STATEMENT OF FAITH

The Gospel

The gospel is the good news of what God has done through the life, death, resurrection, and accession of Jesus Christ to reconcile us to Himself. God sent His one and only begotten son, Jesus Christ, into a sin-corrupted world to live the perfectly obedient life that we never could, yet He would be the sacrificial lamb that came to bear our sin on the cross. Jesus bore the penalty of sin for all of humanity, turned aside God’s judgment, had the wrath of the Father poured out on Him, claiming victory over sin, Satan, and death. The sin and brokenness of our lives is restored through faith in Jesus Christ. The new life that we find in Christ is granted out of the grace of God. It is received by faith as we repent of our sins and turn to Jesus. We confess Jesus as Lord and bow to him joyfully. (John 3:16, Romans 3:23–26, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:24, Romans 10:9–10, Ephesians 2:8–9)

The Scriptures

The Scriptures are the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God. We believe the Bible is wholly sufficient for all matters of faith and practice as it provides the ultimate standard for truth. We believe the entire Bible is a unified revelation pointing to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, no portion of Scripture is properly read or understood apart from Christ Himself. (2 Timothy 3:16–17, 2 Peter 1:20–21, Hebrews 4:12, Luke 24:2, John 5:39)

The Trinity

We believe in the one true and living God, who eternally exists in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three persons are coequal in power, glory, and essence, sharing fully in the divine nature while remaining distinct in function. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, John 14:16-17)

God the Father

We believe that God the Father, as the first person of the Trinity, is sovereign over all creation, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, and immutable. God the Father is the righteous Judge of all the earth, whose perfect justice cannot be compromised. Yet, in His mercy and steadfast love, He has chosen, before the foundation of the world, to adopt His people as His children through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:1, Psalm 103:19, Romans 8:15, Ephesians 1:3–6, Malachi 3:6)

God the Son

We believe in Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. As the perfect Mediator, He lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death on the cross to atone for all sin, and rose bodily from the grave, triumphing over sin, Satan, and death. He ascended to heaven, where He reigns as King and intercedes for His people. Jesus is the only Savior, reconciling sinners to the Father by grace through faith. He will return in glory to judge the living and the dead and consummate His eternal kingdom. (John 1:1, 14, Colossians 1:15–20, Philippians 2:5–11, 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, Hebrews 7:25, Acts 1:11)

God the Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the eternal third person of the Trinity, who proceeds from the Father and the Son and is fully God. The Spirit regenerates hearts, indwells believers, and sanctifies them, sealing them for redemption and empowering them to walk in holiness. He convicts the world of sin, illuminates Scripture, and equips the church with spiritual gifts for worship, witness, and service. As the Comforter and Helper, He assures believers of their adoption and intercedes for them. The Spirit glorifies Christ, exalting Him in all things, and leads the church into conformity with God’s will for His eternal glory. (John 14:16–17, Romans 8:9–11, Titus 3:5, 1 Corinthians 12:4–11, Galatians 5:22–25, Romans 8:26–27)

Humanity

We believe that God created human beings, male and female, in his own image. Adam and Eve were made to complement each other in a one-flesh union in the covenant of marriage that establishes the only God-ordained pattern of sexual relations for men and women. In God’s wise purposes, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways. Humanity belonged to the created order that God Himself declared to be very good, serving as God’s agents to care for, manage, and govern creation, living in holy and devoted fellowship with the Creator. We believe that Adam, made in the image of God, distorted that image and fell into sin through Satan’s temptation. As a result, all human beings are separated from God, corrupted in every aspect of their being, and condemned to death—apart from God’s own gracious intervention. The supreme need of all human beings is to be reconciled to the God under whose just and holy wrath we stand. (Genesis 1:26–27, Genesis 2:18–25, Genesis 3:1–24, Romans 5:12, Ephesians 2:1–3, Romans 3:23)

Salvation

Salvation is the sovereign work of God, decreed in eternity and accomplished through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By His grace alone, God predestines His people, not based on any merit, but solely according to His will. It is entirely dependent on the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, who imparts a new nature, brings spiritual life, and makes the person a new creation in Christ Jesus. God preserves all whom He saves, ensuring their perseverance in faith and displaying His mercy, justice, and love for His glory alone. (Ephesians 1:4-5, Romans 8:29-30, John 3:3-8, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Philippians 1:6, Titus 3:5-7)

The Church

The Church is the covenant community of God’s redeemed people, established by His sovereign grace and redeemed through Christ’s work. The Church exists to glorify God by proclaiming the gospel, equipping believers for discipleship, and demonstrating His kingdom through worship, fellowship, and service. As we preach the Word, administer the ordinances, and exercise our gifts and talents, the church is empowered by the Holy Spirit to make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 2:19–22, Acts 2:42–47, 1 Peter 2:9–10, Matthew 28:19–20)

The Ordinances

We believe that every local church body is to regularly observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is for believers in Jesus Christ, in which the believer is fully immersed in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of outward obedience symbolizing and confessing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. It also symbolizes and communicates our own death to sin, burial of the old self, and resurrection to walk in newness of life in Jesus Christ. These ordinances do not bring salvation but serve as acts of obedience to our Lord. We believe the Lord’s Supper is an act of worship and obedience where believers, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of Christ and look forward to his glorious return. Just as baptism does not save, neither does partaking in the Lord’s Supper, but both are essential to the believer’s walk of faith and obedience to Christ. (Matthew 28:19, Romans 6:3–4, Acts 2:38–41, 1 Corinthians 11:23–26, Luke 22:19–20)

The Great Commission

We believe the Great Commission is Christ’s command to His church to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that He has commanded. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the church is called to proclaim the gospel so that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation may come to know and worship Him for His glory. Therefore, we affirm that an obedient church not only gathers for worship, but also sends disciples on mission in neighborhoods, communities, and throughout the world to advance God’s kingdom by making disciples of Christ. (Matthew 28:18–20, Acts 1:8, Romans 10:14–15, Revelation 7:9–10)

The Resurrection & Consummation

We believe Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth. There will be a bodily resurrection of the dead, with the righteous raised to eternal life and the unrighteous to eternal judgment. Christ will consummate God’s kingdom, bringing all things under His rule, restoring creation, and establishing a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells. Those who have trusted in Jesus Christ will dwell with Him forever, free from sin, suffering, and death, enjoying the fullness of His glory and grace for all eternity. (Acts 1:11, John 5:28–29, 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Revelation 21:1–4, 2 Peter 3:13, 1 Corinthians 15:50–58)