to proclaim the gospel, administer baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and to exercise loving discipline according to the Scriptures.

We believe that Christ has established two church offices, pastor/elder and deacon. These offices are explicitly reserved for males who meet the qualifications outlined in the New Testament Scriptures.

(Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:41–47; Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Ephesians 1:22–23; Ephesians 5:25–27; 1 Timothy 3:1–15)

The Ordinances

We believe that Jesus Christ has given two ordinances to His church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, signifying union with Christ in His death and resurrection. The Lord’s Supper is a commemorative ordinance by which believers remember Christ’s sacrificial death and proclaim His return until He comes.

(Matthew 28:19–20; Romans 6:3–4; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26)

The Family, Marriage, and Human Life

We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society, established at creation for His glory and the good of mankind. Marriage is a covenantal union instituted by God between one biological man and one biological woman, intended to be a lifelong, exclusive relationship reflecting the relationship between Christ and His church.

We believe that God created humanity in His image as male and female, and that these distinctions are fixed by God and not subject to human alteration. All forms of sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman—including adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism, and all other expressions of sexual immorality—are sinful and contrary to God’s revealed will.

We affirm that children are a gift from the Lord and that parents bear the primary responsibility to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Fathers are called to loving, sacrificial leadership in the home, and mothers are called to faithful, nurturing support, together reflecting God’s design for the family.

We believe that human life is sacred and begins at conception, as every human being is made in the image of God. Therefore, we affirm the full moral and legal personhood of the unborn and unequivocally oppose abortion in all its forms as the unjust taking of innocent human life. We affirm a consistent pro-life ethic that seeks the complete abolition of abortion and the equal protection of all human life under the law.

While we uphold these biblical convictions without compromise, we also affirm that forgiveness, redemption, and restoration are freely offered through the gospel of Jesus Christ to all who repent and believe.

(Genesis 1:26–28; Genesis 2:18–25; Psalm 127:3; Proverbs 22:6; Matthew 19:4–6; Romans 1:18–32; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11; Ephesians 5:22–33; Ephesians 6:1–4; Psalm 139:13–16; Jeremiah 1:5; Proverbs 6:16–19)

The Last Days

We believe that God is sovereignly directing history toward its appointed end according to His eternal purpose. We believe that Jesus Christ will personally and visibly return in glory to consummate His kingdom.

At His return, the dead will be raised, and all people will stand before God in final judgment. The righteous will enter everlasting life in the presence of God, and the wicked will be consigned to everlasting punishment.

We believe that God will bring about the renewal of all things, establishing the new heavens and the new earth, in which righteousness dwells and God will dwell forever with His redeemed people.

(Matthew 24:30–31; John 5:28–29; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:22–28; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10; Revelation 20–22)