A. THE WORD OF GOD
We believe that the Bible, comprised of the sixty-six (66) books of the Old and New Testaments, is Holy Scripture, the word of God, the revelation of God to mankind, complete in form with nothing to be added to or taken from it, without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. 2 Timothy 3: 16; 2 Peter 1 :20, 21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31, 32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32; Hebrews 1:1-2.
B. THE TRINITY
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in the three persons of the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit; that these are equal in every divine perfection and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption. Genesis l: 1, 26; John 1: 1, 3; Matthew 28: 19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19, 20; Ephesians 4:5, 6.
C. GOD THE FATHER
We believe in God the Father, a personal spirit, infinite and eternal, perfect in all his attributes, among them holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that he is sovereign over all of time, past, present, and future. We believe creation exists by the power of his word. We believe that he is concerned with his own glory, that he is worthy of all glory, and that he accomplishes his glory through his creation, graciously including the redemption of fallen man. Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7, Timothy 1:1, 2; 2:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:3, Revelation 1:6.
D. JESUS CHRIST
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, eternal in nature and conceived in time by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary. We believe he was fully man and fully God. Though tempted at all points as we are, he knew no sin. He fulfilled prophecy, performed miracles, and proclaimed the truth of the kingdom of God. We believe in his substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for his people, and personal visible return to earth. We believe he is the way, the truth, and the life, and that there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Matthew 1: 18-25; Luke 1:26-38, John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5, 8:32; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30, 31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9, 10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 14:6, Acts 4:12.
E. THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that he is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide. We believe the Holy Spirit seals all believers for the day of redemption and serves as a guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it. John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26, 27; John 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 1:13-14.
F. SALVATION
1. Man
We believe that man (Adam), created by God in the image of God, sinned against God and thereby broke communion with God and provoked the wrath of God. We believe that as a consequence, as the progeny of Adam, all humans inherit, and are therefore born with, a sinful nature and commit sin and are therefore under condemnation in the natural state and stand desperately in need of redemption.
2. Election
We believe that election is the gracious act of God instituted before the foundation of the world and according to which the salvation of man is accomplished. In love God predestined for himself a chosen people (the elect) whom he would and does invariably call, justify, and ultimately glorify, owing to nothing in or of man except the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed according to the unmerited favor of God.
3. Justification
We believe that justification is the judicial act of God whereby, in his grace, he declares the elect innocent, free from guilt for his sins, and therefore saved from the wrath of God against sin. Justification is accomplished by God's grace alone, through faith alone (which is given graciously by God as a gift and not earned by man), in Jesus Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. Justification is a final act involving the imputation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ to the sinner, even as he (Jesus) who knew no sin became sin for the elect and is complete and thus without need of any further act once accomplished by the power of God's Holy Spirit in the moment faith is imparted to the elect.
4. Regeneration
We believe that regeneration is a gracious supernatural act of the Holy Spirit that accomplishes man's new birth in Christ, whereby man is a new creature reconciled to God the Father even as he is united with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. We believe that the hallmark of regeneration is saving faith, which invariably produces a confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and a belief that God raised him from the dead, and that all who exhibit such faith are delivered from condemnation and the dominion of the power of sin and are provided new hearts and made recipients of eternal life.
5. Faith
Man is saved by grace through faith. Faith is neither earned nor conjured from man but is a gift of God according to his grace. Faith has as its object the son Jesus Christ, whose atoning death by crucifixion satisfied the wrath of God against sin for all who call upon his name. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word. The word is Jesus, his person and his work, the gospel. The gospel is the good news that Jesus, the only begotten of God, gave his life as a ransom for ruined sinners so that all who believe in him (faith) shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.
6. Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit in the setting apart and conformation of the elect into the image of God, a work whereby we are made more like Jesus Christ, a work that is progressive and continual in the life of the believer (one of the elect who has been justified and has professed faith in Jesus) until the day of redemption. We believe that every believer is a new creation in Christ and is therefore a saint since the penalty for his sins, past, present and future, has been paid by the death of Christ, but he is nonetheless engaged in a spiritual battle against the flesh. We believe that complete eradication of sins in practice is not possible while still in the flesh, but the Holy Spirit's work of sanctification increasingly empowers the believer for victory over sin and the practice of good works that honor Christ.
