Beliefs

The Scriptures: We believe that Scripture is God’s revelation to mankind. He has given us his revelation in 66 books found in the Old and New Testaments. We believe that the Bible is inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient. (2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21). The written word of God is our rule of faith and practice for all of life.

Doctrine of God: We believe that the Scriptures teach that there is one God (Deut. 6:4, 1 Cor. 8:4). We believe that he is one in essence, yet eternally existing in the three persons of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, the creator of all things, and all things exist for his glory. (Matt. 28:19, Eph. 1:3,7,13).

God the Father: We believe in God, The Father, an infinite personal spirit, perfect in holiness, justice, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He is unchangeable in His being, all glorious in His nature, and absolutely sovereign over creation, providence, and redemption. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Jn. 4:23-24; Isa. 6:1- 6; Psa. 115:3; 145:5; I John 4:16).

Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ is the only Savior, one person with two distinct natures. He has existed from all eternity as God, yet he took on flesh and was born of a woman. He is both fully God and fully man. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the virgin Mary’s womb, lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death, was resurrected from the dead on the third day, and ascended to the right hand of the Father, where he now reigns on his throne (Luke 1:35, John 1:1-14, Gal. 4:4, 2 Cor. 5:21, Acts 1:11, Matt. 28:1-10, 1 Cor. 15:25).

The Holy Spirit: We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and to apply the benefits of Christ’s work of redemption. Every believer is indwelt with the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. The Holy Spirit equips believers with spiritual gifts. He illuminates the word of God and teaches and guides the believer (John 16:8, 1 Cor. 3:16, 1 Cor. 12:4-11).

The Nature of Man: We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God. Adam, the first man, served as our legal representative. He sinned and brought upon himself and all mankind after him the effects of sin. All men are born dead in trespasses and sins, lacking the moral ability to do spiritual good. We teach that, because all men were in Adam, a nature corrupted by Adam’s sin has been transmitted to all men of all ages, Jesus Christ being the only exception (Gen. 1:27, Gen. 3:1-19, Rom. 5:12-21, Eph. 2:1-3, Rom. 3:10, Rom. 6:23).

Salvation: We believe that God, in His free and sovereign grace, saves sinners as He wills. Salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone. True believers will persevere in faith and good works until the end. This good news of salvation is freely offered to all and requires faith in Christ, which is enabled by the Holy Spirit, making those who are ordained to eternal life willing and able to believe. There is no salvation apart from repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The sinner must turn from his or her sins and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Genuine repentance and salvation is evidenced by good works and fruits of salvation. (Acts 13:48; Jonah 2:9; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Phil. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:5, Eph. 2:8-10).

The Church: We believe in the universal church, which is made up of all believers of all ages. We also believe in the local church, which comprises baptized believers. A local church gathers for the purpose of worship, fellowship, preaching of the word, ordinances, and prayer. We believe in the autonomy of each individual local church and Christ as the head over the church (Matt. 16:18, Eph. 4:1-15, Acts 2:42-27, Eph. 1:22).

Christian Conduct: We believe that a Christian should live all of life for the glory of God. We believe that love for God and love for neighbor should be the defining mark of every true believer. We believe in a lifelong pursuit of holiness in thought, word, and deed by the grace of God. We reject legalism in the Christian life. Rather, we are free in Christ, and in light of that, we live holy lives (1 Cor. 10:31, Matt. 22:37-40, 1 John 2:7-8).

Last Things: We believe in the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ when he will come and consummate his kingdom. We believe in a bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, final judgment, eternal punishment for the unrepentant and eternal salvation and rest for the believer (Matt. 24-25, 1 Cor. 15, 2 Cor. 5:10, Rev. 20:11-15).

We are not affiliated with any denomination. Our beliefs are rooted in Scripture and informed by historic documents such as:

  • The Apostle’s Creed

  • The Nicene Creed

  • 1689 London Baptist Confession

  • The New Hampshire Confession

Ethical Statement Affirmations

We affirm the Nashville Statement on Biblical Sexuality.

We affirm the Dallas Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel.

We affirm the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.