7. Perseverance
We believe that all believers will continue to abide in the faith that saves, that faith as a gift from God is never revoked, that the Holy Spirit indwelling every true believer has irrevocably sealed him for the day of redemption, and that he will, by the grace of God, bear fruit in keeping with the faith until the end. Accordingly, we believe in the eternal security of the saints. Sin in the life of the believer will be graciously corrected by the discipline of God, which will be marked by conviction, confession, and repentance, and will be covered by the atoning work of Christ, and will not prevent the preservation by God, as reflected in the believer's ultimate perseverance in the faith.
G. THE CHURCH
We believe the church is a universal, spiritual body over which Christ is the head and of which all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers baptized on a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as reflected in a confession of him as Lord, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that the primary purpose of the church, both universally and locally, is to glorify God. We believe that Jesus Christ builds his church by calling out his elect from every tribe, nation, and tongue, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We believe the church is comprised of individual members, each of whom are valuable and vital to the church and endowed with a measure of grace as apportioned by God. We believe that God has called and commissioned the local church to worship God, exalt Jesus Christ, teach God's word (Scripture), proclaim the truth in love, and make disciples of all nations. Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-25.
We believe the church is to recognize within its body two offices: elders and deacons, the former to preach and teach God's word and to equip the saints for the ministry of the word, the latter to attend to the needs of the church. We believe that elders and deacons are called by God to these offices and must be qualified according to the directives of Scripture to so serve. We believe the local church is independent, or autonomous, in government, guided by God's word as its final authority.
H. ORDINANCES
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that baptism is the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit, as a depiction of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and as a proclamation of the believer's salvation accomplished by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus. We believe that baptism is appropriate for those who have confessed Jesus Christ as Lord. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death and involves the partaking of the bread and the cup as symbols of the broken body and shed blood of Christ. We believe that the Lord's Supper is appropriate for believers who are in right fellowship with Christ and other believers. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 1 1:23-26.
I. CHRISTIAN LIFE
We believe that believers are called to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, to stand firm in the unity of faith, striving with other believers for the faith of the gospel, unafraid of any who oppose us. Philippians 1 :27-28. We believe that believers are called to good works. Ephesians 2:10. We believe that believers are to love one another and others in honor of Christ, for God first loved us and Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. We believe that believers are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. 2 Corinthians 6:14. We believe that believers are to maintain the sanctity of the home Ephesians 5:22-6:4), exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and maintain a life of prayer (Ephesians 6:18). We believe that believers are not to forsake the assembling together with other believers but are to consider and encourage one another. Hebrews 10:24-25. We believe that civil government is ordained of God for the promotion and protection of all that is good in society. We believe it is the duty of believers to pray for those in authority and to submit to authority, except in matters directly contrary to the Word of God. Acts 4:18-19; Acts 5:27-29; Romans 13:1-7; I Timothy 2:1-4; Titus 3:1-2; I Peter 2:13-14. We believe that though saved from the penalty of sin, believers commit sins. I John 1:8. However, we believe that believers experience conviction of the Holy Spirit and, moved accordingly, confess and repent of sin. I John 1:9. We believe that believers will not go on sinning in such a pattern that sin becomes the mark of the believer's life. I John 5:18. Instead, we believe, believers are moved by the Holy Spirit to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18.
J. GENDER, MARRIAGE, AND SEXUALITY
We believe that God wonderfully creates each person as male or female. Genesis 2:18-22. These two distinct, complementary genders reflect the image and nature of God. Genesis 1:26-27. We believe in the biblical definition of marriage, that marriage was ordained of God as the union of one man and one woman. Genesis 2:18-25. We believe that God gave sexual intercourse as a gift of intimacy for pleasure and procreation to be experienced only between couples married according to the biblical definition of marriage. 1 Corinthians 6: 18; 7:2-5.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, polygamy, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. Matthew 15:18-20; I Corinthians 6:9-10.
K. ESCHATOLOGY
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked. Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4: l; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15.
L. CHURCH COOPERATION
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether a regional or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Acts 15:36,41; 16:5; I Corinthians 16: l; Galatians l: 1-3; Revelation 1:4, 10, 11.